Michigan Tech Offseason Thread

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: Michigan Tech Offseason Thread

So we're the host school in Green Bay, what does Tech get out of it? Exposure?

An extra afternoon tee time.

[manurespreader]

Re: Michigan Tech Offseason Thread

Was there a tMel show today? it's not up on the Tech web site.
I'm having withdrawl what with no huskies to watch/listen to on the weekends.
Like to hear more on next years team.

BTw, Nick Laurila does a great job as the video guy. thanks nick for all your work.

[The Darkness]

Re: Michigan Tech Offseason Thread

Once again the main problem isn't the equipment, this was shown when the Joe's cameras were hooked up to the system. I would say a new lighting system would offer more of an improvement than cameras initially.

We know there isn't a lighting problem at the Joe. Those are the same lighting used for broadcasting High Def NHL broadcast. If we used that same equipment and couldn't produce a quality stream we have larger problems.

Isn't the camera used at the Mac just a single standard definition hand held camcorder? I have never went out of my way to check out the equipment used, but I do know that other schools have brought in cameras and managed to produce a quality broadcast.

[Flashy Man]

Re: Michigan Tech Offseason Thread

We know there isn't a lighting problem at the Joe. Those are the same lighting used for broadcasting High Def NHL broadcast. If we used that same equipment and couldn't produce a quality stream we have larger problems.

Isn't the camera used at the Mac just a single standard definition hand held camcorder? I have never went out of my way to check out the equipment used, but I do know that other schools have brought in cameras and managed to produce a quality broadcast.

As I've said before the large problem is with the streaming service they use. As, the video I get for the highlights come from the same camera as the stream, but are of noticeably better quality. Tech needs to work NeuLion to upgrade to some of their newer options. However, changing the lighting would noticeably improve the balance of the video. Right now you can't tune the intensity of the light, they are either on or off.

[manurespreader]

Re: Michigan Tech Offseason Thread

I believe they bought early this year, a new HD camera, which had no effect.

As far as the scoreboard and lighting. Yost put in a new jumbotron type scoreboard last summer. It's hugely bright and it's hugely big. So big that it blots out the light from the ceiling at the other end of the arena, making your end darker. The brightest light in the place is the video of the on going action from the scoreboard, and the rink is distinctly dim.. So a word to the wise.

[mtu_huskies]

Re: Michigan Tech Offseason Thread

THe Final Mel Pearson show summary of the year:

On DU game/Final Five:
The DU game showed how far we've come on the year, starting the season down 3-0 AIC and then playing in this game against a top 10 team, we went toe to toe with them
Played a great 1st period, maybe as good as a period as we've had all year
Mel stayed at the final five for a few more games and walking around it was great to hear from people that they're happy to see Tech back being competative and relavant
Dirk felt it was a great hockey game, happy to see a faster/more contact game on an NHL size sheet, after watching 4 straight games on an olympic sheet
DU's goal, bang bang play, we lost some coverage, we got caught playing man on man, and one guy wasn't covered
On Pietila goal, he does that in practice all the time, great pass by Fillion, he's come a long way, great vision, especially considering he's only played half the year
DU outshot us 16-6 in 2nd, but attempted shots fairly even, we just have to put the puck on net, #1 point during 2nd intermission
Furne in a good position, great shot for 2-1 lead
We have a 3x1 rush, Mel watched it yesterday, great opportunity, good shot by Kero, B. Pietila/Gordic going after the puck, DU just flips puck back up middle and back the other way and DU scores
Who would've thought a year ago that we'd be in final five playing a great game with DU
OT SOG DU 3 Tech 1 - Dman gets part of a stick on the puck on pass to Zucker, Zucker all alone gets the goal
Overall - SOG 40-29, we had 17 missed shots, they had 8, told the players they have nothign to hang their heads about, they laid it on the line on against a very good hockey team
We've come a long way, back on the way to bringing the program back to respectability
Maybe Robinson's best game of the year, he had a great year, Shields did a great job with him - 15 wins
Olson leads team in points - 30, 6 guys over 20 points

The seniors:
It was fun to be around them, they lead this team, seniors have to have their best year in their careers to have success, and they did
We'll expect this years juniors to do the same next year

