Just 14 seconds into the game, the Bulldogs hit an open three pointer, and, even after two straight home wins, it may have been easy to slip into the “here we go again” mindset. Mike Hojnacki scored a layup moments later, but he was silenced for the rest of the first half. Michigan Tech keyed on GLIAC leading scorer Justin Keenan, who ultimately posted his season average of 20 points on Michigan Tech, but it was the Bulldog’ three-point shooting that continued to quell any Husky runs. Ferris State made their first six three-point shots, ultimately leading to 7-of-11 on threes for the first half. The Huskies trailed by nine at the half, 38-29, even with a dominant 16-4 points-in-the-paint advantage.

Michigan Tech was able to trim the lead to nine points three times over the first 16 minutes of the second half, in what looked to be an all-for-naught situation. The crowd seemed deflated. The fouls were mounting. The pace of the game was creeping along. And then it happened – Justin Keenan fouled out with 4:24 remaining.

Matt Gaedke then hit a three-point shot with 4:15 remaining to cut the lead to eight points, the closest margin of the half. Then, whether by sheer luck or talent or both, Don Fowler stripped Darien Gay of the ball, leading to an old-fashioned three-point play for T.J. Brown, suddenly cutting the lead to five points with still 3:50 remaining. The small crowd that did stick around finally woke up. Don Fowler stole the ball again for Michigan Tech, and Ferris State fouled. Mike Hojnacki hit one of two free throws, trimming the lead to just four points. Hojnacki flipped on some kind of switch over the final few minutes, hitting a jumper with 2:43 remaining to cut the lead to two, hitting a game-tying layup with 2:05 remaining and then drilling what ended up being the game-winning three pointer with just 17 seconds remaining. Even with a small crowd, the building erupted. A slow, choppy game that was eerily representative of some poor Husky losses from earlier this year suddenly culminated in dramatic fashion in what could be a turning point for the Huskies.

“It sometimes felt like the lead was 80 points, but we kept emphasizing that there’s lots of time, and if we can get a few defensive stops, we still have a chance here,” said Luke, who was still amazed at the comeback.

Luke credited Brian Olley with keeping the Huskies in the game in the first half. Olley scored 11 points in the game, all in the first half, which was one shy of his career high and five over his season high. He joined Matt Gaedke with 19 points and Hojnacki with 20 points as the Huskies in double figures. Hojnacki also led the team in rebounds with eight.

Hojnacki said, “In the second half, coach challenged me to get it on the block every time and make a good move in the post. Brian Olley picked us up in the first half, and I carried that over into the second half.” Hojnacki has now averaged 20 points per game over the last three games.

The Huskies look for their fourth straight win on Saturday against Grand Valley State. With five games remaining, Michigan Tech’s GLIAC tournament hopes are still alive, and if they can carry over the play of the final five minutes to the entire game on Saturday, they have a very good chance of sweeping their second consecutive home weekend. Check out the preview article for insight into Grand Valley State.

“I thought we played a good second half today, but our first half wasn’t so good,” said head coach John Barnes. “Ferris did a good job defensively, getting in our passing lanes and forcing us to turn it over.” Michigan Tech had an uncharacteristically high 10 first-half turnovers, but only committed three in the second half.

Barnes added, “I think our bench did a great job today, getting us some early threes.” Altogether, the bench contributed 18 points on six three-point shots. Michigan Tech also shored up its rebounding, which has been a recent point of emphasis, only allowing three offensive rebounds and winning the rebounding battle 43-26 overall, including 12 offensive boards en route to 10 second-chance points.

Michigan Tech jumped out to a 20-10 lead nine minutes in before surrendering the next 10 points. Katie Wysocky finally scored a layup to end the Huskies’ eight-minute long scoring drought. Over the final minutes of the first half, Michigan Tech built the lead up to six, entering the halftime break with a 29-23 lead.

The Huskies knew they needed to come out stronger in the second half and they certainly did. Michigan Tech built the lead again to 10 points not even three minutes in, then doubling the lead to 20 points just shy of nine minutes in. With five minutes remaining, the Huskies led by as many as 28, before slowing down over the final minutes, claiming the 64-41 victory.

Katie Wysocky only needed eight points in the game to surpass Andrea Novak for second on the all-time scoring list at Michigan Tech, and for good measure, she dropped in 14 points, 12 of which came in the first half. She is now only 139 points shy of the school record (1,856 points) held by Jenny Postlewaite. Wysocky already holds the school record in rebounding, and she added 17 more to that total tonight, just two shy of her career high and three shy of the single-game record.

In reference to the records, Wysocky said, “It’s a huge honor to be with all the other great players that have come through the basketball program at Tech.” Regarding rebounding in the game, Wysocky added, “Rebounding has pretty much been our main focus all week, and it was one of our keys to beating Ferris, because it was one of their strengths.”

