Despite coming off a sweep last weekend, I have to admit I was a bit concerned about chances this weekend playing against the better team from Minnesota that wears purple.
Friday, November 25th: Michigan Tech 3 – Minnesota State 2
The chart pretty much matches what I was seeing watching the game on Friday, I had a hard time believing it live and I’m having a hard time believing it looking at the numbers now. But, Tech really did outplay Mankato the first two periods. By the time the third period started though, the wheels feel off. The Mavericks absolutely ran the show and nearly caught up to Tech in terms of xG. Rasmussen Kashed in on an empty net goal which ended up being massive as Minnesota State came back and scored again with a minute left. It was great to see the team hang on for the win despite the onslaught of offense Mankato brought in the third period.
Long story but I wasn’t able to get the gifs for this weekends games and I’m sad because this would have been really interesting to see how one sided it was for Tech in the first two periods and for Mankato in the third. Unfortunately all we have is the static image today, which paints the picture of a very close game.
I find it hilarious that Ashbrook was so dominant in the possession/shot metrics on Friday, and only came away with an assist on the first goal. But Saturday he (along with the whole team) really struggled in terms of the stats but he had an snipe of a goal. I’d also like to offer my personal apologies to Topi Heiskanen for jinxing him in my last article, I’m confident he’ll bounce back and continue to be a very productive player but he didn’t play up to his usual standard this weekend.
Saturday, November 26th: Michigan Tech 2 – Minnesota State 2
The fact the scoreboard was in our favor most of the game is pretty crazy which how many chances Mankato had. When you go to the rink sometimes you play a game of hockey, but sometimes you play a game of goalie. Saturday night we watched a game of goalie and I’m going to run out of different ways to say good things about Blake Pietila if he keeps playing this well.
I don’t know if the boys had a team Thanksgiving meal together, but if they did I sure hope the thing most people said they were thankful for is having Blake Pietila on our team. This game unfortunately felt much more like what a normal game vs Minnesota State feels. They skated the Huskies into the concrete and Blake stood on his head to drag the team into overtime.
Ooooooooof. I hope Brett Thorne has caught his breath by now. 32 minutes of ice time, what a machine. This game was simply Minnesota State dominating in every statistical category except goals. Everyone remember to say thanks to Blake.
I’m adding a new section to the article because I feel like it and I’m in charge here. (don’t fact check that) (fact checker here: on this specific piece, yes he is). This article is all numbers and analysis, but somethings get lost in the numbers and I want somewhere to talk about how it felt watching the game. So without further ado I present:
No thoughts, just vibes
You know that poster of the cat holding on to a tree branch for dear life that says “Hang in there”? Yeah that’s how this series felt.
Closing Time
I hope you enjoyed taking a look at some nice charts and graphs with me. If you have any questions about the charts, my analysis, or just want to say hello, please leave a comment or reach out to me on the THG discord server (@Augie) and I’d be happy to try and answer your questions.
Special thanks to Livonia Technical Services for being the official sponsor of all InStat analytics at Tech Hockey Guide
