Freshman winger Alex MacLeod notched his sixth power play marker of the season to get the Huskies the lead late in the first period. The goal, which came at 18:54, was assisted by senior center Alex Gagne, who fed MacLeod in front of the net and sophomore defenseman Deron Cousens.

A second period explosion from Sioux captain Ryan Duncan gave the Sioux a two goal lead 11:46 into the second period. Duncan was originally credited with the natural hat trick, but the second Sioux goal was later credited to Chris VandeVelde. Huskies’ head coach Jamie Russell pulled freshman goaltender Josh Robinson after the third goal in favor of senior Rob Nolan.

The Huskies cut the lead to one when sophomore winger Jordan Baker netted a power play goal of his own at 17:31. The goal, Baker’s 16th of the season, came on a four-on-three advantage and was assisted by junior winger Drew Dobson and assistant captain Geoff Kinrade.

The Sioux regained the two-goal lead five and a half minutes into the third.

Dobson cut the lead to one again with his fifth goal of the season with 3:25 to go in regulation, causing the Sioux-friendly crowd to panic. Baker and freshman defenseman Ricky Doriott both assisted on the goal.

Russell pulled Nolan with about a minute and a half to go, but the Huskies couldn’t quite get the puck past Brad Eidsness in the end.

On Friday, the Huskies slowed down the early stages of the game, keeping the Sioux at bay. The strategy frustrated the Sioux through most of the first period, until they broke through at 17:04.

In the second period, the Sioux struck twice in the first 6:08. The first tally was a power play marker at 3:00. The other was even strength. The Sioux outshot the Huskies 17-7 for the period.

Freshman winger Alex MacLeod cut the Sioux lead to two with a power play marker of his own 6:13 into the third period. Senior center Alex Gagne fed the puck to captain John Schwarz, whose shot was redirected by MacLeod past Brad Eidsness, the Sioux netminder.

The Sioux struck twice in 42 seconds around mid-period to put the game out of reach and ending Rob Nolan’s night between the pipes for the Huskies. The first goal was shorthanded, which really handcuffed the Huskies.

Former Huskies’ forward Matt Ulwelling was a linesman for the games.

Huskies Sting Gophers, Earn Split

To start Spring Break off the right way, the Huskies got three goals from Dobson on Friday, March 6, to beat the Minnesota Golden Gophers, 6-5, in overtime.

The Gophers struck just 2:21 in. Senior winger Justin St. Louis evened the game at 6:24 on a miscue by Gophers’ goalie Alex Kangas.

The Huskies exploded out of the gates in the second period, as Dobson struck twice in a 48-second span to start the second period. After Kangas was pulled, Baker gave the Huskies a three-goal lead by the time five minutes had gone by.

The second half of the period belonged to the Gophers, who pulled even with a pair of goals in the last 20 seconds.

Dobson regained the lead for the Huskies 10:19 into the third. The Gophers managed to even the game with just under four minutes left.

In the extra session, Cousens fired a shot from the point on the power play and found the back of the net to give the Huskies the win.

On Saturday, Nolan made 23 saves in a 2-0 loss as the Gophers earned the fifth and final home playoff spot.

For full details of the games, head over the MTU Lode Web site and read the live blogs.

“We did a good job defensively,” said Huskies’ head coach Jamie Russell. “I thought we got into a good rhythm in the third period.”

The Huskies (5-19-6 overall, 1-15-6 WCHA) got one past Bachman at 12:57 on a five-on-three advantage as sophomore defenseman Deron Cousens wristed a laser beam over Bachman’s left shoulder. His third goal of the season was assisted by freshman center Brett Olson and sophomore winger Bennett Royer. The Tigers took a 2-1 lead on two second period goals. The Huskies broke through in a big way in the third when Olson got his ninth goal of the season at 7:04. Royer took a head-manned pass from captain John Schwarz and hit Olson cutting to the net for the one-timer.

