Michigan Tech forward Tyrone Bronte raises his hands in celebration of a goal during a game against Northern Michigan Friday at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena in Houghton. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

BEMIDJI, Minn. — With a 3-0 win on Friday night at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena and a 4-1 win on Saturday at the Berry Events Center, the No. 12 Michigan Tech Huskies took a key step towards solidifying their spot in the CCHA standings. Sitting just three points behind the No. 13 Minnesota State Mavericks with six games left for both teams, the two teams are in a race for the top seed in the playoffs.

To get there, the Huskies (18-7-4 overall, 11-5-4 CCHA) have a murderer’s row of CCHA foes, starting this weekend with the Bemidji State Beavers, who sit fourth, on the road before they host Bowling Green State (third) for Winter Carnival, and then they travel to Mankato to take on the Mavericks to close things out.

The Huskies hold their playoff destiny in their own hands, and coach Joe Shawhan could not be more excited.

“Obviously, we’re very pleased with the performance of the team,” he said. “It’s been a learning process for all of us, for sure. This year, we’ve all had to evolve and go about things a little bit differently.”

Shawhan feels that this team has been very different in how it measures success from any other team he has coached, and that has kept him on his toes, but also helped him, and his staff, evolve.

“I think if, as a staff, if we would have not allowed the group to evolve within their own identity, we would have done a grave disservice to this group of guys,” he said. “The strength of this group is the character within the group, first and foremost. So they’ve been extremely pivotal in, and involved in, everything that we’ve done.”

That involvement was on display on the bench during Saturday’s win. Shawhan credits the idea for the faceoff play that led to co-captain Logan Pietila’s goal to senior winger Tyrone Bronte, who saw something in the way the Wildcats set up defensively off of faceoffs.

“(Assistant coach) Jordy (Murray) was going over some faceoff details, and Tyrone Bronte made a suggestion during that meeting,” said Shawhan. “It was wonderful to see what could possibly be available, and that ultimately ended up being the first goal of the game.”

Pietila on a roll

Pietila, much like his twin brother Blake, has been instrumental in what the Huskies have accomplished throughout the season. For the first half of the season, he struggled to find his way on the scoresheet. However, since the Desert Hockey Classic, he has five goals and eight points in eight games.

He is currently on a three-game goal streak that has seen him score four times over that span.

“He’s resilient,” Shawhan said. “He’s been a consistent performer for us for a very, very long time.”

Caderoth finding ways to chip in

Co-captain Arvid Caderoth, who has struggled to score this season, found the net for just the second time this year on Saturday. While the offense has not been there for the third-year forward, he has found other ways to contribute, including on faceoffs, which have improved from where they were just two weeks ago.

“Arvid Caderoth got a big goal for us the other night,” Shawhan said. “He’s a player that, in his heart, he wants to put up points. But, what we want to make sure is understood is his value to our team.”

Given how Murray spent a lot of time over the past two weeks working to improve all the facets of faceoffs for the Huskies, having a guy who can consistently win draws is a huge plus for the team. Caderoth’s performance in the circles has Shawhan reminded of a certain former NHLer, who was known for his work on faceoffs.

“I compare him right now to Joel Otto,” said Shawhan. “The value Joel Otto had back in the day with Calgary, when they won Stanley Cup, and with what they did as far as faceoffs, special teams, leadership, and accountability within their 5-on-5 play.”

Ashbrook, Saretsky step up

Shawhan felt that senior forwards Parker Saretsky and Tristan Ashbrook both deserved a ton of credit for the efforts they put in throughout the weekend to help the Huskies sweep the Wildcats.

“Parker and Tristan, I thought were outstanding this weekend,” he said. “Their best overall weekends, that I’ve seen, in their entire time with us, both of them. The amount of scoring chances that they generated. I don’t know if they were involved in a scoring chance against on the weekend. That’s huge for them, and huge for us, because it adds to our depth, the depth of our overall ability to control the tempo of a hockey game.”

Scouting the Beavers

The Beavers enter this weekend 11-10-5 overall and 9-6-3 in CCHA play. Bemidji has been better at home than they have on the road, going 6-3-5 at the Sanford Center, and just 5-7-1 away from it. They are fresh off a split with Lake Superior State last weekend.

So much of what the Beavers do well starts with the way they defend for coach Tom Serratore. Senior defenseman Elias Rosen is a great example of that. He leads the team in scoring with 20 assists and 22 points in 26 games. He possesses a first pass that sets the Beavers’ offense in motion once they get control of the puck.

Freshman winger Lleyton Roed has become a favorite target of Rosen. Over the past two weekends, Roed has earned CCHA Rookie of the Week honors. He has eight goals and 20 points in 26 games.

Fifth-year forward Mitchell Martan has also benefited from the team’s quick transition ability. He has eight goals and 16 points in 26 games. Fifth-year forward Ross Armour had a team-high nine goals and 15 points in 22 games.

Sophomore goaltender Mattias Sholl is not often asked to steal games due to the way the Beavers defend. All he is asked to do is make stops, which he has done well.

He has started all 20 games he has appeared in this season. He is 8-6-5 with a 2.08 goals against average and a .919 save percentage.

Game times

The Huskies and Beavers are set to face off Friday at 8:07 p.m. at the Sanford Center in Bemidji. Saturday’s contest is set to start at 7:07 p.m.