2021–22 Michigan Tech Huskies men's ice hockey season
College ice hockey team season
The 2021–22 Michigan Tech Huskies men's ice hockey season was the 101st season of play for the program and 4th in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). They represented Michigan Technological University , played their home games at MacInnes Student Ice Arena and were coached by Joe Shawhan , in his 5th season.
Season
Michigan Tech joined with six other members of the WCHA to restart the CCHA for the 2021–22 season. The Huskies had a rocky start to their season; after sweeping their first weekend, the team lost at least one game in each of the next five weeks. While their opposition was nothing to sneeze at, Tech was unable to distance itself from the crowd and subsequently fell out of the polls. The cause for their inconsistent play was just as mercurial; some times the offense would not be able to get on track while at other times the goaltending wasn't quite up to par. One thing that did carry over from game to game was the defense, which did a tremendous job limiting the opposition's chances to the tune of less than 22 shots a game.
Near the end of November the Huskies looked to be getting themselves in order when they swept two weekends sandwiched around a losing effort against Minnesota State . The improvement in their play enabled the team to get back into the polls and remain there even after a less-than-stellar Great Lakes Invitational .
Tech was limited to just 4 games in January, due to positive COVID-19 tests around the college hockey landscape, but the team used its time off to great effect and went on a winning streak when they finally got back onto the ice. Michigan Tech went 8–0–1 through mid-February and rose up to 14 in the polls. More importantly, the team got into the top 10 in the PairWise rankings, which would guarantee them a spot in the NCAA tournament. The strong play in the second half also put the Huskies in a position to win the regular season crown if it could sweep its final four games, however, after going into overtime twice against Ferris State , their longshot hopes were dashed.
In the first CCHA tournament in 9 years, the Huskies were again pressed by Ferris State, needing overtime in both contests. Their special teams play saved their season as MTU scored 2 power play goals, 1 shorthanded goal and on a penalty shot. Their offense continued to sputter in the semifinal but they were also let down by a defensive breakdown in the third that saw Bemidji State score three times in under 5 minutes. The loss dropped the Huskies to 12 in the PairWise but that was well within the margin for at-large teams and Tech made it back to the tournament for the first time in four years.
NCAA tournament
The Huskies received a #3 seed for the tournament but were a sizable underdog to Minnesota Duluth , who were coming off of their 4th-consecutive Frozen Four. Their chances in the game were dealt a serious blow just 3 minutes into the game when their leading scorer, and Hobey Baker Award finalist, Brian Halonen received a controversial major penalty for boarding and was ejected from the game. Afterwards the offense was never able to get on track; while Tech got several shots on goal, few were high-level scoring chances and the team were held off by a very strong Bulldog defense. The only saving grace for MTU was that Pietila kept them in the game and the Huskies were still just one shot away from tying the score entering the third period. As the offense tried to rise to the occasion, Eric Gotz lost the puck on a pass up the ice and the turnover was immediately fired into the Tech goal. The second Duluth goal took most of the energy out of the Huskies. While they did try to claw their way back late, they could never get the puck past Ryan Fanti and an empty-netter sealed their fate.[ 1]
Departures
Recruiting
Roster
As of August 30, 2021.[ 2]
No. S/P/C
Player
Class
Pos
Height
Weight
DoB
Hometown
Previous team
NHL rights
2
Ryland Mosley Sophomore
