Nathaniel Brose previews all four NCAA regionals for 2018.
The Michigan Tech Huskies’ (21-16-5) season comes to a head when they travel to Marquette for the WCHA Championship game on Saturday night against the Northern Michigan Wildcats (25-14-3). In a year dominated by Minnesota State, it really is amazing that the two U.P. schools with first-year head coaches ended up in this position. Now we get one of the best rivalries in the game in a winner-take-all game: What more could anyone want?
The Michigan Tech Huskies (19-15-5) kept their season alive last weekend in Northern Minnesota and now must head to the southern part of the state to face the Minnesota State Mavericks (28-7-1). These two faced each other in Mankato in late October, their only meetings of the season. MSU dominated MTU, outscoring the Huskies 8-4 in a one-sided matchup. History favors the Mavs, winners of three of the last four and undefeated against the Huskies at home in the last 10 matchups.
The first round of the WCHA playoffs takes place in Bemidji when the Michigan Tech Huskies (17-15-5) face the Bemidji State Beavers (16-12-8) in a best-of-three showdown. The pair plays each other in the playoffs for the first time. They split a pair of games in Houghton less than a month ago, with both teams dominating one night.
Well, here we are folks: the end of the regular season. The Michigan Tech Huskies (16-14-5) wrap up the schedule with a home-and-home against UP rival Northern Michigan (20-11-3). MTU is coming off a weekend full of distractions, namely the fight between Head Coach Joe Shawhan and ASU’s former club coach and current head coach Greg Powers. Northern had a relatively quiet weekend, sweeping Alaska at home while allowing only two goals in the two games.
The Michigan Tech Huskies (15-13-5) get a week off from WCHA play when they host the Arizona State Sun Devils (7-18-5) in non-conference play. MTU just won their own Winter Carnival with a decisive win over Bemidji State on Saturday while ASU comes in after a pair of tough overtime losses to Yale. The Huskies have revenge in mind: The Sun Devils defeated them in Las Vegas earlier this year.
