Michigan Tech goaltender Blake Pietila (31) gloves a puck while Minnesota State forward Connor Gregga crashes the net during a game Saturday at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena in Houghton. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

HOUGHTON — Coming off a very successful weekend against the then-No. 10 Minnesota State Mavericks, the No. 18 Michigan Tech Huskies find themselves atop the CCHA standings. Thanks to a win and a tie against the Mavericks, the Huskies sport a 5-2-3 conference record, and a 9-3-3 record overall.

Coach Joe Shawhan is quick to point out, however, that the weekend against the Mavericks is in the books, and the focus need to be on this weekend’s opponent, the Northern Michigan Wildcats, whom the Huskies will play in a home-and-home series this weekend, starting in Marquette on Friday.

“We flush that series on Sunday to get ready for Northern,” he said. “Obviously, every time we come up with points on the weekend, we’re happy with it. Getting points against your Top 4 teams, top teams in-league, is critical if you’re trying to get yourself in a position where you can have home ice advantage for the playoffs. So, (we’re) very happy with the results, (but we) obviously (have) a lot of work to do.”

Missing defensemen

After a tough game on Friday, where the Huskies were playing without senior defenseman Ryan O’Connell, the Huskies lost two more defensemen in senior Chris Lipe and sophomore Trevor Russell to injury. Shawhan and his staff inserted a pair of freshmen into the lineup in Evan Orr and Frank Dovorany into the lineup, along with keeping senior Jake Crespi and sophomore Alex Nordstrom among the blue line corps as well, dressing seven defensemen.

While Orr and Dovorany held their own, Shawhan feels that both have plenty of room for growth.

“They survived,” he said. “That’s an opportunity for guys to step up and really take advantage.

“We’re looking for others to step up and not just kill minutes, but be on the assertive side, be confident in what they do, understand the responsibilities, and execute. I think where it really affected us, I thought our defending was okay.”

Shawhan wants both players to develop better practice habits, as he believes it will help both of them become more confident players when given the chance to play.

“When you get that opportunity, you want to be ready to accept the challenge,” he said. “We all want to be ready.

“There are little things that we see in practice, that we see in the game, and I do think that you develop your game in practice. In-game is where you earn your confidence, from what you’ve developed in practice, to say, ‘Okay, this is working, this isn’t working.’ So practice habits need to get better.”

Finding another line

The Huskies top two lines seem to be settling in at the moment, so finding two more lines has become a priority for Shawhan and his staff. With a goal each night, the line of senior winger Logan Ganie, senior center Parker Saretsky, and senior winger Tristan Ashbrook seems to be developing some chemistry for the Huskies.

Shawhan likes much of what he sees from the trio, but still wants to see them push the game’s pace more.

“They can make plays, all three of them can make plays,” Shawhan said. “What they have to do is continue to push the pace. They have to continue to push the pace and play with speed and tempo. They had other scoring chances.”

Shawhan wants to see all three forwards continue to find success.

“They can all make a play, so we want them to get opportunity,” he said. “We want them to create opportunities offensively, because they can put pucks in the net.

“The more they can stay in the play, and the better conditioning level that they get so they can have more ice, we’re a better team for that. Those guys all have good IQ. Their issue is in staying up in the play. When they do that, good things happen for us.”

Scouting the Wildcats

The Wildcats come into this weekend in fourth in the CCHA with 13 points thanks to a record of 5-3 in conference play. The Wildcats are 9-7 overall, and have wins over Bowling Green State, Colgate, Alaska-Anchorage, Alaska, Lake Superior State, Bemidji State, and Minnesota State.

Northern Michigan is good 5-on-5, but where they break opponents down is on the power play. They are clicking at 27.5% on the man advantage this season, with 13 power play goals coming from their Top 5 scorers, including senior A.J. Vanderbeck, who has three of his team-high 10 goals on the power play.

“They have skill and the move the puck,” Shawhan said. “They have skill and hockey sense. They move the puck quick to find the open areas. They get going downhill, and they turn it into shots, retrievals, (and) do it all over again.

“It’s working for them.”

The Wildcats are led offensively by Vanderbeck, who has 19 points in 15 games. Junior Artem Shlaine has also been good, with eight goals and 14 points. Senior Andre Ghantous has a team-high 12 assists and 14 points.

They also have two outstanding freshmen in forward Joey Larson and defenseman Josh Zinger. Larson has four goals and 11 points. Zinger has eight assists and nine points.

Between the pipes, freshman Beni Halasz has seen the most action, starting 12 games and making 13 appearances thus far. He has a 7-6 record with a 2.07 goals against average and a .920 save percentage.

Game times

Friday night’s opening faceoff at the Berry Events Center in Marquette is set for 7:07 p.m. Saturday’s tilt at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena is set for 6:07 p.m.