“We knew we had to put pressure on them,” said Olson. “John made a great pass to Bennett. I was just trying to poke (the pass from Royer) in there.”

After the game was tied, the Tigers appeared to fall back on their heels as the Huskies gained momentum. Junior winger Drew Dobson nearly hit senior center Alex Gagne for a shot on goal about 15 minutes in, but Bachman managed to make the stop.

In overtime, the Huskies jumped all over the Tigers early and often, forcing Bachman to make four saves including a golden opportunity by sophomore winger Jordan Baker after an initial shot by Dobson.

On Saturday, the Huskies could have used some more of that Winter Carnival magic to sting the No. 18 Colorado College Tigers but couldn’t find any as the Tigers got a pair of goals from Cody Lampl to skate away with a 4-1 win. The win was the first for the Tigers in Houghton since Jan. 29, 2005. The Tigers scored twice in the first period, both on the power play.

“I felt our first 20 minutes we didn’t execute in any phase of the game,” said Huskies head coach Jamie Russell. “We didn’t capitalize, and we didn’t bury the puck.”

The Tigers netted another in the second and one more in the third before the Huskies got on the board.

The Huskies managed to finally get a puck past Bachman 11:32 into the final frame as Deron Cousens ripped a slap shot from the right point that beat Bachman over his left shoulder. Assistant captain Geoff Kinrade and Olson both assisted on the goal, Cousens’ fourth of the season and second of the weekend.

“It’s obviously nice to put some numbers up on the board,” said Cousens. “We came up short tonight, and your personal success is something I strive for, but the two points for the team are really all that matters right now.”

Nolan and Robinson combined to make 30 saves on 34 Tigers’ shots in the game.

“We did a good job defensively,” said Huskies’ head coach Jamie Russell. “I thought we got into a good rhythm in the third period.”

The Huskies (5-18-6 overall, 1-14-6 WCHA) got one past Bachman at 12:57 on a five-on-three advantage as sophomore defenseman Deron Cousens wristed a laser beam over Bachman’s left shoulder. His third goal of the season was assisted by freshman center Brett Olson and sophomore winger Bennett Royer.

The Tigers took a 2-1 lead on two second period goals.

The Huskies broke through in a big way in the third when Olson his ninth goal of the season at 7:04. Royer took a head-manned pass from captain John Schwarz and hit Olson cutting to the net for the one-timer.

The teams will meet again tomorrow at 5:07 p.m. Look for my LiveBlog tomorrow on www.mtulode.com.

“We played very well at Denver,” said Huskies’ Head Coach Jamie Russell. “We generated offense and we were strong in our end. I was curious to see how we would respond to our week off as it was our first break of the year. We went toe to toe with the No. 5 team in the nation, and could have won either game.”

Huskies earn one point at Duluth

Sophomore Jordan Baker was the only Huskies’ skater to net a goal in a 3-1 loss on December 12. Baker’s goal was assisted by freshmen wingers Brett Olson and Alex MacLeod. Senior Rob Nolan made 19 stops in the loss.

Freshman Josh Robinson made 24 stops the following night in a 1-1 tie. Olson picked up the lone Huskies’ goal on the power play with assists from junior defensman Drew Dobson and Baker.

Huskies earn sweep of U.P. rivals

Robinson would get the nod both nights the following weekend as the Huskies faced a home-and-home with their U.P. rivals, the Northern Michigan Wildcats. Looking for revenge, the Huskies earned a 2-1 win at home on Friday night, December 19.

Sophomore winger Bennett Royer netted his first of the season just 2:44 in, and the Huskies never looked back. Olson picked up the game-winner at the 6:30 mark of the second period off a tremendous effort from Baker. Robinson stopped 36 Wildcats’ shots in the win.

On Saturday night, freshman center Peter Rohn, playing in just his third game of the year, notched his first of the season on the power play at 8:17 of the second period. It was all Robinson needed as he stopped all 20 Wildcats’ shots for his first career shutout.