Seniors moving on:
There's a lot of opportunities to play so many leagues/teams - told them as a group and some individualy to not rush into anything, think about school first, don't throw away a class or two for a 10 game tryout contract
They'll have opportunities, Brett has been to some development camps, there's been interest in all our seniors, if something doesn't happen until next fall that should be fine, don't need to jump at first opportunity
They're all student athletes - they'll all graduate
We all think we'll play hockey for along time, but it will come to an end and you want an education, that's why you go to school, if you didn't want school you'd go Major-Junior route
Mel said a short summary of each senior
On 3rd goaltender, Dirk - ever had problems when 3rd goalie thinks they should be playing? - you can, need to have right kid in that role, Corson handled himself well, great guy

At least 4 new players next year:
CJ Eick - Green Bay clinched a playoff birth, CJ has played a lof of hockey for a good team that expects to win each night, he'll add speed, maybe fastest skater, 3rd/4th line and PK, energy guy, we'll push him to get more points than he did this year
Phoenix Copley - Des Moines USHL, got traded, they've given him the ball, heated playoff battle with 9 games to go, played a lot of hockey, very athletic, bigger goalie, like his raw skills, fun guy to work with for Shields, he'll push Genoe
Jujhar Kuhar - finished in top 10 in scoring, highly skilled, still growing, offensive flare down the road, hard for freshman to jump in, he'll be very good before he's done, some good freshman forwards to be added to this years good freshman
Alex Petan - also top 10 in scoring, skilled, speed, handles the puck well
We have 2 or 3 others guys coming that we can't talk about yet because they haven't signed, probably have a 7 to 8 man class next year


Quesitons:
What was the highest and lowest point of the season?
Our 5-0 winnning at UMD was high, but sweeping CC in Colorado was pretty good, that OT goal on Saturday night and the guys excitement was the high point.
Dirk - the OT goal in MN was a big moment this year too.
Low point - last game against DU, hadn't lost in OT yet this year, felt confident, played a good game and the season ending made it low, the GLI was a disapointment too, and losing at Winter Carnival. NMU games were disapointing too, didn't play well. Overall the last game, DU was the low point.

Dirk - Would it be easier to walk away from DU game if we were outplayd and lost 4-1? Losing is losing, when you play well, it's suger coated a bit, but still leaves a sour taste. Not playing up to potential would leave a worse taste.

Dirk - Pressing need in offseason? - strength mostly and speed and endurance. Hopefully everyone is in Houghton and working out off the ice 5 days a week. The expectations and the bar will be higher, we wont sneak up on anyone. Mental toughness can come along with good spring/summer workouts. Watching UND/Minn game saw the intensity/emotion and how haard you have to compete in a game like that. We have some guys need to pick up the pace, workon skating this summer because of our uptempo style.

Will we ever see a team from Ann Arbor come up to Houghton? - yes, can't go into details right now, Mel has been told that the likelihood of that happening is pretty good.

NCAA tournament, Mel's predictions -
Northeast - like BC
West is tough - UND
Northeast - Union
Midwest that Tech is hosting, interesting to see the crowds they get no local teams, should be some good hockey though - Michigan

The Hobey - Hunwick has had a great year, Alex Smith has also had a great year

We're not too far away form getting in that tournament, it's a body of work, non-conference games are huge, we're knocking on the door, we're pleased but not satisfied
We had tremendous support in St. Paul, walking around, Mel stayed after for meeting and recruiting, a lot of really happy people not only our fans but of other teams too of Tech's success
thanks to our fans, it means a lot to our players
We'll put a lot of work in recruiting and in our team to get better

Dirk - How will not having ice this summer affect our team? Wont affect our team. Some people will go home and have ice, strength and condition is huge and don't need ice for that.

Our exit meetings are this week, we'll talk about each individual needs to do to get better and what they did well. Wnat to challenge our team and individuals.

Dirk is ready for next year already. Mel watched hockey yesterday, haven't had a day of no hockey yet, it's a passion not a job.

