MICHIGAN TECH HUSKIES...2016-17 season. 96th season of hockey (continued, part 2)

[Wi.Huskies Fan]

Re: MICHIGAN TECH HUSKIES...2016-17 season. 96th season of hockey (continued, part 2)

Where were those "best fans" when Jamie Russell was the coach? Mitch's Misfits have always been among, if not the best student sections. But where were the rest?

They were there, not in as great numbers as they are now of course. Winning more games usually puts more fans in the seats. Here are some numbers for you from the Jamie Russell era, which are not terrible.

Average attendance:
2003-04...2,579
2004-05...2,742
2005-06...2,459
2006-07...2,807
2007-08...2,718
2008-09...2,463 6 wins
2009-10...2,164 5 wins
2010-11...2,345 4 wins

 

[Wi.Huskies Fan]

Re: MICHIGAN TECH HUSKIES...2016-17 season. 96th season of hockey (continued, part 2)

Sad thing is, with the boxscore showing 3100 Friday night and almost 3500 Saturday night, those were two of the better attended games this year. But then again, Bemidji does have the highest ticket prices in the WCHA.... And the high school team had a game, albeit a road game, but it was a big section standings game and they do pull fans away from the College game.

Good series, I hope these two teams get to see each other again in the Championship!

That makes sense. Numbers are less here too if there is high school or Calumet Wolverines or Portage Lake Pioneers playing locally.

 

[rustedblades]

Re: MICHIGAN TECH HUSKIES...2016-17 season. 96th season of hockey (continued, part 2)

I am disappointed in what this team has done this season but at the same time, without development of the forwards, it was going to be tough. I'm sad that guys haven't stepped up and hopefully they still find their touch and get a on a roll to the end here.

I think the best point I have seen in this thread is that we don't have a setup guy on this team, and it's absolutely correct. We've got scorers in Heinonen, L'Esperance and others, but they need the guy who sets them up, gives them the pass in front of the net etc. and we don't have that like we did the past couple of seasons. If we had a good setup man, this team would be dangerous. Injuries also don't help, Steman and Baltus are big losses.
.

Gotta remember due to injuries to Baltus and Steman there are inexperienced freshman trying to fill the setup and scoring roles vacated by them as well as the Eicks, Goulds and even Vallis. Last season Luchini was the only freshman playing regularly. Jackson played 11 games last season, Blacklock 20; so that coupled with Smith, Gerrie, Gould and Berratta expected to pick up the slack I think the team has done pretty well. It is frustrating but I never took the time to really analyze the roster compared to the last couple years. It actually could be a lot worse. I was one at the beginning of the season that thought all of the freshman forwards would be lucky to get a sniff at playing and now all but Brice has played 20+ games. Unfortunately none of the new guys have scored like Steman, Lesperance and Luchinin did their freshman years but hopefully that's coming. I really think they have been forced to play a more defensive game just due to the inexperience.

 

[Broseph Stalin]

Re: MICHIGAN TECH HUSKIES...2016-17 season. 96th season of hockey (continued, part 2)

I'm hoping Northern takes the last playoff spot, bumps off Bemidji, and sets up a playoff series in Houghton. I wouldn't mind seeing that go to a do-or-die game three. That would be pretty intense.

 

[Andrew J Carter]

Re: MICHIGAN TECH HUSKIES...2016-17 season. 96th season of hockey (continued, part 2)

I'm hoping Northern takes the last playoff spot, bumps off Bemidji, and sets up a playoff series in Houghton. I wouldn't mind seeing that go to a do-or-die game three. That would be pretty intense.

The first part of that is not as far fetched as it may look. We (BSU) still have inconsistent scoring and Northern is on the move with a hot goalie. The Beavers were able to break out of it for the moment against Tech, but the Cats would give us a good run.

 

[manurespreader]

Re: MICHIGAN TECH HUSKIES...2016-17 season. 96th season of hockey (continued, part 2)

Watching the Red wings vs CBJ game, the blue jackets are number 1 for a reason. They pressure the puck so hard and so quickly. Even if they don't win the race to the puck they are there so quick that the opponent makes a mistake turns it over etc. I'd hope we can do that. Sometimes we do, but we need to be quicker getting to open pucks. I think it would help the offense.

 

[Broseph Stalin]

Re: MICHIGAN TECH HUSKIES...2016-17 season. 96th season of hockey (continued, part 2)

The first part of that is not as far fetched as it may look. We (BSU) still have inconsistent scoring and Northern is on the move with a hot goalie. The Beavers were able to break out of it for the moment against Tech, but the Cats would give us a good run.

Bemidji is the most annoying team I've seen Tech play in a long time. That's a compliment. They give you no more than one second to decide where you want to move the puck and they don't allow you to enter the offensive zone with any speed. Their PK is aggressive and reminds me of Ferris a few years ago. You have to move the puck fast and catch you guys out of position while you're moving. We haven't been able to do that well all year. You're just a bad match-up!

 

[John J. MacInnes]

Re: MICHIGAN TECH HUSKIES...2016-17 season. 96th season of hockey (continued, part 2)

Happy 86th birthday to Bob Olson, the original voice of the Huskies. If you never heard Bob call a game, here's one appropriately from a Winter Carnival matchup against Minnesota in 1993.

https://youtu.be/PCrW-6_dUwk

 

[beaverhockeyfan]

Re: MICHIGAN TECH HUSKIES...2016-17 season. 96th season of hockey (continued, part 2)

Bemidji is the most annoying team I've seen Tech play in a long time. That's a compliment. They give you no more than one second to decide where you want to move the puck and they don't allow you to enter the offensive zone with any speed. Their PK is aggressive and reminds me of Ferris a few years ago. You have to move the puck fast and catch you guys out of position while you're moving. We haven't been able to do that well all year. You're just a bad match-up!