“Sweeping NMU was huge,” said Russell. “It came at a crucial time and was a big boost for our confidence.”

Huskies take third at GLI

The sweep marked the first time the Huskies had ever swept their CCHA rivals. For their efforts, Robinson and captain John Schwarz were both recognized by the WCHA. Robinson was named Rookie of the Week and Schwarz was named the Defensive Player of the Week.

On December 27, the Huskies faced their toughest challenge to date in the No. 11 Michigan Wolverines. The Wolverines chased Robinson out of the net 14:04 in, after scoring on four of their first six shots. Nolan hung tough stopping 22 of the next 23 shots, but the Huskies couldn’t get anything past Wolverines’ goaltender Bryan Hogan and fell 5-0.

In the Third Place game, the Huskies needed a stronger effort across the board. Nolan answered the bell, giving up only one goal on 30 shots as the Huskies stung the North Dakota Fighting Sioux, 2-1.

Senior center Ryan Angelow was sprung for a golden opportunity after a pass from junior winger Ryan Bunger, and he beat Sioux netminder Brad Eidsness with 2:42 left in the opening frame.

After the Sioux tied the game in the third, Baker crashed the net and picked up his team-leading second game-winning goal of the season at 14:02.

Huskies drop pair to WCHA-leading Pioneers

Despite missing top-scorer Tyler Bozak, the Pioneers appeared to be set for another easy sweep of the Huskies on Friday, January 9, but instead found themselves in a battle for their lives, needing a late goal with 17 seconds left in overtime to escape with a 4-3 win.

Senior winger Derek Kitti got the Huskies on the board 7:18 in with his first of the year. Junior defenseman Eli Vlaisavljevich and senior winger Alex Lord both assisted on the goal.

With the score tied at 1-1, senior center Alex Gagne netted his fourth of the season to regain the one-goal lead for the Huskies. Baker and sophomore defenseman Deron Cousens assisted on the goal.

The Pioneers tied the game before the period ended and then took their first lead of the game 13:00 into the third, setting up the need for Russell to pull Nolan late in the game. The move paid off in spades as assistant captain Geoff Kinrade netted his second goal of the season with the extra attacker on. The goal, which came at 19:04, was unassisted.

Nolan made 30 saves for the Huskies.

The Pioneers jumped out to a 1-0 lead 10:00 in on Saturday. Kinrade evened the game with his second of the weekend on a four-on-three advantage with just 39 seconds left in the first period. Olson and Dobson both assisted on the goal.

The Pioneers notched the game-winning goal with just under four minutes left in the second period and added an insurance marker with Nolan pulled and only four seconds left on the clock for the 3-1 win.

“Scoring is something that has been a challenge for us (this year),” said Huskies’ head coach Jamie Russell. “I talked to the team after (Friday’s) game and asked them what they were afraid of. We need to execute when we have the opportunity.”

The visitors jumped out to a fast start with a tally at 8:32.

The Pioneers struck again at 13:48 mark off an opening that was created by a Pioneer forward drawing both Huskies’ defensemen to himself, allowing the shooter to sneak in unobstructed.

With their only power play of the first winding down, the Pioneers notched a third goal at 16:48.

Russell yanked Josh Robinson after the first period and brought in fellow freshman Corson Cramer for the second straight night, and Cramer was tested very quickly yet again. He would combine with Robinson for 15 stops on the night.

“It was a tough decision on who to start (tonight),” said Huskies’ Head Coach Jamie Russell. “(Corson) I thought performed pretty well.”

The Pioneers struck just 18 seconds in.

Sophomore defenseman Deron Cousens finally got the Huskies on the board a little over two minutes later with his second goal of the season. Intercepting a clearing attempt, Cousens skated into the high slot and ripped a slap shot past Cheverie at 2:32.

After the goal, the Huskies appeared to play with more passion than they showed early on as they began to pick up both the hitting and the scoring chances.

