Huskies win Desert Hockey Classic

By @MichaelCaples –

It was a successful trip to the Grand Canyon State for Michigan Tech this weekend.

With a 2-1 shootout win over No. 12 Yale, the Huskies won the Desert Hockey Classic at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz.

After playing to a 1-1 tie (how the game will officially enter the NCAA record books), Alex Petan scored in the shootout while Jamie Phillips stopped all three Yale shooters to capture the tournament title.

“I’m very happy and extremely proud of our players,” said head coach Mel Pearson, who has led Tech to a 3-0-3 record in overtime games this season, in a release. “We had our moments and we stuck with it. Yale is a really good team and winning the shootout and the championship is a great accomplishment for us.”

MTU started the tournament with a 4-2 win over Connecticut on Jan. 8, thanks to goals from Brent Baltus, Dylan Steman, Alex Gillies and Shane Hanna. Phillips made 19 saves in the victory.

Two days later, it was Steman scoring the lone regulation MTU goal in the championship game, and Phillips stopping 24 of the 25 shots he faced.