The countdown is on to the face off that will officially begin the Michigan Tech hockey season on Oct. 1 at Minnesota- Duluth the Huskies will begin the season that will defend the McNaughton Cup, which was brought home to the Copper Country last year.
Even with a very successful previous season for Michigan Tech hockey, the Huskies remain humble, setting goals for the season and planning to strive for them one by one.
“Every year is new and that’s the thing, it doesn’t matter if you almost have your whole team back, every year is different so you have to make sure you start with a good foundation,” Head Coach Mel Pearson commented. “It’s a process week after week and team chemistry is so important. I think that is one of the big goals we have is to play as a team. I think if we can do that, we’ll have a chance to have the success we did last year.”
With a fresh season on the horizon, the success of last year is kept in mind as a goal to reach for. Senior defenseman Cliff Watson commented, “As a team we had a pretty successful year last year so we want to match that this year. Last year we had the WCHA Championship which was a pretty unbelievable experience and was good for us, and good for the community, so I think that’s our first goal. “
Two goals in particular are of special importance to the team as well as the community. The Great Lakes Invitational [GLI] Tournament, which will be held Dec. 29 and 30 at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, holds special importance as well as finishing first and retaining the McNaughton Cup, which returned home to the Copper Country last year after 40 years away. In addition, there’s no denying that when college hockey is mentioned a national championship comes to everyone’s mind.
The season, beginning Oct. 1, lasts over half the calendar year, which can bring some worries regarding consistency and overall health of the team. Head Coach Mel Pearson addressed the issue saying, “It’s a grind. We have some veterans who need to take that next step and if they can do that and we can stay healthy and be consistent than we’ll have a chance.”
Watson placed importance on consistency as well commenting, “I think the biggest thing for us this year is just going to be consistency, just coming to play every night and having an every game matters and every shift matters kind of mentality.”
Still in the works is the answer to the big question, who will be in the lineup to begin the season. With the loss of decorated goaltender Jamie Phillips the question lurks of who will be in goal come Oct. 1. “Obviously, we lost a big time goaltender so that will be one of the real keys, we have to play well defensively to give our young goalies a chance at success. Everyone wants to know who our starting goaltender is going to be. We have three capable young men, we just need one of them to take over and take the job,” Pearson commented.
The Huskies added nine fresh faces to the roster this year, all of whom Watson and Pearson agree are ready to play.
“I honestly could go through the list of names and say that they’re all ready to play. It’s a tough lineup to crack but I think these younger guys are going to do well. It’s tough to say what the lineup is going to be,” Watson said.
Even though time with them has been limited, the newcomers appear at home in the Birthplace of Professional Hockey, and Michigan Tech.
“There’s nobody that’s out of place…They all look like they belong here so it’s just going to take some time to find out what they can do and how much they can do and how ready they are for college hockey,” Pearson said.
When asked who he predicted the toughest match up of the season would be, Pearson said, ”Every team is good. I’ve been in college hockey 35 years and any given night anybody can beat you if you’re not ready to play your game and I think really our toughest opponent will be ourselves. I really believe that. If we push ourselves and we’re ready to play every night and we execute, we’ll be fine.”
The upcoming hockey season is sure to be one of great moments and great opportunities and come Oct. 1 everyone in black and gold will be ready for face-off.
