Michigan Tech ready for encore performance in 2015-16
By Matt Mackinder –
What can Michigan Tech do for an encore?
After a stellar 2014-15 campaign that saw the Huskies ranked No. 1 in the nation at one point, keeping the momentum going is of the utmost concern.
Ask MTU coach Mel Pearson, though, and he knows teams in the WCHA that can top the Huskies will have to work for the two points.
“It’s an exciting year and I think our players are anxious to get started, especially after the way we finished last year when we got a taste of the NCAA tournament for the first time in a long time,” Pearson said. “I think one of the things we’re looking forward to is that we have 25 returners this year. It’s been a long time since I’ve been with a team that had that many returning players. I think the expectations are high for our team and (the players) also have high expectations for themselves.
“We had a good year last year, but last year was last year.”
The Huskies look to be strong and deep at all three positions and will have excellent senior leadership, according to Pearson.
“It all starts with Alex Petan, who I feel will not only be one of the best players in our league, but in all of college hockey,” Pearson said. “He’s proven that and we expect Alex to continue where he left off last year. Malcolm Gould had a breakout season last year and we expect Malcolm to have an even better year. We’ll be paced by those two guys offensively with a strong supporting cast of forwards.”
The back end is in good shape with junior captains Cliff Watson and Shane Hanna.
“Cliff might not pick up the points that many defensemen do, but he’s a steady player and a great team leader that helped us become one of the better defensive teams in the country last season,” said Pearson. “I think Shane has been one of the best defensemen in our league since Day 1. He might not get some of the accolades some of the other defensemen get in our league, but between his points and his plus-minus, he’s been a real good player for us year in and year out. He’s looking to have a breakout year after some injuries last year, but he’s healthy and ready to go.”
Senior Jamie Phillips was a finalist for the 2015 Mike Richter Award and has the ability to win games on his own for the Huskies.
Pearson called the goaltending position “our biggest question mark” at this time last year, but with the way Phillips played in 2014-15, no lingering questions remain on the brink of 2015-15.
“Going into this year, it’s our position of least worry,” said Pearson. “We’re very fortunate to get Jamie back for his senior season and I know he’s looking forward to building upon the year he had last year.”
Ranked second in the preseason WCHA polls, Pearson has his squad raring to go in Houghton.
“We’re excited about our group and we only have three freshmen this year,” said Pearson. “They’ll come in and find their way, but the excitement here in Houghton is as high as it’s ever been. We’ve got a great schedule (including games at Michigan State Nov. 21-22, the Great Lakes Invitational in Detroit Dec. 29-30 and the Desert Hockey Classic at Arizona State Jan. 8-10) and then with the WCHA schedule, every team in our league has had a taste of the playoffs and understands what it’s all about. We have outstanding players and outstanding coaches in this league and I think it’s going to be a great year for the WCHA.”