[manurespreader]

Re: Michigan Tech Offseason Thread

I wanted to come by and say a couple things. 1) What a great season by Michigan Tech. I thought they would be improved, and I knew Mel could coach...but Wow. I thought Tech would finish 11th...and they had a chance for home ice all the way until the final game of the regular season. 2) Michigan Tech will make an NCAA Tournament in the next 3 years. I wouldn't be surprised if Tech dominates the nWCHA, and I wouldn't be surprised if Tech were to make the NCAAs next season...but... 3) The WCHA will be significantly more difficult next season. Minnesota will be just as good, North Dakota will be much better, Denver will be solid as always, and Omaha should be much better. While Duluth and CC might slip a bit, SCSU will be better, and I think Wisconsin might be a darkhorse next year and could compete for a league title. That being said, Michigan Tech has the ability, talent, and coaching to finish top 6 in conference, make another Final Five, and perhaps end the long NCAA drought.

I'll never cheer for Tech against the Sioux, but there is no other team in college hockey that I would like to see succeed more than Michigan Tech. You have a great program, and it is nice to see that Tech is on the upswing again, and hopefully it continues in the coming years. Anyway, great season, and good luck next season.

Nice of you FS to say this. I agree we will make the tournament and very soon. I agree DU and UND have a ton of very high end talent coming in and so does wisconsin. Couple that with what is there already and a case could be made. However, last off season a ton of high end talent left. I think much more than people on the boards expected, and it left even late in the summer. UND was hit hard if I remember. So looking to next year is a problem. No one really knows who is really staying until fall, but it's hard to say that the losses will be less. I think the top talent will bolt. I mean Broadhurst left today for example. We all know the NHL has rosters to fill. So will Tech be better also, yep they will, and I suspect they will not play exactly the same style as they did this year.Thanks for the nice comments.

[mtu_huskies]

Re: Michigan Tech Offseason Thread

Good info in the article by Stpehen Anderson in the Mining Gazette today:

http://www.mininggazette.com/page/co....html?nav=5009


- The team did exit interviews/questionares on Monday, they also did questionares before the season
- Not all 25 non-seniors are guaranteed to be back next year, roster reductions could be soon
- players are expected to stay in Houghton for at least Track A of summer classes
- no ice to the compressor/cooling system upgrade until July
- players who need specfic work power skating can go home to skate on ice (so we don't use the treadmil at all?)
- Shields has gone home to California, although he's not under contract, Shields and Pearson say he'll be back
- Schedule should be done in 45 days, non-conference is GLI, 2 games against NMU and LSSU
- Will continue to work on 2013-14 schedule, UMD and UND have expressed interesting in scheduling games

[giwan]

Re: Michigan Tech Offseason Thread

Good info in the article by Stpehen Anderson in the Mining Gazette today:
- The team did exit interviews/questionares on Monday, they also did questionares before the season
- Not all 25 non-seniors are guaranteed to be back next year, roster reductions could be soon
- players are expected to stay in Houghton for at least Track A of summer classes
- no ice to the compressor/cooling system upgrade until July
- players who need specfic work power skating can go home to skate on ice (so we don't use the treadmil at all?)
- Shields has gone home to California, although he's not under contract, Shields and Pearson say he'll be back
- Schedule should be done in 45 days, non-conference is GLI, 2 games against NMU and LSSU
- Will continue to work on 2013-14 schedule, UMD and UND have expressed interesting in scheduling games

I'd be curious to see that interview questionnaire.

Cooling system being the piping under the rink?

Good to see LSSU on the schedule.

No power skating on the treadmill?

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: Michigan Tech Offseason Thread

Word awhile back was that Pearson mothballed the treadmill because the staff suspected it may have contributed to the rash of lower-body injuries over the past 2-3 years.

[bose301s]

Re: Michigan Tech Offseason Thread

Good info in the article by Stpehen Anderson in the Mining Gazette today:

http://www.mininggazette.com/page/co....html?nav=5009


- The team did exit interviews/questionares on Monday, they also did questionares before the season
- Not all 25 non-seniors are guaranteed to be back next year, roster reductions could be soon
- players are expected to stay in Houghton for at least Track A of summer classes
- no ice to the compressor/cooling system upgrade until July
- players who need specfic work power skating can go home to skate on ice (so we don't use the treadmil at all?)
- Shields has gone home to California, although he's not under contract, Shields and Pearson say he'll be back
- Schedule should be done in 45 days, non-conference is GLI, 2 games against NMU and LSSU
- Will continue to work on 2013-14 schedule, UMD and UND have expressed interesting in scheduling games

Would definitely be happy to see us continue playing UMD, they are similar to us in a lot of ways I think and we have played them tough over the years, I like their program and Coach Sandelin, they are also a team that shows what can happen through hard work, good to see them want to continue playing.