Sophomores Eric Kattelus, a center, and Jordan Baker, a winger, both beat Pioneers’ defenders and found themselves alone on Cheverie, but neither managed to score. Baker’s chance came while the Huskies were two men down.

Captain John Schwarz led the physical charge for the Huskies as he blasted Ruegsegger at center ice before taking a penalty for another hit in the corner shortly after.

The Pioneers seized a four-goal lead just 2:23 into the third.

Despite controlling the majority of the play, the Huskies couldn’t solve Marc Cheverie again. Perhaps the best opportunity came from junior winger Ryan Bunger, who took a pass from senior center Alex Gagne and fired a shot from point blank.

The Pioneers picked up their sixth goal with 1:36 left. The Pioneers finished the game one-for-six on the man advantage and held the Huskies to zero-for-six.

On Friday, the Pioneers needed slightly less than two minutes to get themselves on the board and another four in the middle frame to earn their first road win of the season, 6-0.

The Pioneers poked a loose puck past Huskies’ netminder Rob Nolan at the 1:45 mark for the first tally of the game.

The Huskies appeared to even the game late in the period when Kattelus drove to the net with the puck. Bunger scooped up the rebound and pushed it and Cheverie into the net. Upon review, the goal was disallowed.

In the second period, the Huskies, who held a 12-8 advantage in shots after the first, took the play to the Pioneers but couldn’t find a way to solve Cheverie.

The Pioneers opened a two-goal lead at the 12:21 mark of the second period on the power play.

In a near carbon-copy play, The Pioneers opened up a three-goal lead shorthanded. The goal came at 13:16.

Just under three minutes later, the Pioneers blew the doors wide open with another goal.

With a two-man advantage, the Pioneers opened up a five-goal lead before the period ended.

To start the third period, Russell inserted Cramer between the pipes for his first action of the season. It was a bit of an auspicious start as the Pioneers tested him right away.

The Pioneers snuck one past Cramer just 52 seconds in.

Cramer would recover nicely from the early goal by making 10 stops over the course of the period, making Russell’s decision for Saturday night an interesting one. Cramer combined with Nolan to make 22 saves on 28 Pioneers shots.

“I think Corson is a young man who comes to rink every day ready to work hard,” said Russell. “I thought he came in and did a nice job.”

The Pioneers finished two-for-seven on the man advantage while the Huskies went zero-for-six.

“It was a good of a start to a game as we could have asked for,” said Pioneers’ head coach George Gwozdecky. “I thought the second period wasn’t played as well, but I thought we played a very smart third period.”

Joe Colbourne got the visitors off to the fast start with a tally at 8:32. Pioneers’ goaltender Marc Cheverie picked up the lone assist as Colbourne did most of the work on the two-on-one to find the open spot on Huskies’ netminder Josh Robinson.

The Pioneers struck again at the 13:48 mark as assistant captain Tyler Ruegsegger notched a goal off a well-placed pass from Kyle Ostrow. The opening was created by Colbourne drawing both Huskies’ defensemen to himself, allowing Ruegsegger to sneak in unobstructed.

With their only power play of the first winding down, the Pioneers notched a third goal as Patrick Wiercioch wired a laser beam of a shot past Robinson. The goal was scored at 16:48 and both Colbourne and Anthony Maiani picked up assists on the goal.

Russell yanked Robinson after the first period and brought in fellow freshman Corson Cramer for the second straight night, and Cramer was tested very quickly yet again. He would combine with Robinson for 15 stops on the night.

“It was a tough decision on who to start (tonight),” said Huskies’ head coach Jamie Russell. “(Corson) I thought performed pretty well.”

Jesse Martin, who had a big night on Friday, got open in front of Cramer and buried the puck just 18 seconds in. The goal was unassisted.

“(You have to) give Denver credit,” said Russell. “That is one talented hockey team.”

