The Huskies opened the regular season finale series at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena with losses on Friday, Feb. 27 and Saturday, Feb. 28, scoring 0-1 and 3-4 respectively. On Saturday, the puck dropped at 7:07 p.m., and ran into overtime, with Bowling Green securing victory. The Huskies scored, in order goals, from Max Koskipirtti, Teydon Trembecky, and Carson Latimer, finishing the night with three points. In the net, Owen Bartoszkiewicz stopped 26 shots.
The Falcons started strong, with Gustav Stjernberg scoring at 3:47 of the first period. Michigan Tech responded with two goals within the first six minutes of the second period including a powerplay goal by Max Koskipirtti. Bowling Green came back to tie 2-2 with a powerplay goal by Gustav Stjernberg late into the second half. By the end of the second period, Michigan Tech took back the lead with a score from Carson Latimer. The turning point came in the third period when Falcons player Tyler Hotson re-tied the match 3-3. The final score was scored 41 seconds into overtime by Falcons player Jackson Niedermayer.
From there, Husky Head Coach, Bill Muckalt said, “I’m really proud of this group, we work hard, we compete, they show up every day, they conduct themselves the right way, and that’s what it takes,” during his press conference interview on Tuesday, Feb 24. “You can see how tight the standings are and how competitive the league is with five teams right there at the top, and it’s a battle every night in this league, you can’t take anything for granted,” Muckalt explained.
Tech came into the weekend tied for second place standing in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) at 48 points, and Bowling Green sat fifth at 44. With the other second-place competitor, St. Thomas, not playing on the final weekend, the standings were still open enough that Michigan Tech’s finish could swing them into second depending on how the last two games went. By the end of Friday, Tech secured home ice for the CCHA quarterfinals. Based on seeding, with Michigan Tech at fourth and Minnesota State at first, the semifinals will occur at Minnesota State.
Tune in to Announcer Dirk Hembroff on radio Mix 93.5 FM WKMJ for a live play-by-play of the CCHA Semifinal on Saturday, Mar. 14 at 7:07 p.m. For more information, visit michigantechhuskies.com/sports/mens-ice-hockey.
