Over break, Michigan Tech athletics hosted the 58th annual Great Lakes Invitational (GLI) at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, MI, on Dec. 29 and 30. Northern Michigan was added to the competition this year, with the returning Michigan State and Western Michigan hockey teams, who came into the tournament ranked number one and six, respectively.
The first night featured the MTU vs. WMU and NMU vs. MSU competitions, with a sold-out arena. The peak of excitement in the Tech-Western game came in the third period, halfway through which the Huskies were trailing by two goals. In the last ten minutes of the game, Trevor Kukkonen and Matthew Campbell scored goals to tie the game, sending it over time. Kukkonen attributed this success to a handful of good shifts from their lines, back to back. Spirits were high heading into overtime; however, Western Michigan found the back of the net in 44 seconds.
NMU held their own against Michigan State but lost with a score of 2-0, setting up a fourth rivalry match-up for the season.
The third-place outcome on the second night resulted in a match that coach Joe Shawhan described as a “very similar game to last night.” The third period started with the NMU Wildcats behind by two, but two penalties by the Huskies opened the floor for that gap to be closed. The overtime was again short-lived, as the Huskies scored within the first minute. “I’m happy for our guys, but I think our penalty kill was an indicator of our team tonight,” Shawhan continued, saying that they worked hard but failed to keep transitioning the puck across the ice. This game was also the first game for their new goaltender, freshman Ryan Manzella.
In the championship game, Michigan State grabbed the title over Western for the first time in 15 years, with a score of 3-1.