Thanks! I do have to say that even when the Beavers got up 3-2 on Friday and 2-0 on Saturday, I still was nervous. Tech's defensemen seem to be able to find the net, and I was just waiting for the forward corp to turn it on and break our hearts. Luckily for the Green and White, it didn't happen. We are not used to being in this position since it hasn't happened since the old CHA days in Bemidji. It was nice to see BSU keep the intensity up even after they got down on Friday night.

I do have to agree with Mel a little bit, I think you guys, and Bemidji for that matter, have gotten the shaft with travel this year. With you guys playing Bemidji at home after a trip to Alaska, and then having to travel to Bemidji after the travel to Huntsville, BSU had to go to Mankato right after Fairbanks and then go to Bowling Green right after Anchorage. These two teams have trudged through though and now sit at the top of the WCHA.

Best of luck the rest of the way and maybe we will see you in Bemidji come late March!

 

[manurespreader]

Re: MICHIGAN TECH HUSKIES...2016-17 season. 96th season of hockey (continued, part 2)

Thanks! I do have to say that even when the Beavers got up 3-2 on Friday and 2-0 on Saturday, I still was nervous. Tech's defensemen seem to be able to find the net, and I was just waiting for the forward corp to turn it on and break our hearts. Luckily for the Green and White, it didn't happen. We are not used to being in this position since it hasn't happened since the old CHA days in Bemidji. It was nice to see BSU keep the intensity up even after they got down on Friday night.

I do have to agree with Mel a little bit, I think you guys, and Bemidji for that matter, have gotten the shaft with travel this year. With you guys playing Bemidji at home after a trip to Alaska, and then having to travel to Bemidji after the travel to Huntsville, BSU had to go to Mankato right after Fairbanks and then go to Bowling Green right after Anchorage. These two teams have trudged through though and now sit at the top of the WCHA.

Best of luck the rest of the way and maybe we will see you in Bemidji come late March!

I think the odds are against that, but maybe.

 

[bigblue_dl]

Re: MICHIGAN TECH HUSKIES...2016-17 season. 96th season of hockey (continued, part 2)

Watching the Red wings vs CBJ game, the blue jackets are number 1 for a reason. They pressure the puck so hard and so quickly. Even if they don't win the race to the puck they are there so quick that the opponent makes a mistake turns it over etc. I'd hope we can do that. Sometimes we do, but we need to be quicker getting to open pucks. I think it would help the offense.

What are the Blue Jackets number 1 in? The state of Ohio? The standings I'm looking at shows the Caps in the #1 spot.

 

[manurespreader]

Re: MICHIGAN TECH HUSKIES...2016-17 season. 96th season of hockey (continued, part 2)

What are the Blue Jackets number 1 in? The state of Ohio? The standings I'm looking at shows the Caps in the #1 spot.

Ok, you win, number 2. BTW if you look at the Bob Olson video did you notice how much time and space there was in front of the net? Shoot, even Dirk could have scored those goals.

 

[Wi.Huskies Fan]

Ok, you win, number 2. BTW if you look at the Bob Olson video did you notice how much time and space there was in front of the net? Shoot, even Dirk could have scored those goals.

That team sure moved the puck around quickly. Loved the goal on that tic tac toe play as Bob called it.
That was a beating they put on Minnesota that Winter Carnival.

 

[Scrum Bucket]

Happy 86th birthday to Bob Olson, the original voice of the Huskies. If you never heard Bob call a game, here's one appropriately from a Winter Carnival matchup against Minnesota in 1993.

https://youtu.be/PCrW-6_dUwk

Thanks for posting that. I had forgot about that game. It was my senior year at Tech.

 

[bose301s]

Re: MICHIGAN TECH HUSKIES...2016-17 season. 96th season of hockey (continued, part 2)

I missed the first period, kind of glad I did.

 

[bose301s]

Re: MICHIGAN TECH HUSKIES...2016-17 season. 96th season of hockey (continued, part 2)

Thoroughly dominating this game except for the scoreboard, why can't we score?

 

[redwing61]

Re: MICHIGAN TECH HUSKIES...2016-17 season. 96th season of hockey (continued, part 2)

Thoroughly dominating this game except for the scoreboard, why can't we score?

Because our forwards don't have much offensive talent and Kapelmaster is an excellent goaltender.

 

[bose301s]

Re: MICHIGAN TECH HUSKIES...2016-17 season. 96th season of hockey (continued, part 2)

Because our forwards don't have much offensive talent and Kapelmaster is an excellent goaltender.

I'm not sure I would say they don't have offensive talent, but I would say they're all more finishers and need a playmaker to set them up, which we very much lack.

 

[lawdoggies]

Re: MICHIGAN TECH HUSKIES...2016-17 season. 96th season of hockey (continued, part 2)

Another slick play by Gould ... not sure he could be called a 'set up' guy, but he's has some nice assists.

 

[John J. MacInnes]

Re: MICHIGAN TECH HUSKIES...2016-17 season. 96th season of hockey (continued, part 2)

It would also help to start shooting to the high stick side where Kapelmaster is highly vulnerable, instead of shooting it into his gut with alarming regularity.