The Huskies fell 4-0 to Minnesota State on Saturday on Minnesota’s ice. With three goals scored in the first period, the Mavericks pulled ahead early. Two of the first three goals were scored on power plays. Senior defenseman Shane Hanna had two long shots on goal, but both were blocked. In the second period, senior forward Tyler Heinonen’s pass came up short for junior forward Dylan Steman resulting in a failed shorthand goal attempt. Early in the third period junior forward
Joel L’Esperance became open in front of the goal but couldn’t settle the bouncing puck to connect. A backhanded shot off a rebound by sophomore forward Jake Jackson went wide. A learning curve is present with the abundance of fresh faces on the Huskies line-up this year, “Every year you might not lose many guys but when you get a few changes it changes the identity of your team,” said head coach Mel Pearson. “We’re in that mode right now, we’re trying to find what our identity is.”
Pearson also reiterated the importance of getting stronger defensively, something he has emphasized since the beginning of the season. “We’ve got to really buckle down in some areas, especially defensively,” Pearson said. In goal for the Huskies was Hancock’s own Devin Kero, who made 32 saves for the night. The Huskies totaled 25 shots on goal and 39 faceoff wins.
However, with 13 penalties totaling 26 minutes, the Huskies allowed MSU numerous power play attempts. “When things aren’t going your way that brings out the true character in your team,” said Pearson. “We came into two of the toughest buildings in college hockey and we played pretty well five-on-five.
It’ll be nice to get home next weekend.” An abundance of skilled defensemen called for some creativity in the Huskies lineup. Senior defenseman Chris Leibinger saw some different parts of the ice this weekend, playing forward from time to time. “I think Chris is finding out that it’s a lot more work playing forward than it is defense,” Pearson commented. “There’s a lot more ice to cover… He looks good. He’s given us a spark up front. He’s been one of our best defensemen so when you take him and put him on forward you’re taking something away… but it’s nice to have him in there. I don’t know if we’ll continue to do it or not… we’ve got to find some chemistry.”
The Huskies come home October 14 and 15 to play Alabama-Huntsville at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena. “We’ve got to learn to take advantage of the home ice,” Pearson commented. “It is what it is and we have a lot of hockey left and we just have to stick together as a group and move forward.” Michigan Tech also brings home NHL All-Star MVP John Scott. Scott and his family will drop the puck this weekend to begin the home season and will also be signing posters for fans. A MacNaughton Cup t-shirt will be awarded to the first 1,000 fans to enter Saturday night’s game. The puck drops at 7:07 p.m. Friday Oct. 14 and Saturday October 15.
