Michigan Tech, best season in 30 years, part two!

[manurespreader]

Re: Michigan Tech, best season in 30 years, part two!

Oh, and you gotta figure, if we did play UND, they would take us for granted, at least a little bit.

[mtu_huskies]

Re: Michigan Tech, best season in 30 years, part two!

What are people's thoughts on Johnstone? If he's medically cleared, he must not personally feel he can go all out yet? Usually you hear about guys gutting through it, but maybe he just wants to get fully healed for the stretch run?

Mel Pearson Show summary for 2-2:
We played pretty well, about 4 min Friday night in 2nd period didn't like, but otherwise good job
These are tough games, every expects Ws and expects it to be easy, but they're a tough team to play
We thought their best player was there goalie, and we focused on solving him, wanted to take his eyes away and get to the net
Like our GAA from weekend, wont loose much with giving up 0 and only 1 on Sat, Jamie had a good bounceback weekend
D group had good breakout passes, real good week for Dmen, all starts with breakout pass
8 PPG, liked our PP Friday, we need those goals to get a jump start, Sat goals just went in, put anyone out on PP later on Sat, but thing still found their way to the net
Later in Sat game, put guys out on PP, didn't coach them up as much, but we have good players, guys that can score
Every player knows the PP, even they aren't a regular on the PP, typically that guys is on PK and understands how to play against it
Pietila/Kero 100 career points, big milestone especially in college hockey today, tougher to score. Told Blake he's having his best hockey right now, sure there's a lot more points for him.
Kero good commitment, true leader on this team. Congrats to both those guys, two real leaders of our team on/off ice.

On Friday:
0-0 after 1, 14-8 shots, UAH's best period is 2nd, so it's playing into their hands at this point
1-0, Petan PPG, very skilled/patient with the puck, Baltus a nice addition to that line with Kero/Petan
2-0, Pietila PPG, We did a good job in front of the net creating havoc, will have to continue that with Bemidji
3-0, Gould from Pietila, they've started to light it up together since xmas, L'Esperance on that line too
UAH had some opportunities, got away from us a bit as we got a larger lead, they had a few 2x1s, addressed them well Sat morning, much better Sat
4-0, L'Esperance, he's a big body, hard to defend, he's learned how to use his size, soft hands too
5-0, Steman, 2x1 with L'Esperance, he's created scoring chances, fans get excited for 5 goals, Dominoes!
We've had 2 D sets the same, 3rd set Leibinger/AUk playing together more, Hyland mixed in too getting better, Jamie played well too, good shutout

On Saturday:
Our starts haven't been fantastic, we've been good/solid, just haven't scored, we changed some things, team meeting times, stetches, shake things up to get a better start
1-0, Kero, need a good start against UAH, was on a delayed penalty, so go on PP, good rule change a few years back
When Mel is bored righting up the practice, he knows he needs to change things up, practice log from everyday since before his time at Tech, good to look at years before to see what was don't, give a day off etc.
We've been on ice since Sept 15, it's a long season, need to keep things fresh, want to keep the energy then execute
2-0 Petan PPG
You have a basic PP structure, but players need to freelance off that, guys did a good job moving puck and reading what was available
They don't given up a lot of goals, goalie, structure etc, but we stuck with our game plan better than we did Friday
3-0, Gould PPG from Pietila, can't teach the chemistry they have right now, dialed in, it's exciting for coaches, always looking for chemistry like that
Beauty of our team, not worried about points, just worried about playing hard/playing well, guys we're plugging in are playing well too, Vallis/Anderson
Drawing up our team, depth and guys that have done it in games, it'll be tough but fun down the stretch
Vallis goal was huge, we were in control, don't want to give UAH any life, took a bad penalty in offensive zone, said something to ref so double minor, good job by PK, UAH scored right after
They skimmed over many of the other goals
10-1, Watson, 1st goal with goalie in net, wrist from the point, just playing everyone on the PP
11-1, Baltus goal, Kero assist to get to 100 career points, he's having a great year, want senior to have their best year, Hietila/Sweeney probably playing their best hockey too, seniors helping
Talked between 2nd/3rd period, we have to finish this game, we could see this team in a few weeks, want to make a statement we'll be ready for you
One way for seniors to measure their progress is if the program is better than they arrived, they are setting a high bar
Proud of only giving up 12 shots, there will be games you don't score a lot, not giving up a lot is big

Bemidji State:
3 point from BGSU last weekend
Good team, they out played us in both games, but Jamie was a rock and we got 2 Ws, they outshot us both games
Different team now, they beat two real good teams in the North Star Cup, UMD and Mankato
They're 3-0-1 against top 10 teams recently, I like our team too, Winter Carnival, building will be electric

GA tickets are for sale, reserved seating is getting low
Would like our fans to come out, Kero a local player doesn't have a lot of games yet, want senior to go out with full building, only two teams have 20 wins in all of college hockey
Seniors have done a lot to help our program, encourage people to come out and support them, it means a lot to them to have a full building, only 3 games left
They discussed other WCHA games


Questions for Mel, dj@themix93.com

Do you think recently our team has taken a step forward in quality of play?
Yes, our defense is round out, Jamie is playing well, Forwards are scoring more now. Like our PP too lately. Have to work on PK some too.
Want to play best hockey at the right time, want to get injured guys back and get them some games.

