Auk a blast from the past
HOUGHTON - Ever been at the rink and thought, "I swear I've heard that name before?
In the case of Mark Auk, your mind is not playing tricks - you might just have.
Auk's getting ready to start his first season as a Michigan Tech Husky hockey player, but in March 2012, Auk was the leading scorer on the Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett team that defeated Houghton in the Division 3 state championship game at Compuware Arena in Plymouth.
Liggett came away with the state title, but Auk, a 6-foot defenseman from St. Clair Shores, got something even better out of that game - the attention of a school he was interested in playing hockey for.
"When we played Houghton, I thought this was like perfect, kind of like a gateway," he said.
Liggett was putting together a great season and Auk was hoping to parlay it into a move to the next level.
Auk had a playmaker in the semifinal win against Chelsea, and though he didn't have a point in the 3-0 win, he believes a good word was put in for him at MacInnes Student Ice Arena.
"We had an unbelievable game, a lot of fun. It was awesome to put our school up at the top and get a state championship," he said.
There have been quite a few stops between Plymouth and college hockey. The next one was with the Port Huron Fighting Falcons of the North American Hockey League. While there, he had a good season-opening Showcase, which led to a commitment soon after.
He latched on with the United State Hockey League Cedar Rapids (Iowa) RoughRiders later in the season, and found his stride in the 2013-14 campaign, posting 10 goals and 19 assists in 59 games.
"I had good confidence last year, I thought, where just every game, things would start to click. Maybe I'd get a pass, or a shot on net and things would start to go in," he said.
Cedar Rapids, which includes fellow Tech recruit Dylan Steman, had an excellent season, finishing second in the USHL's Eastern Conference with 35 wins in 60 games. Auk called it his most fun hockey experience.
"The atmosphere was just unbelievable. I've never seen anything like it," Auk said.
And now, Michigan Tech. When he made his visit, it wasn't lost on him that the Huskies were looking for more than just on-ice abilities.
"I noticed that they were looking for not just hockey players, but the way we carried ourselves and what kind of people we are," he said.
At this point, he's undecided on a major as he gets settled in academically after a few years away from the books on the junior circuit.
He said improving north-south speed and tightening up his defensive game have been work areas for the offseason.
"I just want to improve every day, make a couple jumps from my play and provide for the team a little bit offensively from the blue line," he said.