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
2000-02-15
Arnprior, Ontario Carleton Place (CCHL —
3
Tyrell Buckley Senior
D 6' 0" (1.83 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
1997-03-01
Penticton, British Columbia Merritt (BCHL —
4
Chris Lipe Junior
D 6' 1" (1.85 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
1999-11-23
Rockford, Michigan Dubuque (USHL —
5
Brenden Datema Junior
D 6' 5" (1.96 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
1999-03-18
Sterling Heights, Michigan Amarillo (NAHL —
6
Levi Stauber Freshman
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
2000-01-16
Hermantown, Minnesota Danbury (NAHL —
7
Nick Nardella Sophomore
F 5' 10" (1.78 m)
174 lb (79 kg)
1999-02-09
Rosemont, Illinois Janesville (NAHL —
8
Trevor Russell Freshman
D 6' 2" (1.88 m)
187 lb (85 kg)
2000-02-02
Old Hickory, Tennessee Aberdeen (NAHL —
9
Tommy Parrottino Senior
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
1998-03-03
Rochester Hills, Michigan Youngstown (USHL —
10
Jake Crespi Junior
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1998-12-10
Brighton, Michigan Tri-City (USHL —
11
Grant Docter Freshman
D 5' 11" (1.8 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
2000-12-06
Golden Valley, Minnesota Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL —
12
Brian Halonen Senior
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
207 lb (94 kg)
1999-01-11
Delano, Minnesota Des Moines (USHL —
13
Logan Pietila Junior
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
165 lb (75 kg)
2000-01-27
Howell, Michigan Dubuque (USHL —
14
Logan Ganie Junior
F 5' 10" (1.78 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
1999-06-28
Irma, Alberta Spruce Grove (AJHL —
15
Parker Saretsky Junior
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
1999-04-23
Wainwright, Alberta Spruce Grove (AJHL —
16
Marcus Pedersen Freshman
F 6' 3" (1.91 m)
187 lb (85 kg)
2001-05-25
Stockholm, Sweden Malmö Redhawks J20 (J20 Nationell )—
17
Justin Misiak Senior
F 5' 10" (1.78 m)
178 lb (81 kg)
1996-04-25
St. Clair Shores, Michigan Austin (NAHL —
18
Alex Nordstrom Freshman
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
165 lb (75 kg)
2000-11-15
Atlantic Mine, Michigan Green Bay (USHL —
19
Eric Gotz A Senior
D 5' 10" (1.78 m)
181 lb (82 kg)
1998-04-23
Hermantown, Minnesota Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL —
20
Arvid Caderoth Sophomore
F 6' 4" (1.93 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
2000-05-14
Askim, Sweden Frölunda J20 (J20 SuperElit
—
21
Blais Richartz Sophomore
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
183 lb (83 kg)
2000-06-23
Menomonie, Wisconsin Lincoln (USHL —
22
Matthew Quercia Senior
F 6' 3" (1.91 m)
203 lb (92 kg)
1999-02-24
Andover, Massachusetts Boston University (HEA —
23
Trenton Bliss A Senior
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
192 lb (87 kg)
1998-03-16
Appleton, Wisconsin Green Bay (USHL —
24
Colin Swoyer A Senior
D 6' 0" (1.83 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1998-03-31
Hinsdale, Illinois Sioux Falls (USHL —
25
Jed Pietila Sophomore
D 6' 0" (1.83 m)
181 lb (82 kg)
1999-01-13
Howell, Michigan Austin (NAHL —
26
Michael Karow Graduate
D 6' 2" (1.88 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
1998-12-18
Green Bay, Wisconsin Boston College (HEA ARI 2017
27
Brett Thorne Sophomore
D 6' 2" (1.88 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1998-03-15
Bedford, Nova Scotia Carleton Place (CCHL —
28
Tristan Ashbrook Junior
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
1998-07-16
Manistique, Michigan RPI (ECAC —
29
Alec Broetzman C Senior
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
1997-02-05
Hudson, Wisconsin Madison (USHL —
30
Mark Sinclair Senior
G 6' 0" (1.83 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1996-03-08
Dundas, Ontario Alabama–Huntsville (WCHA —
31
Blake Pietila Junior
G 5' 11" (1.8 m)
164 lb (74 kg)
2000-01-27
Howell, Michigan Cedar Rapids (USHL —
35
Cayden Bailey Sophomore
