1. Michigan Tech might be for real.
The Huskies hosted Michigan for the first time since 1983 this past weekend. The end result was a sweep of epic proportions. Tech won 4-1 Friday (in front of the Stanley Cup!) and 6-2 Saturday, giving the Huskies a perfect 6-0-0 record.
Four different Huskies scored goals Friday, and six different players scored Saturday, while Jamie Phillips continued his hot streak and stopped 54 Wolverine shots on the weekend.
It’s exactly the kind of performance Tech head coach Mel Pearson was looking for in his team’s home opener — he said last week he was worried about the potential for a letdown for his team playing at home for such a big series.
Luckily, that didn’t happen, and the Huskies are now 6-0-0 after sweeping away two ranked teams.
Pearson said at the beginning of the season that, on paper, this was the deepest offensive team he’s ever had since taking over the head job in 2011. With weekends like this, he might have a point.
Houghton Daily Mining Gazette sports editor Brandon Veale put it best in a Tweet after game two: “If this is the #mtuhky team we’re getting all season, look the hell out college hockey world.”
2. Bemidji State shows off at home
After upsetting then No. 2 North Dakota in Grand Forks in their season opener (unrelated, but I have a feeling that result is going to be discussed all season, no matter how each teams’ seasons play out), the Beavers lost their next three (the next night at home against UND then at No. 1 Minnesota).
This weekend’s result against No. 16 Alaska showed that the Beavers aren’t just a one-hit wonder. BSU swept the Nanooks in Bemidji, routing Alaska 6-1 Friday before winning 4-3 in overtime Saturday.
Both wins showed BSU’s improved offensive depth and versatility compared to the last few seasons. The Beavers have already scored 21 goals in six games, with 10 players having at least a goal. Four are tied for the team-lead with three, and perhaps most surprising is that none of those are Cory Ward (who did, however, score Saturday’s overtime game-winner).
Ward has just two goals, but guys like fourth-liner Charlie O’Connor (who had two goals in all of last season) has three, as does Markus Gerbrandt, Nate Arentz and Brendan Harms (who happen to share the same line).
The Beavers have a difficult upcoming schedule, taking on Minnesota State, Michigan Tech and Bowling Green back-to-back-to-back. All three teams ahead of them in the standings so far. If they can keep up this kind of scoring, BSU might be a force in the WCHA.
3. Lakers breathe sigh of relief
Lake Superior State won’t start the season 0-10 after all.
The Lakers stole a 3-2 overtime win Saturday night in Anchorage, snapping their nine-game losing streak to start the season.
Bryce Schmitt, the team leader with three goals, scored Friday’s game-winner for the Lakers, who had lost 3-2 the previous night despite outshooting the Seawolves 29-24.
Under new head coach Damon Whitten, the Lakers have been playing nonstop since Oct. 4. Their schedule included trips to Robert Morris, Notre Dame and Anchorage, and they already have five WCHA losses.
So getting their first win before going into this bye week — the Lakers’ first break this season — couldn’t have come at a better time for Whitten, who now has a week to get his players ready for another grueling stretch in November and December that features trips to Huntsville, Grand Forks and Ferris State and home games against strong Alaska and Minnesota State teams.
