Huskies stop Tommies’eleven-game winning streak
ST. PAUL, Minn. – No. 19 Michigan Tech earned a crucial CCHA split after a 4-3 victory over No. 15 St. Thomas, snapping the Tommies’ 11-game winning streak. The Huskies improved to 18-10-2 overall and 13-5-2 in the CCHA after the road win at Lee & Penny Anderson Arena.
Tech never trailed in the game and got a goal and an assist from three different players. Elias Jansson scored the game-winner 6:11 into the third, and the Huskies held off a late surge by the Tommies while on the penalty kill.
“I’m just so proud of our guys,” Tech coach Bill Muckalt said. “Like I said after we beat Minnesota in the second game of the year, we can beat anybody when we play the right way and play with each other and for each other. We had to make a commitment to physicality up and down the lineup against skilled and dangerous players. We smothered them at times. We just beat a team that’s as good as any.”
The teams entered the third period tied at two. Reid Daavettila scored his first NCAA goal 2:17 after intermission to put the Huskies back in front for the third time. He fired the puck past the blocker through traffic from the top of the circles. Brayden Boehm and Jack Anderson assisted on the goal.
UST (17-8-3, 14-4-2 CCHA) tied it up 3:37 later when Alex Gaffney scored his third of the weekend from Hayes Hundley and Lucas Wahlin.
The Black and Gold responded again when Reid Andresen sent the puck to the net, and Elias Jansson corralled it and quickly flipped in the eventual game-winner with 13:44 left. Noah Reinhart added the second assist on Jansson’s seventh of the season and 19th of his career.
Shots were even 8-8 in the third. Tech kept the play moving, and St. Thomas wasn’t able to add the extra attacker until inside a minute to play. The Huskies were then whistled on a penalty with 35 seconds left and had to kill off a 6-on-4. Owen Bartoszkiewicz only had to make one save in the final moments to seal the win.
The Huskies took the lead 4:54 into the game when Noah Reinhart tipped in a pass from Jack Anderson for his second of the weekend and eighth of the season. Elias Jansson added the second assist.
The Tommies tied it up at 13:20 of the first with a power-play goal by Nathan Pilling from Nick Williams and Ryan O’Neill.
Tech took the lead again at 17:59 when Jack Anderson blasted a one-timer through traffic from Stiven Sardarian and Isaac Gordon. It was Anderson’s sixth of the season and 10th of his career, while Sardarian and Gordon extended their point streaks to nine games.
The Tommies quickly responded 18 seconds later when Jake Braccini found himself alone in the slot and slipped in the tying goal.
Both teams killed off crucial penalties in the second. Tech was down 5-on-3 for 1:18, and the Tommies were whistled for a 5:00 major.
Owen Bartoszkiewicz finished the game with 20 saves to win his 18th game of the season and the 29th of his career. Aaron Trotter also made 20 saves for the home team.
Tech returns home next weekend for the annual Winter Carnival series against No. 16 Augustana. The Huskies and Vikings will play a total goal series for the MacInnes Trophy.
