Michigan Tech’s Jake Jackson looks to pass as Ferris State’s Corey Mackin defends Saturday, at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena. (David Archambeau/Daily Mining Gazette)

HOUGHTON — Michigan Tech is ready to go full speed ahead.

After two months of ups and downs — a 4-1 win over rival Northern Michigan going in the “ups” category, and a five-game winless streak falling to the “downs”— head coach Joe Shawhan thinks the growing pains are over. The Huskies are third in the WCHA, despite the rocky season, and have a chance to gain ground with a series against second-to-last place Lake Superior State, Friday and Saturday at 7:07 p.m. in the MacInnes Student Ice Arena.  

Tech plays LSSU for the second time this weekend after coming away with a win and a tie on the road earlier in the season. 

“As of right now I really like where we are at and where we are headed,” Shawhan said. “I like the mood of the team and I like the chemistry of the team. We just have to make sure we are continuing to grow. Hopefully, we have gone through those two steps forward and one step back scenarios. Guys are starting to feel good about themselves,” 

The Huskies need that confidence to continue.  

They trail Bowling Green by five points and No. 7 Minnesota State by four in the WCHA standings, but with six points on the table this weekend, Tech has a chance to narrow the gap. The Huskies can gain those six points with two wins. 

Tech (8-7-4, 6-6-4 WCHA) is coming off a two-game split with Ferris State, while LSSU (4-11-3, 3-7-2-0 WCHA) just dropped two games to Minnesota State.  

“They played against a very good team last weekend (Minnesota State) that makes everyone a little bit ornery after they leave,” Shawhan said. “They’ll come in here and I know they’ll have an attitude, and we are expecting a good, competitive series, but we like the way we are playing as well.” 

There is plenty to like for Tech right now.  

The Huskies are clicking on both sides of the ice. 

In their last game against Ferris State (a 5-1 victory), each line recorded a goal and three Huskies added to multiple-game point streaks. Jake Jackson has four goals and four assists over the last six games, Alex Smith has three goals and five assists over the last five games and captain Brent Baltus is in the midst of a four-game point streak with three goals and four assists.  

Shawhan had much to say — and none of it good — at the start of the season when Tech struggled on the penalty kill. But now he can finally praise his defense as Tech killed 9 of 10 power-play chances over the weekend.  

“We are getting to many more loose pucks, we are much better at zone entries and we have been covering much better in front of the net,” Shawhan said. “There is a better understanding on rotations as well. A big thing about penalty kill also comes down to goaltending. If they get a decent shot, you have to get the save. You make that save and it might be enough to get you through.” 

Tech is also in a good position in the net. Freshman Robbie Beydoun picked up his first career win on Saturday with 31 saves, and junior Devin Kero is back from injury.  

Shawhan said Beydoun’s performance has earned him another start, but he also expects Kero to play in upcoming games.  

The secret to Tech’s newfound success? Shawhan thinks it stems from vocal leadership. Early in the season, several Huskies struggled to transition from role players to big-time players, but Shawhan no longer sees that issue. 

“We have a lot of guys that are stepping up now and wanting to make an impact on the game,” he said. “That is a great thing when you have a number of guys making a difference. Now we can start challenging them and getting to an even higher level. You have to be careful when they are down and when they are vulnerable. But right now a lot of guys are gaining confidence. 

“It happened in Alaska where the team started holding each other accountable in a positive way. They started bringing out the best in each other and in themselves. The more of a voice the team has, the less of a voice the staff needs to have. It’s like a family. Kids can tune out a parent, but when a brother or a sister says something, it means a little bit more.”