G 5' 11" (1.8 m)
181 lb (82 kg)
1999-09-21
Estero, Florida Lone Star (NAHL —
55
Tyrone Bronte Sophomore
F 5' 10" (1.78 m)
165 lb (75 kg)
1999-05-07
Melbourne, Australia Alabama–Huntsville (WCHA —
Standings
Schedule and results
Date
Time
Opponent#
Rank#
Site
TV
Decision
Result
Attendance
Record
Exhibition
October 2
3:04 PM
Northern Michigan *
MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, Michigan (Exhibition)
T 4–4
Regular season
October 8
6:00 PM
at #13 Wisconsin *
Kohl Center • Madison, WI BSW
Pietila
W 5–2 8,550
1–0–0
October 9
6:00 PM
at #13 Wisconsin*
Kohl Center • Madison, WI
BSW
Pietila
W 5–1 10,618
2–0–0
October 15
7:07 PM
#17 Notre Dame *
#16
MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, MI
Pietila
L 1–2 OT
3,899
2–1–0
October 16
6:07 PM
USNTDP *
#16
MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, MI (Exhibition)
L 1–2
October 29
7:00 PM
at Clarkson *
#18
Cheel Arena • Potsdam, NY
Pietila
W 3–0 2,539
3–1–0
October 30
7:30 PM
at Clarkson*
#18
Cheel Arena • Potsdam, NY
Pietila
L 1–2 2,951
3–2–0
November 5
7:07 PM
Lake Superior State
#18
MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, MI
Pietila
L 2–3 OT
2,610
3–3–0 (0–1–0)
November 6
6:07 PM
Lake Superior State
#18
MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, MI
Pietila
W 2–0 2,429
4–3–0 (1–1–0)
November 12
7:07 PM
Northern Michigan
MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, MI (Rivalry )
Fox UP
Pietila
W 5–2 4,460
5–3–0 (2–1–0)
November 13
6:37 PM
at Northern Michigan
Berry Events Center • Marquette, MI (Rivalry )Fox UP
Pietila
L 2–3 OT
3,847
5–4–0 (2–2–0)
November 19
8:07 PM
at #20 Bemidji State
Sanford Center • Bemidji, MN
Pietila
W 4–3 2,278
6–4–0 (3–2–0)
November 20
7:07 PM
at #20 Bemidji State
Sanford Center • Bemidji, MN
Pietila
L 3–4 2,142
6–5–0 (3–3–0)
November 26
7:07 PM
Ferris State
MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, MI
Pietila
W 6–4 1,894
7–5–0 (4–3–0)
November 27
6:07 PM
Ferris State
MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, MI
Pietila
W 6–1 1,982
8–5–0 (5–3–0)
December 3
8:07 PM
at #2 Minnesota State
Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, MN CCMk–14
Pietila
L 1–2 4,522
8–6–0 (5–4–0)
December 4
7:07 PM
at #2 Minnesota State
Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, MN
CCMk–14
Pietila
L 1–3 4,494
8–7–0 (5–5–0)
December 10
7:07 PM
St. Thomas
MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, MI
Pietila
W 6–1 2,060
9–7–0 (6–5–0)
December 11
6:07 PM
St. Thomas
MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, MI
Pietila
W 4–3 2,589
10–7–0 (7–5–0)
Great Lakes Invitational
December 29
7:00 PM
at #3 Michigan *
#18
Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, MI (Great Lakes Invitational)
Pietila
T 0–0 OT
5,800
10–7–1
December 30
5:00 PM
at Michigan State *
#18
Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, MI (Great Lakes Invitational)
Pietila
L 2–3 OT
5,564
10–8–1
Regular season
January 14
7:07 PM
at Lake Superior State
#19
Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, MI
Pietila
W 3–0 1,077
11–8–1 (8–5–0)
January 15
6:07 PM
at Lake Superior State
#19
Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, MI
Pietila
W 3–0 1,175
12–8–1 (9–5–0)
January 28
7:07 PM
Bemidji State
#18
MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, MI
Pietila
W 5–2 2,043
13–8–1 (10–5–0)
January 29
6:07 PM
Bemidji State
#18
MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, MI
Pietila
W 5–2 2,333
14–8–1 (11–5–0)
February 1
6:07 PM
Northern Michigan
#15
MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, MI (Rivalry )
Fox UP
Pietila
W 5–1 2,744
15–8–1 (12–5–0)
February 4
8:07 PM
at St. Thomas
#15
St. Thomas Ice Arena • Mendota Heights, MN
Pietila
T 3–3 SOW
708
15–8–2 (12–5–1)
February 5
8:07 PM
at St. Thomas
#15
St. Thomas Ice Arena • Mendota Heights, MN
Pietila
W 2–0 790
16–8–2 (13–5–1)
February 8
6:37 PM
at Northern Michigan
#14
Berry Events Center • Marquette, MI (Rivalry )
Fox UP
Pietila
W 8–1 3,964
17–8–2 (14–5–1)
February 11
