Mittens is back with a weekly roundup of the Mitten’s College Hockey Roundup. This week will feature both Michigan and Michigan State tangling with ranked teams in their own conference, as well as an in-state showdown in the upper peninsula.
FERRIS STATE BULLDOGS
RECAP: Ferris State (10-15-1) earned a split with Lake Superior State up in Sault Ste. Marie last weekend. Their victory in the series was a 4-0 shutout, their first such victory since December 1. In total, FSU tallied seven goals in two games vs. the Lakers.
UP NEXT: The Bulldogs return home to Big Rapids this weekend to host Bemidji State (11-7-6). The Beavers failed to collect a victory last weekend against (7) North Dakota, snapping a six-game winning streak. These two teams met way back in the final week of October, with Bemidji winning both affairs (one via a shootout).
PLAYER TO WATCH: Junior defenseman Ryker Killins notched three points (2 G, 1 A) last weekend against the Lakers. A two-point showing in the 4-0 shutout win snapped a skid of four games without a point. Killins has really elevated his production as a junior, 15 points in 24 games after just nine points in 47 games his first two seasons.
SCHEDULE: Friday (01/19) and Saturday (1/20) | 7:07 p.m. ET
BROADCAST: WCHA.tv | 97.3 FM – WDEE
LAKE SUPERIOR ST. LAKERS at NO. MICHIGAN WILDCATS
RECAP: Lake Superior (6-16-4) bounced back emphatically after being shut out in game one vs. Ferris, scoring five goals in the back end of the twin bill at home. Northern Michigan (13-10-3), meanwhile, swept a ranked conference foe in (14) Bowling Green at home, including one win in overtime.
UP NEXT: The Yoopers will be flocking to Marquette this weekend as these two teams get together for their second meeting of the year. They met all the way back in Week 1 up in Sault Ste. Marie, with each pocketing a W.
PLAYER TO WATCH: LSSU junior Gage Torrel scored his first goal since December 1 last weekend vs. Ferris and earned his first multi-point game of the season. Torrel has just nine points in 26 games played, one year after totaling 22 points in 36 games as a sophomore. And NMU junior Troy Loggins scored three more goals last week, now giving him 11 on the year to continue his breakout campaign with the Wildcats.
SCHEDULE: Friday (01/19) and Saturday (01/20) | 7:07 p.m. ET
BROADCAST: WCHA.tv | 99.5 FM WYSS (LSSU) | 100.3 FM WUPT (NMU)
MICHIGAN WOLVERINES
RECAP: Michigan (10-10-2) put together a very strong performance last weekend at (9) Minnesota, sweeping the series and scoring eight goals in the two games against the Gophers. The sweep earned the Wolverines a spot back into the USCHO Top 20 this week.
UP NEXT: As is the case in the Big Ten every week, Michigan will get another tough challenge, hosting fellow ranked conference foe (12) Penn State (13-8-3). These two split their first series way back in late October. The Nittany Lions split last weekend with another ranked Big Ten program in (6) Ohio State.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Junior Brendan Warren potted three goals last weekend (one of the EN variety), including his first multi-goal game since October of 2015 when he was a freshman. The Carleton, Michigan product doubled his goal output for the season after this past weekend, giving him a new career-high with 12 games left in the regular season.
SCHEDULE: Friday (01/19) at 8:05 p.m. ET | Saturday (01/20) at 7:05 p.m. ET
BROADCAST: Big Ten Network (Friday) | MGoBlueTV | 1050 AM WKTA
MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS
RECAP: Michigan State (9-14-1) earned a much-needed split on the road against (18) Wisconsin last weekend. The 2-0 victory in the series opener snapped a four-game slide for the Spartans.
UP NEXT: It’ll be tough sledding for MSU from here on out. As it stands, they played a ranked club every week through season’s end; all conference foes. This week, they host aforementioned (13) Minnesota (13-12-1) on Thursday before the scene shifts to Madison Square Garden on Saturday. The Gophers throttled the Spartans in Minneapolis earlier this season, sweeping the series and outscoring MSU 7-1 in the two games.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Freshman Mitchell Lewandowski continues to shine for Michigan State this season. Three more goals extend his team lead in that field to 14. That total, along with his 27 points, leading all freshman in the country. The Clarkston-native was unable to find the box score in the first meeting against Minnesota.
SCHEDULE: Thursday (01/18) @ 6:35 p.m. ET | Saturday (01/20) @ 8:05 p.m. ET
BROADCAST: Big Ten Network (both games) | Spartan Sports Network (check local listings)
MICHIGAN TECH HUSKIES
RECAP: Michigan Tech (11-9-5) returns from a bye week after playing in the inaugural Ice Vegas Invitational hockey tournament where they split their two games. The Huskies potted six goals total in those two contests.
UP NEXT: Tech not only returns home to Houghton but also returns to conference play as they welcome in Alaska-Fairbanks (9-13-2). The Nanooks stole a victory from a top-10 Minnesota State club at home last weekend. Michigan Tech swept Alaska earlier this season up in Fairbanks.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Senior Dylan Steman scored a goal in each game out in that Vegas-based invite two weekends ago for Michigan Tech. Steman now has four goals on the season, all coming in the last seven games played. It’s been an injury-riddled career, but Steman appears to have found a groove he once had as a freshman when he tallied 20 points in 41 games.
SCHEDULE: Friday (01/19) and Saturday (01/20) | 7:07 p.m. ET
BROADCAST: WCHA.tv | Pasty.net | 93.5 FM WKMJ
WESTERN MICHIGAN BRONCOS
RECAP: Western Michigan (12-9-1) played to a hard-fought stalemate against (2) St. Cloud State, stealing a win on the road against the conference-leading Huskies. The split earned them incremental improvement in the latest USCHO polls, up to No. 11 this week and serving as the mitten’s top-ranked club.
UP NEXT: The Broncos return home this weekend to host a much-improved Colorado College (9-10-3) club. This will be the first of two series over the final six weeks of the regular season. The Tigers are coming off a sweep at the hands of Minnesota-Duluth, allowing 11 goals in those two losses.
PLAYER TO WATCH: It was another solid performance from sophomore Hugh McGing. Two more goals give him eight on the season, matching his season total from a year ago with 12 games to in this campaign. A sophomore surge as opposed to the conventional slump you see with most rookies, the Chicago-native is one of four players for Western Michigan with 20+ points this season.
SCHEDULE: Friday (01/19) @ 6:35 p.m. ET | Saturday (01/20) @ 7:05 p.m. ET
BROADCAST: CBS Sports Network (Friday) | NCHC.tv | 96.5 FM WZOX
