The Leaves are finally changing as we enter into the 3rd week of October. Halloween is right around the corner and so are our Michigan Tech Huskies. This weekend they are slated to play the Clarkson Golden Knights (3-2-0) welcoming back now Associate Head Coach Chris Brooks to the Copper Country for the first time since his departure after the 2021-2022 season.
Additionally, Tech will be welcoming back alumni of Mitch’s Misfits, as they hold their 21st anniversary of the founding by THG’s own Tim Braun. Be sure to say “hi” to the old Misfits, as they attempt to keep up with the current ones!
Analysis
The storyline going into this weekend is going to be the age gap between the two teams. Looking at each teams’ average age, we see that Clarkson sits at 22 years and 8 months while our Huskies are 21 years 10 months. While on the surface that might not seem like a lot, but when you start digging a little deeper into the stats, you start to see just how many upperclassmen are carrying the Golden Knights right now:
The first thing Tech and CCHA fans alike will notice is who is wearing number 1 this season for Clarkson. Former LSSU netminder Ethan Langenegger transferred to Clarkson after four seasons with LSSU (Note: LSSU only offers an MBA for graduate school options). Moving past that, only one underclassmen made the list in Jared Mangan. Though the literal age gap might not be that different, this Golden Knights team is far more experienced than our Huskies when it comes to total games played at the collegiate level.
Thankfully, unlike the last preview, we actually have instat data prepared by the one and only Augie!
Looking at their last two games against Notre Dame and Vermont we see:
As you can see from the shot maps, the Knights like to get up close and personal with goalies taking high xG chances. They tend to thrive in net front chaos as they try to bang in loose pucks either off the rush or set plays. If our Huskies want to have a fighting chance they will need to keep Clarkson to the perimeter of their offensive zone.
Speaking of our Huskies, Augie has yet to make an appearance this season with a recap, but as fans saw, Tech managed to win both games against UAF. Game one saw probably the best start to a Tech season in recent history scoring a mere 15 seconds after puck drop. However, once both teams settled in, the weekend turned into a war of attrition with Alaska sticking to their system of boring hockey; a system that turns a game into a chess match. Luckily for our Huskies, they managed to pull out two wins as a #17 Notre Dame only managed a split with the Nanooks.
I think that the UAF series was very good to have early in the year for our young Tech team as it is a perfect challenge to show players what’s to come for later in the season. Additionally, getting 1 ⅔ wins against an Independent opponent will go a long way to help our Huskies, as the Nanooks continue to steal wins against teams of all conferences. That being, said Clarkson is going to be a different beast testing Tech’s young guns vs their college veterans.
Keys to the Game
- Power to the players. If Tech can manage to get a power play
without Chase losing it in the first 20 secondsthis is where Clarkson is going to be most vulnerable. They currently sit at 83.3 % on the PK ranking them at 32nd tie with North Dakota. Our Huskies still remain perfect, but their 25% powerplay needs to go to work this weekend. - Gotta Keep Em Separated. Keeping Clarkson out of high danger chances. The Golden Knights are gonna get the puck by any means to the slot to take a high danger chance. If Tech can keep them boxed out there is a good chance they won’t be able to score.
- Squeaky Clean. Clarkson so far this season is in the business of taking penalties. They currently ranked 9th in the country in PIMs. They are going to be physical and try to get underneath a teams’ skin. This can be very effective especially when playing against a young team like our Huskies. Composure is going to be key this weekend.
My Prediction
I think this series is going to be a tough test for Tech. Clarkson has had their number going 5-1-1 against our Huskies since 2018. I think if Tech is able to control their defensive zone then they can sweep, but I don’t think they are there just yet this season. I can see a split happening between these two skilled teams. MTU wins 3-2, CLK wins 4-2.
The guys on our Chasing MacNaughton Podcast also made predictions for this coming series against the Golden Knights.
Cover photo courtesy Michigan Tech Athletics.
InStat plots created by Zach Aufdemberge.
How to Watch
Both games are available through Mix 93.5 for audio featuring Dirk Hembroff (free), via Midco Sports Plus* (paywall) for video. Game 1 will be Friday at 7:07 ET. Game 2 will be Saturday at 6:07 ET.
*Midco Sports Plus is also the source of all games played in CCHA buildings this season so don’t be afraid to sign up for a month or the year. Midco Sports Plus now has apps for iOS, Android, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku.
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.