Sophomore defenseman Deron Cousens finally got the Huskies on the board a little over two minutes later with his second goal of the season. Intercepting a clearing attempt, Cousens skated into the high slot and ripped a slap shot past Cheverie at 2:32.

After the goal, the Huskies appeared to play with more passion than they showed early on as they began to pick up both the hitting and the scoring chances.

Sophomores Eric Kattelus, a center, and Jordan Baker, a winger, both beat Pioneers’ defenders and found themselves alone on Cheverie, but neither managed to score. Baker’s chance came while the Huskies were two men down.

Captain John Schwarz led the physical charge for the Huskies as he blasted Ruegsegger at center ice before taking a penalty for another hit in the corner shortly after.

The Pioneers jumped out to a four-goal lead just 2:23 into the third as Matt Glasser notched one. Glasser took a pass from Brian Gifford and stuffed the puck past Cramer.

Despite controlling the majority of the play, the Huskies couldn’t solve Cheverie again. Perhaps the best opportunity came from junior winger Ryan Bunger, who took a pass from senior center Alex Gagne and fired a shot from point blank.

Gwozdecky worked his backup goalie Lars Paulgaard in for the final six minutes, and he was called upon to make two stops before the Pioneers struck for the final time. He combined with Cheverie to make 21 saves for the game.

“(Lars) has been getting some mop-up time for us the last couple of weeks,” said Gwozdecky. “We’re trying to get him at least exposed to the environment that surrounds the game.”

Walk-on freshman Luke Salazar, who’s making a serious bid for the WCHA Freshman of the Year, scored his team-leading 10th goal of the season with 1:36 left. Assistant captain Rhett Rakhshani and Tyler Bozak both assisted on the goal.

The Pioneers finished the game one-for-six on the man advantage while holding the Huskies to zero-for-six.

The Huskies go back on the road next weekend to face Minnesota-Duluth.

“We’re not unaccustomed to big tasks,” said Huskies Head Coach Jamie Russell. “That’s just life in the WCHA.”

Sophomore forwards Tyler Bozak (7-11=18) and Anthony Maiani (5-13=18) are both off to fast starts for the Pioneers, who have nine wins in their first 15 games. Senior Patrick Mullen (1-13=14), son of NHL Hall of Famer Joe Mullen, is tied for team lead in assists with 13.

The Pioneers boast a young and talented defensive corps led by freshman Patrick Wiercioch (6-7=13), who sits fourth on the team in goals (6).

Without Peter Mannino to man the pipes for Coach George Gwozdecky, sophomore Marc Cheverie (9-5-1 overall, 2.43 goals against average, 92.2 saves percentage) has stepped up his game and been solid night in and night out.

“(To beat a team like Denver) we have to score some goals,” said Russell. “Until we find a way to do that, we’re not going to be successful.”

This weekend will mark the return of Captain John Schwarz to regular shifts for the Huskies.

“I don’t think tough times develop character, I think tough times expose character,” said Russell. “I think we have to stick together and work hard as a group.”

Both games this weekend will start at 7:05 p.m.

“We attempted 142 shots on goal, and we scored one,” said Huskies Head Coach Jamie Russell. “We controlled the play in terms of puck possession, but the bottom line is we have to score.”

On Saturday, the Huskies (2-11-1 overall, 1-8-1 WCHA) and Beavers skated evenly with both squads first period with goaltenders Josh Robinson for the Huskies and Matt Dalton of the Beavers each making eight stops.

The Beavers (5-7-0 overall, 2-2-0 CHA) struck on the power play 5:53 in to take the early lead.

The Huskies struck back 9:14 into the second period when sophomore forward Jordan Baker notched his team-leading seventh goal of the season. With the puck loose in front of Dalton, Baker snuck a shot through traffic and past Dalton. The goal was unassisted.

With less than 30 seconds left in the period, however, the Beavers scored on a two-on-one to regain the one-goal lead.