Are we going to be able to keep Watson/Roy for 4 years?
I think we should and can. You want to be over ready to make the next step.
Don't want to go play for minors hoping for the opportunity. Only in college once, never know, but hope they finish their degree.

Has Mel been on the other end of a blowout like that?
Yes he has. At MI, beat at MSU 11-2. Had four Dmen on that team play in the NHL, freshmen at the time. You'll see almost everything when you're in the game long enough.

From UAH perspective, how does a coach reassure commits that things are turning around.
They have measurable improvement this year. 7 wins, sweeps at home, points at UNO.

Can you start Kero so fans can hear Hancock, MI from Mitch Lake when announcing lineups?
Maybe on Senior night, somehow make that happen.
What a great turnout Sat for junior hockey night. See all the young people out there on the ice.

Do you change anything when pucks aren't going in the net, but a lot of shots?
Yes, change drills, shooting, skill things. Show some video etc, have to stand in front of the net.

Is Penn State a possible future opponent?
Yes they are, we've had conversations with a number of teams. Talked to AZ State, they've anxious to come up here. We might go down there too.
A lot of diff things going on.

Do you show the team, videos of games you lost after UAH, to remind them what could happen if they don't show up next weekend?
No, there's enough each game to show spots for improvement, more show here's what we need to do, instead of what not to do. More positive.
After Friday, showed a few clips of us not getting in front of the net, or turnovers in the danger zone etc. Message is that we can't make mistakes in future games, wont get away with it.

Do you look at the diff styles of our goalies when picking a starter, depending who we're playing?
Not really, stopping the puck is stopping the puck. Go with the hot hand.

How is Devin Kero's development?
Outstanding, leaps and bounds from beginning of year. Would play him tomorrow if had to.
Him and Shawhan great relationship, considering redshirt, same with Blacklock/Anderson. Don't want to waste a year playing them this late in the year.

[bigblue_dl]

Re: Michigan Tech, best season in 30 years, part two!

Anybody you play in the tourney is going to be a challenge. Getting in is the most important. Tech is a good team (Top 5 this week/7 in Pairwise) so no reason to fear playing any team. Get in and let the chips fall where they may. Anything can happen.

Agreed, anything can happen. I'm just saying I don't like the idea of playing UND in Fargo. Nothing more than that. Yeah, the other games are tough too, but none of the other locations/matchups would provide anywhere close to as much of a "home-ice" advantage (I know that Fargo isn't actually home ice) as UND in Fargo.

[bigblue_dl]

Re: Michigan Tech, best season in 30 years, part two!

We are still pretty far off from the playoffs, and we have to take care of our own business primarily. This weekend will be tough and if the team starts looking ahead they will get beat.

However, I'm in agreement that playing UND in fargo is not my idea of a great deal. And a bracket with Michigan and Denver plus UND is tough, but would you rather play UNO, or Mankato, or maybe Duluth. ? Looking east you are likely to find BC, who is playing well, BU, who seems to find ways to win from behind every game? or Providence, who is very solid and winning a lot of games right now? All of these basically at home for them and with east coast refs, which are a real disadvantage for us.. It's tough everywhere, but yeah South Bend would be good. I'd expect mankato there for sure though.

Personally Denver is on the bubble and might not get in at all. they have a tough schedule and a couple of splits and a loss to cc will make it tough for them.

Actually, for the refs, they aren't placed based on where they're based, if a WCHA team gets matched up against Hockey East in Manchester, you'd be just as likely to have ECAC refs as Nacho refs. You know for sure that they're not WCHA or Hockey East though.

[Shirtless Guy]

Re: Michigan Tech, best season in 30 years, part two!

What are people's thoughts on Johnstone? If he's medically cleared, he must not personally feel he can go all out yet? Usually you hear about guys gutting through it, but maybe he just wants to get fully healed for the stretch run?

Where did you hear any of this?

[bigblue_dl]

Re: Michigan Tech, best season in 30 years, part two!

Probably the most significant symbolical/historical milestone at stake next week: With 2 wins, Tech will have tied the most wins in a season since John MacInnes was on the bench (also had 22 under Nahrgang in 82-83), and tied the most amount of wins ever by a Michigan Tech team not coached by John MacInnes.

[Shirtless Guy]

Re: Michigan Tech, best season in 30 years, part two!

Probably the most significant symbolical/historical milestone at stake next week: With 2 wins, Tech will have tied the most wins in a season since John MacInnes was on the bench (also had 22 under Nahrgang in 82-83), and tied the most amount of wins ever by a Michigan Tech team not coached by John MacInnes.