Not to be outdone individually was Katie Zimmerman, who scored 21 points in the contest, all on three pointers. Lisa Staehlin, who started in place of Danae Danen, Lindsey Lindstrom, Krista Kasuboski and Angela Guisfredi all added six points, while Tara Ferris and Sarah Stream tallied three and two points respectively.

The Huskies take on Grand Valley State this Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m., hoping to avoid another double overtime, as was the case in Allendale. Check out this week’s basketball preview article for more details on that game.

For just the second time this year, the men’s basketball team is on a two-game winning streak after defeating Tiffin and Ashland. This week, the Huskies have a tough task ahead of them, avenging four- and 17-point losses to Ferris State and Grand Valley State respectively. The Bulldogs and Lakers lead the GLIAC North Division. The Huskies are two games outside of a GLIAC tournament berth with just six games remaining.

Ferris State comes in second in the GLIAC in scoring offense (73.8 points per game), but second to last in scoring defense (72.6 points per game allowed), so Thursday’s contest should be a high-scoring affair. The Huskies only scored 58 points against the Bulldogs in Big Rapids, but against a porous defense, the Huskies will be fine if they can develop chemistry early and execute their gameplan.

Ferris brings in the top scorer in the GLIAC, Justin Keenan, who averages exactly 20 points per game on 57 percent shooting. At Tuesday’s Cager Club luncheon, head coach Kevin Luke still was not sure the approach that they would take to Keenan. If he’s on fire early, the Huskies might work on shutting everyone else down, but if he shows that he’s having an off night, they may continue to double team him, forcing the rest of his team to beat the Huskies. Darien Gay and Austin Randel are both averaging 10 points each for Ferris State.

Grand Valley is nearly opposite from Ferris State, in that they are second to last in scoring offense at just 64 points per game, but they are absolutely stifling on the defensive end, only allowing 58 points against per game. The Huskies have keyed on Ferris State this week, but following Thursday’s game, Michigan Tech will face quite a challenge, having only scored 42 points against the Lakers in a 17-point loss on Jan. 28.

The Lakers only have two double-digit scorers, led by Justin Ringler’s 14 per contest. However, they have six players averaging more than five points per game, so they are very well rounded. The Huskies will have to focus on ball control if their recent turnovers are any indication.

Overall, Michigan Tech faces far tougher challenges than Tiffin and Ashland, but going 2-0 at home this week could put them in a great position to make the GLIAC tournament, which they currently sit two games out of. With Mike Hojnacki scoring 40 points over two games last week, he is leading the team with 11 points per game, followed shortly after by Don Fowler and Ali Haidar’s 10. Tyler Molesworth and Matt Gaedke are both averaging eight points apiece.

Women:

The women are riding their second 10-game winning streak of the season. Their only loss came on Jan. 2 against Northern Michigan. The Huskies are ranked at No. 4 in Division II in the country for the third straight week, and have been in the top five all year long. Michigan Tech beat Ferris State by 17 points in Big Rapids, but it took double overtime to escape Allendale with a victory. Grand Valley is two games behind Tech in the GLIAC.

Ferris State does not excel offensively or defensively, ranking tenth in the GLIAC in both categories, but Tricia Principe and Tiara Adams are both capable of taking over games, as they average 12 and 11 points respectively. The Bulldogs only win against a team in the top half of the GLIAC has been against Hillsdale, so if they Huskies can execute their game plan and better manage the offensive rebounds, Thursday should provide the Huskies’ eleventh straight victory.

Grand Valley State is a much different and much tougher opponent than Ferris. During the majority of the season, the Lakers were neck-and-neck with the Huskies in the standings, until Michigan Tech’s double overtime victory two weeks ago and a more recent Grand Valley loss has given the Huskies a two-game advantage. Grand Valley is second in scoring offense and third in scoring defense (Michigan Tech is first in both categories).

The Lakers’ Emma Veach will surely want revenge after missing the front end of a 1-and-1 that kept Michigan Tech alive in the first overtime in Allendale. She leads Grand Valley with 12 points and six rebounds per game. Alex Stelfox and Jasmine Padin also average double figures. Veach and Padin are both in the GLIAC top 10 in terms of assists per game.

Michigan Tech’s Katie Wysocky is averaging 18 points and 12 rebounds per contest while Danae Danen and Katie Zimmerman are hitting double-digit point totals as well. Perhaps the most interesting storyline of the week is Danen’s health. She went down with a sprained ankle in Saturday’s victory over Ashland, and it remains to be seen how long it will sideline her. Lynn Giesler and Lisa Staehlin will have to post strong performances in her stead if she cannot go.

Check back to the Lode for full game recaps later tonight.

