(Photo Illustration by Adam Niemi/The Daily Mining Gazette; David Archambeau/Photo for The Daily Mining Gazette)

Wins aren’t a given in the WCHA.

But Michigan Tech badly needs them.

After a lackluster start to 2020, holding a 1-3-2 record so far in the new year, the Huskies have a prime opportunity to get a pair of wins this weekend against the struggling Ferris State Bulldogs. Puck drop is 7:07 p.m. Friday and 6:07 p.m. Saturday.

Ferris State has lost eight in a row coming into the weekend.

The Huskies (13-11-3, 8-8-2 WCHA) may have had a hangover from winning last month’s Great Lakes Invitational. While the team has struggled this season to maintain consistency of production — namely offensive production — the team also dealt with a flu outbreak.

Tech head coach Joe Shawhan looked at the flu going around as an opportunity.

“It’s certainly an issue, but it gives other guys an opportunity, right?” Shawhan said. “We have to evaluate our depth and what we have going forward. Guys work awfully hard for a chance to play. That’s the way we have to look at it.”

Tech is coming off two consecutive weeks of losing the Friday game and tying the Saturday game, at Bemidji State last weekend and Bowling Green the week before. Prior to that, the Huskies split at Arizona State to open the new year.

“I didn’t think we played well for four out of five coming out of the GLI. I thought we played obviously well at the GLI,” Shawhan said. “I thought we took two periods off Saturday at Arizona State. Played pretty well on Sunday in the win. The players that could perform well who were completely healthy showed their best. I didn’t think we showed our best against Bowling Green. I don’t think we played extremely well against Bemidji. I think we got into a little bit of a funk which leads to lack of confidence and so now we’re trying to rebuild it back up depth-wise and get back to where we were before.”

Despite losing eight straight, the Bulldogs (6-17-2, 4-12-2) are apt to switch up their systems during the game, Shawhan said.

“They do some creative things,” Shawhan said. “Great on face-off coverages and offensively off face-off plays. Different looks in different scenarios — different forechecks, different D-zone cover, certainly different looks on offensive zone play that are unique that you have to prepare for. Probably similar to (Alaska) Anchorage in that regard. They do have some players playing out of position. They’re trying to develop their depth as we are. They have some defensemen playing forward, doing a decent job for them. They’ll come in and they’ll give us some good wrinkles.”

The Bulldogs’ last win came Dec. 14 at Alabama-Huntsville. Ferris State was swept by Alaska last weekend.

The weekend series against Ferris State gives Tech another chance at something the Huskies have struggled to take full advantage of: winning at home. The Huskies are 3-6-2 at home this season, albeit against a tough docket of ranked opponents.

“We have to take advantage of home ice, which we haven’t done a great job this year,” Shawhan said. “We’ve had some great opportunities in that we’ve played really good teams at home. We’ve played Northern at home, Mankato at home, Bowling Green at home, Clarkson at home — all ranked teams. And we’ve had opportunities at home to do a better job. It’s a lot different having those chances to play them at home, than having to play them in their barn. Haven’t really made the most of it.”

With Tech having just 10 games left in the regular season, this weekend presents an opportunity for the team to rekindle its inconsistent offense.

After being swept by Minnesota State on Nov. 8-9, the Huskies finished 2019 with a 9-2-1 record and cracked the NCAA Division I hockey poll. The Huskies averaged 2.92 goals per game of offense.

In the five games since, Tech has averaged a half-goal less.

A half-goal may not sound like much, but it’s been significant enough that the lack of offense means the Huskies are again fighting tooth and nail through the third period in one-goal games. Four of the five games since the new year have been one-goal games, with two of them ending in ties (Tech lost the OT for the extra conference point both times). It’s extra hockey that further wears down on players late in the season. And with every WCHA point more important as the season progresses, and Tech having lost out on chances to get those points of late, they’re chances the Huskies can no longer afford to miss.

They say the best offense is a good defense. In Tech’s case, the best defense would be a good offense. It would mean keeping the puck in Ferris State’s zone and hammering the net with shots.

“We need to establish ourselves at home and play better. There’s a lot riding on the line right now for everybody this time of year,” Shawhan said. “My mentality is still to grow as a team and anytime you’re only scoring one or two a night, it doesn’t matter who you’re playing, we could be playing anybody — Houghton Gremlins, Hancock Bulldogs, Calumet, a combination of all above — if you’re getting one or two goals, they’re in the game. It’s a one- or two-shot game.

“We have to continue to work at creating offense, developing our players and that comes through consistent execution and building confidence and confidence comes through preparation.”