[bose301s]

Re: Michigan Tech Offseason Thread

Word awhile back was that Pearson mothballed the treadmill because the staff suspected it may have contributed to the rash of lower-body injuries over the past 2-3 years.

Interesting, doesn't U of M have a treadmill so he would have experience with it? Also, I remember the 06-07 season where we were one of the best conditioned teams in the conference and would skate circles around other teams and it was credited to the treadmill, although it was also the first season we had it so it may have just been a fluke.

[Shirtless Guy]

Re: Michigan Tech Offseason Thread

It is quite likely that UMD, UND, Michigan, Wisconsin and Michigan State will find a way on the non-conference schedule (and I'm not talking about the GLI when I mention Michigan and Michigan State).

As for the treadmill, Michigan might have had access to one, but Michigan Tech was the only school with one actually on campus when Michigan Tech got theirs.

[Shirtless Guy]

Re: Michigan Tech Offseason Thread

Interesting Q&A with PPC (Poliquin Performance Chicago):

Q: Are skating treadmills or sprinting treadmills a good training device for hockey players.

A: Skating treadmills ruin motor patterns by creating faulty movement patterns in a hockey player's stride. Just like high caliber sprinters never run on treadmills, hockey players should never skate on treadmills. When little Johnny skates on the ice he recruits muscles in a specific motor pattern that allows him to push off the ice and propel himself forward. While either running or skating on a treadmill the surface moves from underneath the athlete. EMG analysis shows a dramatic decrease in hamstring firing and a completely different muscle motor pattern in the upper and lower leg muscles. Basically you teach your nervous system how to skate two different ways, when you step on the ice the brain doesn't know if the ice is going to move underneath you or if you are going to propel yourself over the ice. All this confusion between your brain and muscles will lead to decrease speed and power and increase risk of injury.

We have worked with over a hundred NHL players and none of them use skating treadmills. Unfortunately I have also rehabbed dozens of players with hamstring and groin injuries that have used them. Although we have no proof the injuries where caused by using the skating treadmill, my colleague Charles Poliquin has experienced similar hamstring and groin injuries over 15 years ago while working with several national track teams that utilized treadmills in their training. As soon as the athletes stopped using the treadmills and proper muscle imbalance was restored the teams occurrence of hamstring injuries decreased 92%. Since then we have never recommended treadmill training for runners or skaters.

[aparch]

Re: Michigan Tech Offseason Thread

I believe they bought early this year, a new HD camera, which had no effect.

As far as the scoreboard and lighting. Yost put in a new jumbotron type scoreboard last summer. It's hugely bright and it's hugely big. So big that it blots out the light from the ceiling at the other end of the arena, making your end darker. The brightest light in the place is the video of the on going action from the scoreboard, and the rink is distinctly dim.. So a word to the wise.

The Rockford Metrocentre (now the BMO Harris Bank Center) has a good sized jumbo-tron that I think would fit what MTU wants (and what I wish NMU would get). It's not overly huge for the arena, and has a small ring board around the bottom. It looks small in the 6500 seat Metrocentre, which makes me think it would be appropriately sized for a 3k arena.

The one that Michigan put into Yost is just ridiculous. It would be like jamming the Dallas Cowboys jumbotron into Dee Arena.

Word awhile back was that Pearson mothballed the treadmill because the staff suspected it may have contributed to the rash of lower-body injuries over the past 2-3 years.

Interesting Q&A with PPC (Poliquin Performance Chicago):

That was pretty much what I heard NMU did. There was one available in MQT that they tried for one season, and after all their injuries, they gave it up.

I think I was laughed at by some of you when I suggested that it may be part of your team's problems.