The first Huskies’ tally came 2:09 into the third as Olson, a sophomore, found junior winger Bennett Royer in the faceoff circle to Bulldogs’ goaltender Kenny Reiter’s right. Royer lifted the puck over Reiter for his third goal of the season and first on the power play. Kattelus also assisted on the goal.

Kattelus notched the game-winner by crashing the net on the ensuing shift at 2:32. After a forward turned the puck over at the Bulldogs’ blue line, assistant captain Jordan Baker carried the puck in deep before finding senior forward Drew Dobson who fired a shot that snuck through Reiter and sat near the goal line for Kattelus to tap in.

Olson picked up an empty net tally with 10 seconds left to seal the game for the Huskies.

Genoe made 35 stops as he earned his fourth win of the season.

On Saturday, the Huskies scored twice in the opening 17 minutes of the game, but couldn’t withstand the Bulldogs’ attack and some questionable refereeing in a 3-2 loss.

Seigo broke the game open for the Huskies with a one-timed shot past Reiter at 9:38. Baker made the pass from Reiter’s right to the streaking Seigo, who notched his third goal of the season. Kattelus also assisted on the goal.

The Huskies earned the two-goal lead on the power play when Seigo fed Baker at the right point for a long shot that deflected off a Bulldogs’ defender and past Reiter at 17:01. Seigo and Kattelus both assisted on the goal, Baker’s eighth of the season.

“I think we took a good step [this weekend],” said Kattelus. “They got some bounces towards the end. We can’t dwell on this for too long.”

Mike Connelly finished off the three-goal run for the Bulldogs at 12:16 of the third period with a rebound goal. Connelly took a pass from Jack Connelly and carried the puck nearly the length of the rink before firing a shot and then picking up his own rebound.

The Bulldogs (18-11-1 overall, 14-7-1 WCHA) jumped out of gates flying, taking the game to the Huskies and forcing freshman netminder Kevin Genoe to make several of his 11 opening period stops before the Huskies (5-22-1 overall, 4-18-1 WCHA) got their feet wet. Fortunately for the hosts, Genoe was more than ready for the challenge. Genoe finished the game with 36 saves.

Freshman defenseman Steven Seigo broke the game open for the Huskies with a one-timed shot past Bulldogs’ goaltender Kenny Reiter at 9:38. Assistant captain Jordan Baker made the pass from Reiter’s right to the streaking Seigo, who notched his third goal of the season. Junior center Eric Kattelus, Winter Carnival Most Valuable Player, also assisted on the goal.

The Bulldogs’ best chances to even the game came six minutes later when both Justin Fontaine and Drew Akins had chances in close to Genoe. Fontaine’s initial shot was stopped and Akins picked up the rebound, but Genoe came across the crease to make a huge save.

Fontaine put the Huskies on the power play shortly after and it cost the Bulldogs dearly.

Seigo fed Baker at the right point for a long shot that deflected off a Bulldogs’ defender and past Reiter at 17:01. Seigo and Kattelus both assisted on the goal, Baker’s eighth of the season.

The Bulldogs started the second period the same way they had the first, jumping all over the hosts and any loose pucks they could find along the way. Genoe made numerous solid stops to keep the Huskies on top.

After a batch of penalties put the Huskies on the lesser end of a four-on-three advantage, the Huskies were able to get back on track and get pucks to Reiter. In one shift, Baker, Kattelus, and Dobson missed three chances to bury the puck in a gaping net with Reiter knocked down and out of the crease. Reiter would finish the night with 21 stops.

“I thought we had a really good push with some sustained pressure,” said Huskies’ head coach Jamie Russell. “I think that might have been the straw that broke the camel’s back but we didn’t get a bounce there.”

With freshman defenseman Carl Nielson in the box for holding, the Huskies had a great chance short-handed as Kattelus and freshman winger Mikael Lickteig skated down on a two-on-one, but Lickteig’s shot sailed over the net. After getting the puck back into the offensive zone, the Bulldogs capitalized.

David Grun pounced on a rebound off a shot from Scott Kishel and buried the puck behind Genoe to cut the Huskies’ lead in half at 11:21.

The Huskies had an early power play early in the third period, but the Bulldogs did a great job of keeping the Huskies out near boards instead of allowing them the passing lanes necessary to set up scoring chances.

The Bulldogs pulled even after Drew Akins netted a power play goal at 10:26 of the third period.

The Bulldogs went two-for-seven on the power play while holding the Huskies to one-for-three on the man advantage.

Junior center Eric Kattelus and assistant captain Brett Olson each notched a goal and an assist in the win. Tonight was the first time the Huskies (5-12-1 overall, 4-17-0 WCHA) won when trailing after two periods since Nov. 30, 2007, when they knocked off Minnesota in Minneapolis, 2-1.