7:07 PM
Bowling Green
#14
MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, MI
Pietila
W 4–0 3,017
18–8–2 (15–5–1)
February 12
5:07 PM
Bowling Green
#14
MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, MI
Pietila
L 2–4 2,960
18–9–2 (15–6–1)
February 18
7:07 PM
at Ferris State
#14
Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, MI
Pietila
W 3–2 OT
1,901
19–9–2 (16–6–1)
February 19
6:07 PM
at Ferris State
#14
Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, MI
Sinclair
T 5–5 SOW
2,495
19–9–3 (16–6–2)
February 25
7:07 PM
#1 Minnesota State
#14
MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, MI
Pietila
L 1–2 OT
2,607
19–10–3 (16–7–2)
February 26
6:07 PM
#1 Minnesota State
#14
MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, MI
Pietila
L 1–2 2,736
19–11–3 (16–8–2)
CCHA tournament
March 4
7:07 PM
Ferris State *
#15
MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, MI (Quarterfinal game 1)
Pietila
W 3–2 OT
2,016
20–11–3
March 5
6:07 PM
Ferris State *
#15
MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, MI (Quarterfinal game 2)
Pietila
W 3–2 2OT
2,272
21–11–3
March 12
6:07 PM
Bemidji State *
#13
MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, MI (Semifinal)
Pietila
L 2–5 2,634
21–12–3
NCAA tournament
March 24
3:00 PM
vs. #6 Minnesota Duluth *
#14
Budweiser Events Center • Loveland, Colorado (West Regional semifinal)ESPNU
Pietila
L 0–3 3,138
21–13–3
*Non-conference game. # Rankings from USCHO.com Poll . All times are in Eastern Time . [ 3]
Scoring statistics
Name
Position
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
PIM
Brian Halonen LW 37
21
23
44 49
Trenton Bliss F 36
12
28
40 26
Tommy Parrottino F 37
11
17
28 8
Logan Pietila F 34
13
10
23 2
Colin Swoyer D 36
5
18
23 22
Justin Misiak C 33
5
14
19 12
Brett Thorne D 37
5
12
17 31
Tristan Ashbrook RW 37
11
5
16 8
Arvid Caderoth C /RW 37
4
12
16 27
Alec Broetzman LW 29
6
8
14 25
Rylan Mosley LW 36
5
8
13 18
Eric Gotz D 35
4
6
10 4
Michael Karow D 37
2
8
10 26
Nicholas Nardella F 29
1
7
8 6
Tyrell Buckley D 33
1
7
8 22
Logan Ganie LW 22
5
1
6 6
Parker Saretsky F 29
2
4
6 8
Matthew Quercia F 14
2
2
4 8
Tyrone Bronte C 27
1
2
3 6
Christopher Lipe D 34
0
3
3 6
Jake Crespi RW 21
1
1
2 2
Blake Pietila G 37
0
2
2 0
Mark Sinclair G 3
0
1
1 0
Grant Docter D 6
0
1
1 4
Brenden Datema D 2
0
0
0 0
Cayden Bailey G 3
0
0
0 0
Blais Richartz F 4
0
0
0 0
Trevor Russell D 18
0
0
0 2
Total
117
200
317
340
[ 4]
Goaltending statistics
Name
Games
Minutes
Wins
Losses
Ties
Goals Against
Saves
Shut Outs
SV % GAA
Cayden Bailey 3
3:28
0
0
0
0
1
0
1.000
0.00
Blake Pietila 37
2195
21
13
2
70
779
7
.918
1.91
Mark Sinclair 3
60
0
0
1
2
19
0
.905
1.97
Empty Net
-
17
-
-
-
3
-
-
-
-
Total
37
2276
21
13
3
75
799
7
.914
1.98
Rankings
Poll
Week
Pre
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25 (Final)
USCHO.com
NR
NR
16
18
18
18
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
18
20
19
17
18
15
14
14
14
15
13
15
14
-
14
USA Today
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
14
14
13
13
15
13
14
14
14
14
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in week 24. [ 5]
Awards and honors
References
^ "Michigan Tech 0, Minnesota Duluth 3 F" . USCHO . Retrieved March 24, 2022 .^ "2020–21 Hockey Roster" . Michigan Tech Athletics. Retrieved January 20, 2021 .^ "Michigan Tech 2021-22 Team Schedule" . College Hockey Inc . Retrieved February 2, 2022 .^ "Michigan Tech 2021-2022 Skater Stats" . Elite Prospects . Retrieved March 2, 2020 .^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll" . USCHO.com . Retrieved November 26, 2019 .^ "Four players return to 2021-22 Division I men's All-American teams, led by three-time pick Dryden McKay" . USCHO.com . April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022 .^ "Six players earn All-CCHA First Team honors" . CCHA . March 15, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022 .^ "Four teams represented on All-CCHA Second Team" . CCHA . March 15, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022 .
