Chase Pietila named Most Valuable Player
HOUGHTON, Mich. – Michigan Tech hockey recently held its second annual George McCarthy Hockey Awards Banquet. Chase Pietila was named the team MVP, receiving the Merv Youngs Award while also taking home the Gitzen-Loutit Memorial Award as the Outstanding Defensive Player for the second season in a row. Isaac Gordon received the prestigious George McCarthy Performance Award for Scholastic and Athletic Achievement.
The coaching staff presented each award, and the late George McCarthy’s son, Jack McCarthy, and daughter Kathleen Marsal attended the banquet to celebrate the 2024-25 season. Descriptions of the awards are listed below.
Chase Pietila was named the CCHA Defensive Defenseman of the Year and to the All-CCHA First Team. As an alternate captain, he skated in all 36 games and tallied 22 points with seven goals and 15 assists. He scored the game-winning goal against Alaska (Oct. 12) and had three power-play goals. He registered 68 shots on goal and blocked 32 shots defensively. Pietila led the CCHA in penalties (21) and penalty minutes (50) during the regular season. He signed a three-year NHL contract with Pittsburgh after the season. Pietila was named a CCHA Scholar-Athlete and to the CCHA All-Academic Team.
Isaac Gordon skated in all 36 games and was third on the team with 26 points after scoring seven goals and adding 19 assists. The sophomore alternate captain scored game-winners at Minnesota State (Jan. 18) in overtime and against Ferris State (Feb. 21). Gordon was named to the CCHA All-Academic Team. He ranked fifth in the CCHA in shots on goal and eighth in assists.
Stiven Sardarian was the recipient of the Gary Crosby Leading Scorer Memorial Award after tallying 35 points on 11 goals and 24 assists in 35 games. Sardarian scored the game-winning goal in three straight games against Northern Michigan (Nov. 1) and at Ferris State (Nov. 8-9). He ranked third in the CCHA in assists and fourth in points.
Elias Jansson was honored with the Norbert Matovich Memorial Outstanding Freshman Award after he was named the CCHA Rookie of the Year. He played in all 36 games and led the Huskies with 12 goals. He added 11 assists for 23 points. Jansson scored six power-play goals and scored game-winners against Alaska (Oct. 11) in overtime and against Northern Michigan (Jan. 24). He scored a hat trick against Bemidji State (Feb. 8) in Winter Carnival. In CCHA games, Jansson led CCHA rookies with 10 goals and 10 assists while scoring five power-play goals.
Trevor Kukkonen was named the team’s most improved player, receiving the Elov Seger Memorial Award. He skated in 34 games as a junior and tallied 10 points with three goals and seven assists. Kukkonen scored twice against Northern Michigan (Nov. 2) and also found the back of the net in the GLI against Western Michigan (Dec. 29). He was named a CCHA Scholar-Athlete and to the CCHA All-Academic Team.
Max Koskipirtti collected the Rick Yeo Unsung Hero Award. The sophomore skated in all 36 games in his second season with the Huskies and was second on the team with 27 points after seven goals and 20 assists. He scored the game-winner at Bemidji State (Dec. 14). Koskipirtti ranked fourth in the CCHA in faceoff wins and sixth in assists while being named to the CCHA All-Academic Team.
Alex Nordstrom received the Harold Meese Sportsmanship Award. The senior was named an alternate captain in the second half of the season and skated in 31 games, tallying a career-best nine points with seven goals and two assists. He netted a hat trick against Ferris State (Feb. 21) and had a pair of goals at Augustana (Feb. 15). Nordstrom was named to the CCHA All-Academic Team.
Oliver Bezick was awarded the John MacInnes Slide Rule Award for the second straight season with his 4.0 grade-point average while pursuing his bachelor’s in Biomedical Engineering. Bezick was named a CCHA Scholar-Athlete and to the CCHA All-Academic Team.
Merv Youngs Award (Team MVP)
The award is named after Merv Youngs, a journalist and editor for the Daily Mining Gazette. Youngs is credited with convincing Doc Gibson to join and organize the Portage Lake hockey organization.
George McCarthy Performance Award for Scholastic and Athletic Achievement
The award is named after the late George McCarthy, a former hockey player and member of Michigan Tech’s Sports Hall of Fame. McCarthy played for the Huskies from 1935-38 and was named the team MVP all three seasons.
Gary Crosby Memorial Award (Leading Scorer)
The award is named after Gary Crosby, who led Tech in scoring in his sophomore season and was drafted and signed by the LA Kings after the season. Unfortunately, he was killed in a car accident soon after. He played 67 games for the Huskies from 1970-72.
Harold Meese Sportsmanship Award
The award is named after Harold Meese, a professor and dean of students at Michigan Tech from 1947-83. He was an active supporter of the Huskies and has a sportsmanship award named in his honor across all sports teams. Meese was inducted into the Michigan Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1986.
John MacInnes Slide Rule Award
The award is named after legendary hockey coach John MacInnes, who had a record of 555-295-39 from 1956-82. MacInnes was most proud of the fact that 94 percent of his hockey letter winners graduated with degrees. He won three NCAA Championships as head coach of the Huskies and is in the US Hockey Hall of Fame, UP Sports Hall of Fame, and Michigan Tech Sports Hall of Fame.
Gitzen-Loutit Memorial Award (Outstanding Defensive Player)
An annual award since the 1957-58 season, the Gitzen-Loutit Memorial Hockey Award is presented each year to Tech’s most outstanding hockey defenseman in their honor. Robert Gitzen played hockey for Tech from 1949-50. He and team manager Dick Loutit were killed in a bus accident while the team was traveling home from a series at Michigan State on January 14, 1950.
Rick Yeo Unsung Hero Award
The award is named after Rick Yeo, who played hockey for Tech from 1963-66, winning the NCAA Championship in 1965. He was also an assistant coach for Tech from 1973-76 and then the Athletic Director from 1990-2005. He was inducted into the Michigan Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.
Norbert Matovich Memorial Outstanding Freshman Award
The award is named after Norbert Matovich, who was a freshman hockey player from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. In 1966, he was killed in a car accident over Christmas break.
Elov Seger Memorial Most Improved Player Award
The award is named after Elov Seger, who passed away in the mid-sixties as a result of a brain tumor. Throughout his career, he battled against great odds and was always successful. He played for Tech from 1959-62 and was an All-American in 1962 when the Huskies won the NCAA Championship. He was inducted into the Michigan Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1998.
