Eleven Days ago the Michigan Tech Huskies (14-8-1) found themselves in the midst of a six game win streak as they were set to host the Lakers (10-4-3), who found themselves sweeping the Bowing Green Falcons (15-8-1). Now they find themselves on a three game losing streak while the Lakers are now on a five game winning streak.
Analysis
The Lakers have been keeping the ball rolling since beating the Huskies Tuesday by a score of 3-1. They managed to sweep the Alabama-Huntsville Chargers (3-12-1), only letting up a goal per game. Nothing much has really changed since their last meeting just a week ago. The Huskies are still better on paper while the Lakers have been seeing better results on the ice.
On the opposite end of the ice are our Huskies, who have been being having a tough time getting pucks in the the back of the net. They currently have three goals on 118 shots for a shooting percentage of ~2.5% over their last three games. Hopefully the Huskies can buck their offensive woes while also keeping their strong defense which has still be firing on all cylinders.
Keys to the Game
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Quality Over Quantity. In his interview after the Huskies third loss in a row, Coach Shawhan asked the media what they think he/the team should to do fix the performance or to get different results. At the time, I had no idea how to even begin to answer, but I did think of at least one thing the Huskies could try. Getting shots on net is not a problem for this team currently, however, maybe if the team is able to work on getting all A+ shots on net something may end up going in.
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Under Pressure. The Huskies are under a lot of pressure right now due to the frequency of games in addition to the stress of not getting the intended results against teams they are capable of beating. Hopefully they are able to take a step back and just take a deep breath.
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Everyone is a coach. Currently a lot of fans (myself included at times) think they know what the Huskies need to do in order to score and win games. However, a lot of the time (at least for me) we prove why we are not suited up behind the bench making the calls. This has just been a hard week for everyone. Give the coaches a break, they are trying their best.
My Prediction
As you may have noticed, I didn’t go into too much depth in the analysis and the keys to the game are pretty general. This is because what Tech has been doing has been working all season. It just happens to not work against teams like the Lakers and Beavers due to a multitude of reasons above my pay grade and out of the scope of my Degree. I think these Huskies can beat either of these teams. They are just in a rut and who know what’s going to happen this Tuesday. If the Tech wins or loses I can almost promise it will be a close game. MTU wins 2-1.
How to Watch
Tuesday’s game is available through Mix 93.5 for audio featuring Dirk Hembroff (free), and via flohockey.tv* (paywall) for video. Tuesday’s Game will at 2:07 Est.
*Flohockey.tv is also the source of all games played in WCHA buildings this season so don’t be afraid to sign up for a month or the year. Flo Sports now has apps for iOS, Android (with Chromecast support), Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku.
Image Credit: Shane Cruthers
Jonathan graduated from Michigan Tech in the spring of 2018 with a degree in Physics and Social Science in addition to a minor in Social and Behavioral Studies. He spent his college career watching hockey with the Misfits where he became the treasurer in his last year. When not traveling to away games he resides in Hancock working for a local engineering company and keeping up with all things Tech Hockey.
