No. 18 Michigan Tech hits road to face Golden Knights
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POTSDAM, N.Y. -- With a week off from games, the No. 18 Michigan Tech Huskies hockey team had a chance over the past several days to look at what areas of the game they have been doing well in and what areas they haven't. As head coach Joe Shawhan put it, from a teaching perspective, it was a very valuable week early in the season. Playing an intrasquad game on Saturday also helped as it gave the players a chance to show what they learned in a controlled environment.
This weekend, they will have a chance to show their teacher what they have learned as the Huskies (2-1-0 overall) arrived Wednesday at Cheel Arena, looking to keep their modest, two-game road winning streak going.
"I thought we had a good week, last week," Shawhan said. "We had a good intrasquad game. I thought it was enjoyable. We saw a lot of things. I think we grew from that."
Shawhan felt that taking the time to meet with players 1-on-1 and talk with them about where their games are at was valuable.
"It’s important because it’s part of the process, whether it sinks in or not, what we’re looking for," he said. "We’re still growing in that regard, and we’re still trying to get that consistent style of game. We have a lot of guys that are good hockey players. We’re trying to help them find ways to impact the game every night."
During this weekend's intrasquad game, the two teams tied, 3-3. Shawhan felt that he saw a lot of really good things out of several players in the contest.
"I like our increased understanding of formation and our increased understanding of how to react out of that formation," he said. "You have to play this game in a way that works…with synergy. You’re trying to maximize the productivity out of a group of players."
Having gone over video and worked in practice to help emphasize what the coaching staff wants out of the players, Shawhan felt that several players showed that they took the lessons to heart, playing with a team-first mentality.
"That’s really what I got out of that game was an apparent better understanding of that," said Shawhan. "How the game will flow, and then how we can dictate the game from that.
"That’s what’s important right now, we’re developing synergy. It's not isolated effort out there by us."
Some other good news that came out of this week is the return of fifth year forward Justin Misiak, who started the season hurt. The St. Clair Shores native has 20 goals and 45 points in 147 career games for the Huskies. More importantly, he is a player who Shawhan feels can reinforce the message the coaching staff has been imparting on players.
"What we did see this weekend, in a big way that helps us tremendously, is that Misiak is able to go," Shawhan said. "Misiak plays that way. Misiak drives momentum. He drives competitiveness. He’s a smart, tough kid that plays the game in a mature fashion, and relishes in the competitive side of it. Those are the guys you can’t have enough of."
Shawhan compares Misiak to sophomore winger Ryland Mosley, and senior wingers Brian Halonen and Alec Broetzman as a player who fights for pucks and creates scoring chances through hard work, something he hopes will rub off on some of the other younger players who are working to crack the Huskies lineup week in and week out.
"Those are a couple of guys, you always know what you’re gonna get out of Halonen, and you know what you’re going to get out of Broetzman," said Shawhan. "There’s guys that you know what you’re going to get out of all the time. You’re going to get this all the time. If that’s in line with what we feel is important to controlling the game, generating offense, and eliminating opponents offense, that’s a starting point. That’s a basis to work off of."
Fast start for Golden Knights
The Golden Knights have opened their season 3-1-1 thanks to three wins over the Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks and a tie with the Canisius Griffins. Clarkson traveled to Fairbanks to start the season, winning 2-1 and falling 2-1 on consecutive nights. Facing the Nanooks again at Cheel Arena this past weekend, the Golden Knights outscored Alaska 9-3 over the course of the weekend.
A big reason for that success was the man advantage. The Golden Knights scored seven of their nine goals on the power play, something that Shawhan wants his players to be aware of heading into this weekend, especially given that the games are in Potsdam.
"It's going to take, first of all, special teams, which starts with your goaltending," he said. "That’s going to be paramount, because they’re going to get special teams opportunities, and then the closer the game is, and the longer the game is close, the more opportunities they are going to get. That’s just characteristic of the ECAC."
Along with Clarkson's ability to find the net on the advantage, Shawhan knows that the Golden Knights play with a swarm mentality around the puck, which can give opponents fits.
"Outside of that, it’s going to be competitiveness," he said "They have a lot of players around the puck. They have a lot of veteran players that have high compete levels. Their (defense is) aggressive. Very toesy, so they’re on their toes. They’re always on the charge. They’re on the charge more than retreating."
Lake Superior State transfer Lukas Kaeble, a defenseman, leads the team in scoring through the first five games with three goals and nine points. Sacred Heart transfer Zach Tsekos has a team-high five goals, including a team-high three on the power play, and six points.
In goal, sophomore Ethan Haider has emerged as the starter. He is 3-1-1 in five starts with a 2.01 goals against average and a .917 save percentage.
Game times
The Huskies and Golden Knights play at 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, respectively, at Cheel Arena.