The Huskies controlled the play for a good portion of the second period, outshooting the Beavers 10-4 for the period.

“I think that we are doing some good things offensively,” said Russell. “We have to find ways to score goals if we’re going to win hockey games.”

In the third, the Huskies continued to fire pucks at Dalton whenever they could and held the Beavers to just two shots, but they still couldn’t find the back of the net.

With 1:47 remaining, Russell pulled Robinson to get an extra attacker, but the Huskies couldn’t solve Dalton again. Dalton finished the game with 26 stops to just 14 for Robinson.

The Huskies finished the game one-for-eight on the power play while the Beavers went one-for-three.

On Friday night, the Huskies outshot the Beavers 23-19 but came up short, falling 3-0.

Despite outshooting the Beavers 9-6 in the opening frame, the Huskies found themselves down 1-0 just 6:18 in.

The Huskies had a golden opportunity to even the game with a five-on-three power play but couldn’t generate much in the way of scoring chances.

The Beavers struck again 3:39 into the second period. The Huskies controlled the majority of scoring chances but couldn’t find a way to beat Dalton, who made 17 saves through the first two periods.

On just their fourth power play of the night, the Beavers struck again at 19:25 of the final frame.

Senior Rob Nolan made 16 saves for the Huskies in the loss.

Former Huskies’ centerman Matt Ulwelling, who led the Huskies with 29 points in 36 games as a senior, served as a linesman for both games.

The Huskies dropped a pair of games to the No. 11 Minnesota State Mavericks during the first weekend of the break with a 3-2 overtime loss on Friday and a 4-2 loss on Saturday.

On Friday, sophomore center Eric Kattelus evened the game with 25 seconds left to force overtime. Freshman winger Alex MacLeod and freshman center Brett Olson both assisted on the goal.

Olson opened the scoring for the Huskies 4:25 into the game. Kattelus and junior defenseman Drew Dobson both assisted on the goal.

Nolan made 29 stops in the loss.

Down 2-0 in the second period Saturday, Baker redirected a pass from Olson into the back of the net 7:40 in. MacLeod also assisted on the goal.

Senior center Alex Gagne cut the lead to one again in the third with his goal 44 seconds in. Dobson and assistant captain Geoff Kinrade both assisted on the goal.

Robinson made 21 stops in the loss.

The majority of the injuries that Tech players face are serious injuries, keeping them unavailable for several weeks. “It is odd to get this many injuries that are this serious,” Coach Jamie Russell explained as he listed his injured players. Mikael Lickteig is expected to miss the most time, as he recently had surgery and is expected to be out the rest of the season. Bryce Reddick, Ricky Doriott and Senior Captain John Schwarz are not expected to return until early to mid-December.

Some players can be expected to return soon, however. Malcolm Gwilliam has been skating with an injury and is expected to continue playing through it. Justin St. Louis suffered an injury during the Colorado College series but returned in time for the Wisconsin series. Ryan Angelow is also expected to return soon and will be a welcomed return, especially for the special teams’ lines.

The loss of these players has also affected the rest of the team. Defensive lines have been forced to change game-by-game to make up for the loss of Schwarz and Doriott. “We would like some stability with pairings but haven’t been able to get that.” In the Alaska Anchorage series, Russell had only 18 available players, forcing the defensemen to play with different players.

The special teams and the regular lineups have also been changed around, putting the pressure on freshmen, non-special teams players and the even the coach as far as determining lines. “We want to have competition at every spot; how hard you fight for pucks plays a key role in deciding lines and who’s playing.” Players such as freshman Alex MacLeod have moved up to the second line and power play. Other players, such as defensemen Dobson, Kinrade, Kivisto and senior center Alex Gange have all taken more ice time and special teams roles.

This was evident in the Wisconsin series last weekend. The Wisconsin power play was five-for-seven last Saturday, taking advantage of a tired Tech penalty kill, scoring four goals in the third period alone. With the use of four officials in NCAA hockey and the WCHA tightening up their officiating, this exposes the Huskies wounds even more.

