# 2021–22 Michigan Tech Huskies men's ice hockey 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.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Carson Bantle | Forward | United States | Transferred to Wisconsin |
| T. J. Polglaze | Forward | United States | Transferred to St. Thomas |
| David Raisanen | Forward | United States | Left program (retired) |
| Greyson Reitmeier | Forward | Canada | Graduation (retired) |
| Tyler Rockwell | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (signed with Kalamazoo Wings) |
| Marcus Russell | Forward | United States | Graduation (signed with Pensacola Ice Flyers) |
| Cooper Watson | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (retired) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Tyrone Bronte | Forward | Australia | 22 | Melbourne, AUS; transfer from Alabama–Huntsville |
| Grant Docter | Defenseman | United States | 20 | Golden Valley, MN |
| Michael Karow | Defenseman | United States | 22 | Green Bay, WI; graduate transfer from Boston College; selected 126th overall in 2017 |
| Alex Nordstorm | Forward | United States | 20 | Hancock, MI |
| Marcus Pedersen | Forward | Sweden | 20 | Stockholm, SWE |
| Matthew Quercia | Forward | United States | 22 | Andover, MA; transfer from Boston University |
| Trevor Russell | Defenseman | United States | 21 | Old Hickory, TN |
| Levi Stauber | Forward | United States | 21 | Hermantown, MN |

## Roster

As of August 30, 2021.

## Standings

2021–22 Central Collegiate Hockey Association Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record |
| | GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | 3/SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| #2 Minnesota State †* | 26 | 23 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 115 | 28 | 44 | 38 | 6 | 0 | 178 | 60 |
| #14 Michigan Tech | 26 | 16 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 54 | 93 | 53 | 37 | 21 | 13 | 3 | 118 | 75 |
| Bemidji State | 26 | 14 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 83 | 81 | 39 | 19 | 20 | 0 | 118 | 121 |
| Lake Superior State | 26 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 69 | 64 | 37 | 18 | 18 | 1 | 107 | 104 |
| Northern Michigan | 26 | 12 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 35 | 86 | 99 | 37 | 20 | 16 | 1 | 132 | 136 |
| Bowling Green | 26 | 11 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 67 | 87 | 37 | 15 | 19 | 3 | 94 | 119 |
| Ferris State | 26 | 9 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 66 | 99 | 36 | 11 | 24 | 1 | 90 | 135 |
| St. Thomas | 26 | 3 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 45 | 112 | 36 | 3 | 32 | 1 | 61 | 168 |
| Championship: March 19, 2022 † indicates conference regular season champion (MacNaughton Cup) * indicates conference tournament champion (Mason Cup) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll ||||||||||||||||||

## 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. Source: ||||||||||

## 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 |

## 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 | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | 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.

## Awards and honors

| Player | Award |
| Brian Halonen | AHCA All-American West First Team |
| Brian Halonen | CCHA First Team |
| Blake Pietila | CCHA Second Team |
| Colin Swoyer | CCHA Second Team |
| Trenton Bliss | CCHA Second Team |