“I thought we had a great push,” said Huskies’ head coach Jamie Russell. “I thought our penalty kill did a great job of bending and not breaking.”

The first Huskies’ tally came 2:09 into the third as Olson, a sophomore, found junior winger Bennett Royer in the faceoff circle to Bulldogs’ goaltender Kenny Reiter’s right. Royer lifted the puck over Reiter for his third goal of the season and first on the power play. Kattelus also assisted on the goal.

“I think everybody knew we still had a chance,” said Kattelus. “Coach [Russell] came into the locker room between periods and said that it was within reach.”

Kattelus notched the game-winner by crashing the net on the ensuing shift at 2:32. After a forward turned the puck over at the Bulldogs’ blue line, assistant captain Jordan Baker carried the puck in deep before finding senior forward Drew Dobson who fired a shot that snuck through Reiter and sat near the goal line for Kattelus to tap in.

The Huskies started the game well, firing a couple of pucks at Reiter before the visitors could get their feet wet. Once the game settled down, the Bulldogs (17-11-1 overall, 13-7-1 WCHA) got to work, earning a couple of power plays and firing 16 shots at Huskies’ goaltender Kevin Genoe.

On the Bulldogs’ first man advantage, Jack Connelly found himself unabated near Genoe, but Genoe was ready for both chances. While the Bulldogs couldn’t get anything out of that power play, they did strike shortly after.

Genoe thought he controlled the rebound off a shot from David Grun, but the puck kicked out in the slot to Rob Bordson who found the back of the gaping net at 8:07.

“I thought I had it covered,” said Genoe. “Everyone makes mistakes and I’ll take 100 percent of the fault on that one. It was good to bounce back for my teammates.”

The Bulldogs fired another 15 shots at Genoe in the second period, but the Huskies’ freshman stopped everything thrown his way. He would finish the game with 35 stops. He now has four of the Huskies’ five victories this season.

“I was really happy with the way Kevin responded after a poor first goal,” said Russell. “For a young goalie at Winter Carnival to refocus. I thought his rebounds were outstanding after that.”

The Huskies righted the ship throughout the third period as they out hustled the Bulldogs to loose pucks and made things happen, outshooting the Bulldogs 9-5 over the course of the period. Reiter finished the game with 20 stops in the loss.

The Huskies finished one-for-four on the power play while holding the Bulldogs to zero-for-five.

The two goals in 23 seconds was the fastest two goals of the season for the Huskies. They scored two in 28 seconds against Colorado College back on Oct. 24.

“To finally break [the 15-game slide] was big,” said assistant captain Brett Olson. “We’ve been a lot more consistent recently, and that’s a big key to playing well down the stretch.”

Besides consistency, the Huskies are looking for a little of that Winter Carnival magic to rub off on them this weekend. The Huskies have won 39 of 60 total weekends when it comes to Winter Carnival, but only twice since head coach Jamie Russell took over the reigns.

This weekend the Huskies play host to the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, who currently sit second in the WCHA Standings with a 13-6-1 record, good for 27 points. The Bulldogs, who feature the top three scorers in WCHA play, are coming off a split with the Wisconsin Badgers.

Sophomore Jack Connelly (16-22=38) is tied for third in the nation in points. Junior Justin Fontaine (17-18=35) is tied seventh in goals and tenth in points. Junior Rob Bordson (7-26=33) is third in the country in assists.

Head coach Scott Sandelin’s youthful blue line corps is led by sophomore Brady Lamb (8-7=15) and junior Mike Montgomery (2-11=13). Freshman Dylan Olsen (1-10=11) is developing faster than expected as well.

Junior Kenny Reiter (9-5-0 overall, 2.24 goals against average, .918 save percentage in 16 games) and sophomore Brady Hjelle (8-5-1 overall, 3.06 goals against, .896 save percentage in 15 games) continue to split time between the pipes.

The Huskies are lead offensively by Olson (15-10=25). If he can find the back of the net twice more, it would be the most goals a Huskies’ player has scored since 2006 when Chris Conner notched 17.

Captain Malcolm Gwilliam (10-11=21) has set a new career high for points. His return to form last weekend was a big reason why the Huskies earned the win on Friday night.

Freshman defenseman Steven Seigo (2-13=15) is tied for fourth in the nation in points by a rookie defenseman, and remains the only Huskies’ player to record a point in every series this season.

Freshman netminder Kevin Genoe (3-14-1 overall, 3.35 goals against average, .902 save percentage in 21 games) has been playing well of late, and will get the start on Friday night.

The last time the Bulldogs were in town for Winter Carnival was 2003, when the Huskies dropped both games. Conner, Brett Engelhardt, and Brandon Schwartz all picked up a goal and an assist, and Colin Murphy notched two assists over that weekend.