Hockey season is now upon us. This Saturday, Michigan Tech hosted rivals, Northern Michigan University, for an exhibition hockey game. The Huskies came out triumphant with a 4-3 win. This game gave both teams a chance to lace up their skates, and showcase the team with fresh faces before regular season starts this coming week.
Although it was an exhibition game, the Mac was packed, and the student section seating was maxed out. Playing against rivals NMU brought an energy that Head Coach Joe Shawhan remarked on, saying, “There’s no place like here… playing in front of 4,500 people with the pep band playing there and the Misfits going crazy. … [the team] got to see what it’s all about and feel the excitement … it was a regular season atmosphere.”
Shawhan was pleased with the performance of the team as they showed up to compete. “We think we have decent skill on the team… you could see the puck moving, and decision making was good in the powerplay, when there’s time and space,” Shawhan remarked. “What we have to get better at is our hardness and compete through the lineup.” In particular, Shawhan cited defense players Kasper Vaharautio, Viktor Hurtig, Oliver Bezick, and forward Owen Baker for emulating the goals of the team for this coming season.
Regular season hockey starts Friday, Oct. 11 with a 7:07 p.m. puck drop, and Saturday, Oct. 12, starting at 6:07 p.m., with Michigan Tech hosting Alaska.