Getting closer and closer to putting all of the post MacInnes downturn behind them in a big way.

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: Michigan Tech, best season in 30 years, part two!

Oh, and you gotta figure, if we did play UND, they would take us for granted, at least a little bit.

I don't figure that at all. Sure, Brad "Perennial Cellar Dwellers" Schlossman probably would, but I don't think Hakstol would.

[JohnsonsJerseys]

Re: Michigan Tech, best season in 30 years, part two!

Four weekends to go, with a 5th weekend off in the middle.

HOME vs BSU this weekend - It's carnival, pump the adrenalin and get four points in front of a packed house and a lot of alumni who haven't seen winning Tech hockey in a long time.

AWAY to Anchorage - This trip is always tough, but if Tech wants to win the WCHA, you need to beat the teams you are supposed to beat. UAA is on this list.

Week off vs Bye - Great time for this happen, get back home even after a long road trip and you still should have a full week to prepare for the next road trip and what should be the two most important games of the regular season. Won't be any points on the line, but the timing of this week couldn't be better.

AWAY to Mankato - This will pretty much be the MacNaughton weekend. A Tech sweep and its going to be a VERY exciting series vs NMU with fan scoreboard watching the following weekend.

HOME/AWAY vs Northern - Hard to say what this weekend will mean when it arrives. If Tech is out of the Cup race, sure it is Northern, but it might be hard to get up for two games even against the rivals if Cup hopes were dashed the previous weekend. Could be a real downer heading into hopefully home ice playoff games.

Its going to be an exciting five weeks. I really hope the Huskies are up to the challenge!

Go Tech!
Ryan J

[mtu_huskies]

Re: Michigan Tech, best season in 30 years, part two!

Where did you hear any of this?

Mel has said twice that Johnstone is medically cleared. He's said once that they're just waiting for David to come into the coaches' office and tell them he's ready to play. Maybe I'm mishearing it if I'm the only once that thinks it's odd he hasn't played the last few weeks. Look at yesterday for the Wild, Ryan Sutter wasn't going to play, but he comes in and tells the coaches he's playing. That's what I thought would happen with Johnstone these last few weekends and it hasn't.

[Shirtless Guy]

Re: Michigan Tech, best season in 30 years, part two!

Mel has said twice that Johnstone is medically cleared. He's said once that they're just waiting for David to come into the coaches' office and tell them he's ready to play. Maybe I'm mishearing it if I'm the only once that thinks it's odd he hasn't played the last few weeks. Look at yesterday for the Wild, Ryan Sutter wasn't going to play, but he comes in and tells the coaches he's playing. That's what I thought would happen with Johnstone these last few weekends and it hasn't.

during mel pearson show? I must be missing something

[UpNorthHockey]

Re: Michigan Tech, best season in 30 years, part two!

HOME/AWAY vs Northern - Hard to say what this weekend will mean when it arrives. If Tech is out of the Cup race, sure it is Northern, but it might be hard to get up for two games even against the rivals if Cup hopes were dashed the previous weekend. Could be a real downer heading into hopefully home ice playoff games.

Its going to be an exciting five weeks. I really hope the Huskies are up to the challenge!

Go Tech!
Ryan J

I worry about Tech's performance after the big blowout this weekend. Mel was asked about last year's series against UAH after which we were pummeled by UAF and he completely dismissed it. I think it's a legitimate question. It's never good to play against a weak opponent before a strong one, as you don't have to work as hard. UAH didn't play well against us.....they completely caved and didn't push us. I get that the team should play to a standard and not to the level of the competition, but it's tough to do, particularly after you have two dominant games where puck possession comes easy, you win all the foot races and very few quality saves are needed. Bemidji is peaking right now and I hope we are as well.

[manurespreader]

Re: Michigan Tech, best season in 30 years, part two!

JJ that series is only the biggest if you win the other games, and based on how Bemidji has demolished Mankato, Duluth and BGSU the last two weeks, you gotta figure they are the best team in the league right now and one of the best in the country. So that makes this week the biggest games of the year.

We might very well be in a position where the NMU points mean winning the McNaughton or not.

And Providence or Manchester is less than a hundred miles from Boston, so pretty much a home game for BU as well.

Also we have so much parity that it's likely that at least one league will have a non top 16 team win it's playoffs, and probably two or even three. for instance, Bemidji wins ours, PSU wins the big, St Cloud wins the nchc, And Colgate wins the ECAC.. I don't think it's likely that all those leagues have an upset winner, but I could see two of them.

Having said all that, I think our top 4 in the PWR will remain our top 4 in some order the rest of the way.

[huskyfan]

Re: Michigan Tech, best season in 30 years, part two!

I hope the team is looking at one single thing, one single win. Friday night.

[The Rube]

Re: Michigan Tech, best season in 30 years, part two!

Heads up: if anyone wants to buy a cream MTU jersey, check out the NCAA Season thread on GopherPuckLive. I guess they need 3 more people to order one to get a deal.