Husky Athletics had an eventful week with six home games between two varsity sports: ice hockey and men’s and women’s basketball.
The ice hockey team swept the Winter Carnival series against the Augustana Vikings, with scores of 3-2 on Friday, Feb. 6, and 4-3 on Saturday, Feb. 7. Similarly, the men’s basketball team trounced the Lake Superior State Lakers 96-76 on Thursday, Feb. 5, then went on to defeat the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals 62-52 on Saturday, Feb. 7. Meanwhile, the women’s basketball team won against the Lakers 89-76 on Thursday, Feb. 5, then went on to narrowly defeat the Cardinals 68-67 on Saturday, Feb. 7.
The Huskies celebrated their 50th time as Winter Carnival champions, with Hobey Baker nominee Owen Bartoszkiewicz recording 35 saves over the series and Jack Anderson being named Winter Carnival MVP, recording two goals and one assist throughout the series. During a postgame press conference, Huskies Head Coach Bill Muckalt commented, “It was another good game against a quality opponent… we just have to keep taking care of business with four games left.”
After defeating the Lakers and the Cardinals, the men’s basketball team’s in-conference record moved to 11-3, placing them first in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). Senior Guard Marcus Tomashek recorded 36 points against both the Lakers and the Cardinals, bringing the Green Bay native’s season total up to 501 points. Buettner remarked, “I think there was pretty good defense played in the first half. Saginaw played differently than we were expecting and guarded the three-point line well,” at the press conference following the win over SVSU. “[Forward Dawson Nordgaard] was a huge presence for us and Jesse [Napgezek] was a big-time player for us today, creating some advantages when our shots weren’t falling.”
Similarly, the women’s basketball team’s wins against LSSU and SVSU bring their in-conference record to 8-6, placing them fifth in the GLIAC. Sophomore Guard Ella Mason recorded 11 points against the Lakers and 19 points against the Cardinals, bringing the Negaunee native’s season points total up to 315. Following the win against SVSU, the team “really responded after I called a timeout, came together and had different people step up and bring energy and respond against a really good Saginaw team,” said Huskies Head Coach Sam Clayton.
Overall, the Huskies had a stunning performance in home varsity sports during Winter Carnival this year. Visit michigantechhuskies.com for more information on future home Husky sports and full game statistics.
