Michigan Tech defenseman Luca Fasciano celebrates after scoring a goal in a game Saturday against Augustana at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

HOUGHTON — Trailing the No. 16 Augustana Vikings by one point for second in the CCHA standings coming into the weekend, the No. 20 Michigan Tech Huskies were looking to keep pace in the increasingly tight race for a home playoff spot. When the smoke cleared on Winter Carnival weekend, the Huskies won Friday night, 3-2, in overtime and then followed that effort up with a 4-3 win Saturday, giving the Huskies five out of a possible six points at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena.

More impressively, the Huskies did all of that without senior forward and leading scorer, Stiven Sardarian both nights, and captain Isaac Gordon Saturday.

The Huskies improved to 20-10-2 overall and 15-5-2 in CCHA play.

Huskies 3, Vikings 2

The Huskies scored the game’s first goal, and the game’s last goal, in a 3-2 overtime win Friday night over the Vikings.

With the game tied at 2-2 in overtime, the Huskies turned to alternate captain Max Koskipirtti. He skated hard towards the offensive blue line, when freshman forward Brayden Boehm found him with a cross-ice pass on the entry. Koskipirtti skated along the left boards and fired a wrist shot that found its way through Vikings goaltender Josh Kotai to give the Huskies the win at 2:32.

“I got the puck from ‘Boehmer,’ and I saw a lot of space,” Koskipirtti said. “I took the shot and it went in this time.”

With senior forward Stiven Sardarian out of the lineup with illness, and captain Isaac Gordon limited in his minutes as well, the Huskies turned to several players to try to fill the void wherever possible.

“I thought Lauri Raiman, Michael Cicek did a really good job filling in for ‘Stiv’ and ‘Gordo’,” said Huskies coach Bill Muckalt. “Those guys have been so huge for us all year, and just hit with a real bad injury, flu bug, we’ll kind of evaluate that for tomorrow. But, a lot of guys stepped up, obviously, ‘Van B,’ (Matthew Van Blaricom), (Tom) Leppa, (and) Carson Birnie. Big goal there by Jack Anderson to tie it, and good goal by ‘Leps’ to get it started.

“Then, obviously, ‘Koski,’ I think that’s probably his fourth game-winner. He scored some big goals for us this year.”

It was a fitting bookend that the Huskies scored on the last shot of the game, because Leppa opened the scoring for the Huskies just 53 seconds in, on the game’s first shot. He drove hard to the slot and beat Kotai with a wrist shot with traffic in front for the goal.

Augustana tied things up while on the power play at 3:47 when Leo Bulgakov batted a one-timer off a pass from Brett Meerman past Huskies netminder Owen Bartoszkiewicz.

The game remained 1-1 until the late stages of the middle frame, when Colton Friesen drove to the net and buried a one-timer behind Bartoszkiewicz at 16:32.

Needing a goal late in the third period, the Huskies turned to Anderson, who floated from the left point down into the slot. Sophomore forward Carson Latimer carried the puck around the Vikings’ net and found Anderson in the slot for a one-timer that was in and out of the net very quickly at 15:57.

The win, the Huskies’ second in a row against a team higher than them in the conference standings, was a big one.

“I don’t think it’s ever been harder than I can remember to get home ice in any conference in college hockey since I’ve been a part as a player, as a coach,” Muckalt said. “There should be five teams just grinding it out, and there’s not much separation, goal here, goal there. It’s a real fine line. So, we’ll take it. We got five games left, and … I think the message is pretty clear at this point. We have to take care of our own business and just win. We’re not going to get a lot of help.”

Bartoszkiewicz made 18 saves for the Huskies to earn the win. Kotai stopped 36 in the loss for the Vikings.

Huskies 4, Vikings 3

Saturday night, the Huskies evened the game three times before finally getting their first and only lead in the third period, which they held on to in order to win 4-3.

In the chase for a home playoff spot, getting five points in a weekend is huge.

“They’re huge,” said Muckalt. “It’s just (we) have to keep winning. We have to keep taking care of business. Every game matters. We’ve got four left. (We) have to find a way to get home ice and keep winning hockey games.”

Anderson, who was named Winter Carnival Most Valuable Player, scored what stood as the game-winner 10:33 into the third period when Koskipirtti won a faceoff in the offensive zone and got the puck over to him quickly. Anderson wasted no time burying a quick blast from the left circle.

“Just kind of lined up in a D-D (defenseman-to-defenseman) 1T (one-timer) and just came to me,” Anderson said. “I just ripped it, hoped it went in, and it went in. It’s kind of been going, so it’s been good.”

The Vikings struck first when Meerman found the net on a breakaway at 7:55.

Cicek answered when he batted a rebound off a shot from Raiman past Kotai at 11:21.

Meerman then put Augustana back on top on a power play at 12:29 when he knocked a one-timer home.

Van Blaricom, a freshman forward, tied things at 2-2 when he tipped a shot from Anderson past Kotai at 9:33 of the middle frame.

Carter Theissen answered again for Augustana just under a minute later at 10:29 when his shot from the point found its way through traffic and past Bartoszkiewicz.

Sophomore defenseman Luca Fasciano evened the game again at 3-3 when his shot from the right point hit the post and beat Kotai at 15:38.

Bartoszkiewicz finished with 17 saves to earn the win. Kotai stopped 31 in the loss.

Doing it without reinforcements

The Huskies were without Sardarian and Gordon Saturday. Gordon did play Friday, but missed shifts throughout the game.

“We talk about the strength of the pack, and the strength of the pack is the wolf,” said Muckalt. “We’re in it together. Packs thrive, and lone wolves starve. We need everybody.

“I can’t say enough about Lauri Raiman, Michael Cicek. It’s a credit to them. They’ve stayed in shape. They practiced hard. They took advantage of the opportunity. Credit to the assistant coaches and working with guys. That’s what we need. We need everybody in this. We’re only as strong as our weakest link. They stepped up big time. They were huge for this team this weekend.”

Up next

The Huskies hit the road next weekend to take on the Lake Superior State Lakers Friday and Saturday night at the Taffy Abel Arena in Sault Ste. Marie.