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[Erik C.]

Television:

From The Mining Gazette

Michigan Tech hockey coach Mel Pearson doesn't want anything to distract from what takes place on the ice at this weekend's Great Lakes Invitational, but attention will inevitably be directed behind the benches Saturday when his Huskies face the Michigan Wolverines.

Pearson served as an assistant coach at Michigan for 23 years, all under current 28th-year head coach Red Berenson, before accepting the job at Tech, his alma mater, going into the 2011-12 season. Saturday will be his first meeting against the Wolverines since then.

"It's not me versus Red, it's Tech versus Michigan, and that's how we're looking at it," Pearson said, "but I guess it's a little different, obviously, being there so long. It's weird, but very exciting at the same time.

"I can't say that I'm looking forward to it. I want Michigan to do well, except when we play them. It's a unique situation. I have a lot of friendships over there and I respect their team and the way they play."

While he doesn't want the attention on the coaches, he knows his time at Michigan could serve as an advantage in terms of preparation.

Pearson estimates he played a role in recruiting about 80 percent of the current Michigan roster.

"There won't be many surprises, not that there is in college hockey anyways with all the film, but I have a little insight to their better players, and that's an advantage for sure," Pearson said.

He has plenty of understanding about the GLI, too, having been involved in every one since 1977, when he started his four-year playing career at Tech.

He won the tournament every year as a player, including scoring the tournament-winning goal in triple overtime against Michigan in 1979.

He was an assistant coach at Tech from 1982 to 88, a period in which Tech never won the championship. He then became an assistant coach at Michigan in '88 and helped the Wolverines to nine straight GLI championships, but the Maize and Blue followed that with a 10-year championship drought.

"It goes in cycles, and every year is different," Pearson said.

Altogether, he has been involved in 16 GLI championship-winning teams.

The Wolverines are the defending champions and Tech has not won since 1980, Pearson's last year as a player.

Campus Location: Houghton, Michigan
Enrollment: 7,034
Conference: WCHA
48th GLI Tournament Appearance, all as either host or co-host
GLI Championships Won: 9, last won in 1980

Coach: Mel Pearson

Team Roster

#	Player Name	Pos.	Class
3	Bradley Stebner (A)	Forward	Junior
5	Justin Fillion	Defense	Sophomore
7	Jujhar Khaira	Forward	Freshman
8	Jacob Johnstone	Forward	Junior
9	Dennis Rix	Forward	Junior
10	Tanner Kero	Forward	Sophomore
11	Daniel Holmberg	Forward	Junior
12	Ryan Furne	Forward	Junior
13	Aaron Pietila	Forward	Senior
14	Chad Pietila	Forward	Senior
15	David Johnstone	Defense	Sophomore
16	Steven Seigo (A)	Defense	Senior
17	Mikael Lickteig	Forward	Senior
18	C.J. Eick	Forward	Freshman
19	Blake Pietila	Forward	Sophomore (participating in World Juniors)
20	Blake Hietala	Forward	Sophomore (Redshirted)
21	Tommy Brown	Defense	Senior
22	Malcolm Gould	Forward	Freshman
23	Alex Petan	Forward	Freshman
24	Daniel Sova	Defense	Junior
25	Carl Nielsen ©	Defense	Senior
26	Jimmy Davis	Defense	Sophomore
28	Milos Gordic	Forward	Junior (Redshirted)
29	Walker Hyland	Defense	Freshman
30	Jamie Phillips	Goalie	Freshman
31	Pheonix Copley	Goalie	Freshman
33	Patrick Anderson	Forward	Freshman
34	Riley Sweeney	Defense	Sophomore
35	Kevin Genoe	Goalie	Senior

From USCHO

Michigan Tech (4-10-3, 3-8-3 WCHA) is coached by former UM associate head coach, Mel Pearson. The Huskies enter the GLI looking for their first win since Nov. 17, a 2-1 overtime victory that capped a weekend sweep of Bemidji State. Since that win, MTU is 0-4-3. The Huskies have played in every GLI since the tournament’s inception in 1965, but they last captured a GLI title in 1980. They last played for a title in 2007.

