4-2 victory on Saturday
HOUGHTON, Mich. – The Michigan Tech hockey team earned a CCHA series sweep with a 4-2 victory over Ferris State on Saturday at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena. The Huskies got goals from four different players with three earning their first collegiate goals to improve to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in the CCHA.
Michigan Tech honored the 1975 NCAA Championship team on the ice during the first intermission. The squad was back together for a reunion to celebrate 50 years of the title. The former Huskies spent time with the current Huskies after morning skate.
“It’s hard to sweep in college hockey, and you have to give Ferris State credit,” Tech coach Bill Muckalt said. “We knew they were going to come out and play hard and be physical. We made some plays to take the lead, and then we get into some penalty trouble, but our penalty kill was awesome. I was proud of our team in the third period. We settled down and weathered the storm.”
Tech jumped out to a 4-0 lead early in the second period. Max Koskipirtti got the scoring started 9:29 into the game, finishing off a centering feed from Stiven Sardarian. Linemate Noah Reinhart added the second assist as he created a turnover on the side wall to keep the puck in the offensive zone.
Michael Cicek scored his first NCAA goal with 2:22 left in the first period. He caught a drop pass from Stiven Sardarian and fired it past the goaltender’s glove. Kalem Parker also assisted on the play.
Carson Latimer made it 3-0 71 seconds into the second period when he tipped in a shot from Joe Prouty for his first collegiate goal. Tom Leppa added the second assist.
Kalem Parker made it a four-goal lead when he stole the puck in the defensive zone and scored five-hole on a long shorthanded breakaway for his first NCAA goal.
FSU (1-5, 0-2 CCHA) made a push to get back into it. Riley Wallack scored at 5:01 of the second on the power play to cut into the lead. Max Itagaki and John Lundy assisted.
Josh Zary made it a two-goal game with 3:50 left in the second with his team-leading fourth of the season from Max Itagaki and Kade Turner.
The Bulldogs had more chances on the power play, including 51 seconds of 5-on-3 late in the second, but the Tech defense stood tall and didn’t allow the visitors to close the gap.
Overall shots favored Ferris 30-21, which didn’t include a pair of posts—one in the first period and another in the third. Owen Bartoszkiewicz made 28 saves, including eight in the first, 12 in the second, and eight in the third, to win his fourth of the season and 15th of his career.
Hobe Hedquist had six saves in the first 24:09 and was replaced by Martin Lundberg who made 11 saves in 34:49.
Tech was 4-for-5 on the penalty kill and 0-for-3 on the power play.
The Huskies travel to New York next weekend for non-conference games at Clarkson on Friday and St. Lawrence on Saturday.
