Huskies earn five of six points from Tommies with sweep
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HOUGHTON -- Sometimes a win feels like a win, much like the Michigan Tech Huskies hockey team's 6-1 win on Friday over the visiting St. Thomas Tommies. Other times, a win can feel like a loss, and that is what the Huskies were feeling like after a 4-3 overtime victory Saturday at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena.
Looking to close out the fall semester on a strong note, the Huskies (10-7 overall, 7-5 CCHA) came out and struck just 5:42 into the contest before adding another just under eight minutes later. However, two goals in the game's last three and a half minutes changed everything for the Huskies, who found themselves in overtime for the fifth time this season.
Senior winger Brian Halonen, who scored two of the Huskies' goals, including the game-winner summed it up.
"It's a pretty poor execution on our part, the last five minutes in the third, even to let it get to overtime," he said. "We would have loved to get six out of six points, but I guess five of six will have to do. It's behind us now.
"That's just not the way we want to play going into the GLI. We have a tough opponent in Michigan in the first game at the GLI and that's not how we wanted to leave for break."
Halonen's first goal came just 5:42 into the contest when he picked up a rebound in the slot in his own end, skated the puck all the way to the offensive zone, drove around a Tommies defender and beat goaltender Jacob Berger with a wrist shot.
He then got the best of Berger again in overtime. After assistant captain Colin Swoyer banked a pass off the boards and around a Tommies defending forward, Halonen scooped the puck up, drove around another Tommies defender and made a quick move at the crease to create enough separation from Berger for him to lift a wrister over the goalie's left shoulder.
Huskies coach Joe Shawhan was disappointed in his team's effort, especially in the game's final 3:33, which allowed the Tommies to strike twice with Berger pulled from almost the same spot on the ice.
"We got out-competed," said Shawhan. "They competed when the game was on the line. I give St. Thomas a ton of credit. They competed. They pulled the goalie, had to score two goals, pulled the goalie, scored two goals, won battles, beat our big men on battles and worked the puck out and then beat our goaltender. So again, it's all compete, if you look at it."
Christiano Versich scored at 16:48 and again at 19:29 to turn a 3-1 Huskies lead into a 3-3 tie before the end of the third period. Versich and linemate Kyler Grundy accounted for all three Tommies goals on the night.
After Halonen struck the first time, the Huskies appeared to be in the driver's seat, much like they had on Friday night, where they scored three goals in a matter of less than six minutes. Junior center Logan Pietila stole a clearing pass and found the back of the net just seconds later at 13:37 of the first period, giving the Huskies a two-goal lead before the first intermission. For Pietila, the goal was his seventh of the year, giving him nearly twice as many goals as the total points he scored last season (four).
After the Tommies cut the lead to 2-1 in the middle frame, senior winger Tommy Parrottino got the goal back when he struck at 11:32. He took a lead pass from senior defenseman Tyrell Buckley and blew past a Tommies defender before beating Berger with a wrist shot.
Huskies goaltender Blake Pietila made 16 saves to earn his 10th win of the season.
Misiak leads Huskies to 6-1 win Friday
After scoring a power play goal in a loss to then No. 2 Minnesota State last weekend, fifth year forward Justin Misiak scored twice Friday to help lift the Huskies to a 6-1 win over the Tommies.
Misiak had not scored a goal at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena since Feb. 23, 2019, in a game against Alaska-Anchorage. That all changed when he took a pass from Logan Pietila behind the Tommies' net and he skated out front and stuffed it home at 19:19 of the first period, giving the Huskies a 3-0 lead at the time.
Misiak's second goal came at 18:22 of the second when he skated hard to the net and one-timed a pass from sophomore center Nick Nardella past goaltender Peter Thome. He also added an assist on junior winger Tristan Ashbrook's goal 3:45 into the middle frame.
Swoyer and Parrottino both scored power play goals in the contest. Swoyer's came at 17:43 of the first period off a pass from sophomore center Arvid Caderoth, while Parrottino's came at 16:55 of the second, also off a pass from Caderoth.
Halonen scored the Huskies' first goal of the night at 13:37 of the first period.
Blake Pietila made 11 saves to earn the win.