Campus Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Enrollment: 42,716
Conference: CCHA
43rd GLI Tournament Appearance, has been co-host since 1976
GLI Championships Won: 15, last won in 2011

Coach: Red Berenson

Team Roster

#	Player Name	Pos.	Class
1	Steve Racine	Goalie	Freshman
3	Mike Chaisson	Defense	Sophomore
4	Kevin Clare	Defense	Junior
6	Brennan Serville	Defense	Sophomore
7	Phil DeGuiseppe	Forward	Sophomore
8	Jacob Trouba	Defense	Freshman (participating at World Juniors)
9	Luke Moffatt	Forward	Junior
10	Justin Selman	Forward	Freshman
11	Zach Hyman	Forward	Sophomore
12	Cristoval Nieves	Forward	Freshman
13	Lee Moffie (A)	Forward	Senior
14	Kevin Lynch (A)	Forward	Senior
16	Daniel Milne	Forward	Freshman
17	Andrew Sinelli	Forward	Sophomore
18	Andrew Copp	Forward	Freshman
19	Derek DeBlois	Forward	Junior
20	Travis Lynch	Forward	Sophomore
22	Jeff Rohrkemper	Forward	Senior
23	A.J. Treais ©	Forward	Senior
24	Jon Merrill	Defense	Junior
26	Mike Szuma	Defense	Sophomore
27	Alex Guptill	Forward	Sophomore
28	Jared Rutledge	Goalie	Freshman
29	Luke Dwyer	Goalie	Sophomore (Redshirted)
30	Adam Janecyk	Goalie	Junior
37	Mac Bennett (A)	Defense	Junior
39	Lindsay Sparks	Forward	Senior

Also from USCHO

The Wolverines are the defending GLI champs for two years running and have captured four of the last five tournament titles. Michigan (6-9-2, 4-7-2-2 CCHA) is tied with Alaska for seventh in the CCHA, each team having 16 points. The Wolverines struggled in the first half in front of two freshmen goaltenders who lack confidence, largely because they’re not getting much help from the defense in front of them; UM’s defense is 52nd in the country, allowing 3.35 goals per game. At this point last year, the Wolverines had netted 71 goals in 20 games; this season, they’ve scored 50 through 17. Michigan halted a four-game winless streak with that 2-0 win over Western Dec. 15, the weekend salvaged by the play of junior goaltender Adam Janecyk, who made 25 saves in his first game of the season, his first collegiate shutout decision. That UM defense will be without its best player for this tournament, freshman Jacob Trouba, who is playing with Team USA in the IIHF World Junior Championship. The Wolverines have 15 GLI titles.

[Erik C.]

Wolverines are already down, 1-0. heh (And this is me coming in late, too.)

[Erik C.]

I can see why, too. They seem disorganized right now.

[Erik C.]

It's only getting worse for Michigan, too, with an interference. (Although the announcers question the call.)

[Erik C.]

Nice work by Tech on the power play. 2-0

[Erik C.]

^ Sweeney with the point shot, Khaira with the tip in.

[Erik C.]

And that's how the period ends. And not too soon for Michigan.

[Erik C.]

I wonder when the last time Michigan and Michigan State played in the consolation game of this was...

Edit: 1981, and it looked like it ended in a tie.

This point has been edited by Erik C.: 29 December 2012 - 08:10 PM

[Erik C.]

Rix was lucky he didn't get a 5 on that boarding.

[Erik C.]

It's all but over now after that goal.

[Erik C.]

heh NOW it's over. 4-0, and the Wolverines are still disorganized.

Just hope frustration doesn't take over like it did after the third goal.

[Erik C.]

A very noticeable ping.

[Erik C.]

Uh, now the band is starting up Seven Nation Army. This is gonna turn into last year's Frozen Four for me now.

[Erik C.]

Finally, the mercy killing is over. Western and Tech in the finals tomorrow.

[Erik C.]

Alex Petan’s two goals have led Michigan Tech past Michigan 4-0 and into the title game at the Great Lakes Invitational.

The Huskies (5-10-3) play Western Michigan on Sunday in hopes of winning their first Great Lakes championship since 1980. They last appeared in a title game in 2007.

Petan scored in the first and third periods Saturday. Jujhar Khaira and Tommy Brown also scored for MTU, which had been 0-4-3 in its previous seven games.
Pheonix Copley made 38 saves, including 16 in the first period.

Michigan (6-10-2) had won two straight Great Lakes titles. The Wolverines were 0-for-4 on the power play.

From the Detroit Free Press