“The scoring chances were fairly even,” said Head Coach Jamie Russell. “With the lineup we have right now, I was disappointed, but we did some pretty good things, and I thought we played some smart hockey.”

To make matters worse, the Huskies also had to play without captain John Schwarz, whose injury could keep him out for at least two more weeks.

Trailing 1-0 after an early powerplay marker in the first period Saturday, the Huskies stormed out of the gates, outshooting the Tigers 14-7, and struck just 2:34 in. Just after a 5-on-3 advantage ended with the Tigers’ forward still coming back into the play, sophomore winger Jordan Baker pounced on a loose puck in front of Richard Bachman and found the back of the net. Freshman winger Alex MacLeod and sophomore forward Bennett Royer both earned assists on Baker’s third of the season.

The Tigers struck twice in the first 9:57 of the third period to regain and extend their lead to 3-1. The latter goal came on the power play, as the Tigers would finish the game two-for-eight on the man advantage.

Down two with an offensive zone faceoff and just two and a half minutes left, Russell gambled and pulled senior netminder Rob Nolan. Nolan had already stopped 32 Tigers’ shots in the game.

“Robbie played extremely well (this weekend),” said Russell.

The Huskies controlled the game’s final minutes, but couldn’t beat Bachman until the 19:38 mark when freshman center Brett Olson squeezed one in. Junior defenseman John Kivisto and senior winger Malcolm Gwilliam both assisted on the goal.

“We’ve thrown a lot of responsibility on Brett,” said Russell. “He does a lot of the little things that don’t show up on a scoresheet, and it was nice to see him rewarded.”

With only 21.2 seconds left to work with, Russell elected to keep Nolan on the bench and go for broke. The Huskies pushed the puck forward off the draw and got the puck deep into the Tigers. Unfortunately, with every Huskies’ skater crashing the net, the puck squirted to the boards where a Tiger was able to lift the puck the length of the rink into the gaping net at the opposite end of the ice.

The Huskies managed a season-high 35 shots against Bachman, who proved this weekend why he was named WCHA MVP last year.

On Friday night, the Huskies came out flying, outshooting the Tigers 6-1 through the first 12 minutes and earning a power play chance very early on, but senior center Alex Gagne and company couldn’t bury the puck. Later in the first, the Huskies had another power play in which a miscue led to a Tigers’ shorthanded breakaway goal.

Nolan was called upon to keep the Huskies afloat in the second period as the Huskies lost forwards Bryce Reddick, a freshman, and Justin St. Louis, a senior, to injuries neither could return from. Nolan would finish the period with 18 stops to five for Bachman and 36 for the game.

“I think that with the injuries we were down to 10 forwards, and we just ran out of gas,” said Russell.

The game remained a one-goal affair until the 9:48 mark of the third, when the Tigers’ top scorer Chad Rau extended the lead.

The Huskies had a golden opportunity late with a power play in last three minutes of the game, but couldn’t really get the puck into the slot. Bachman made a number of solid saves, but none from those Grade A areas in front.

The power play continues to plague the Huskies as they went 0-for-14 and are now 2-for-27 on the season.

Despite the numerous injuries to three seniors – centerman Ryan Angelow has only played one game this season – and the three freshmen – Ricky Doriott and Michael Lickteig both underwent surgery within the past week – there are some positives to take into the coming weeks. Mainly, the Huskies will be at home.

This weekend, the Huskies will face the Under-18 team of the U.S. Development Program. The team is fresh off a 3-3 tie at Cornell last weekend.

“They’re talented hockey players,” said Russell. “You’ve got some (future) NHL stars coming into the building.”

Team USA boasts a pair of goaltenders from the Northeast in John Cullen and Casey DeSmith.

Team USA also boasts six players from Minnesota and three from Michigan.