The Huskies postseason run ends 7-2
The Michigan Tech Huskies traveled to Mankato on Saturday night to face the top-seeded Minnesota State Mavericks in the CCHA Mason Cup semifinal. Despite a strong postseason run leading into the matchup, the Huskies fell 7-2 at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center, bringing their playoff run to an end. Michigan Tech entered the semifinal as the No. 4 seed after sweeping Bowling Green in the quarterfinal round on Mar. 6 and Mar. 7. The victory sent the Huskies on the road to face the regular-season champion Mavericks in a single-elimination contest for a chance to advance to the Mason Cup Championship.
Minnesota State wasted little time taking control of the game. The Mavericks scored three goals in the first period, quickly building momentum in front of their home crowd. Goals from Ean Somoza, Tristan Lemyre, and Luigi Benincasa gave the Mavericks a 3-0 lead, ending the first period.
There were few Tech fans at the game due to the snowstorm sweeping through Keeneenaw, which kept the Pep Band and Mitch’s Misfits from attending, and the normal rambunctious spirit that they bring to the games.
The Huskies responded in the second period when Tom Leppa found the back of the net to put Michigan Tech on the scoreboard. However, Minnesota State continued to push offensively, scoring four goals in the second period to extend its lead. Tristan Lemyre and Reid Morich each recorded multi-goal performances as the Mavericks pulled away. Michigan Tech added another goal late in the game from Isaac Gordon, but the lead that Minnesota State put up proved too large to overcome. Strong goaltending from Minnesota State’s Alex Tracy and a constant offensive attack helped the Mavericks secure the 7-2 victory and advance to the Mason Cup Championship game.
Although the season ended short of a championship appearance, the Huskies finished the year with a 23-13-3 record and another run in the CCHA postseason. The semifinal appearance marked the fourth time in the past five seasons that Michigan Tech reached the conference’s final four, continuing the program’s consistent presence among the league’s top contenders. For the Huskies, the trip to Mankato capped off a competitive season defined by resilience and strong postseason play, leaving the program looking ahead to building on its success in the years to come. It also marked the end of the seniors’ season for Jack Anderson, Trevor Kukkonen, Joe Prouty, Stiven Sardarian, and Kasper Vaharautio.
