Photo courtesy of Michigan Technological University Michigan Technological University forward Alex Nordstrom corrals the puck during an NCAA regional game against Boston College on Friday, March 29 in Providence, Rhode Island.
HOUGHTON — Several hockey players who grew up in the Copper Country or stopped by the area during college are making a big impact on the team this season.
Junior forward Alex Nordstrom ended his season with the Michigan Tech Huskies on Friday, March 29, in a 6-1 loss to No. 1 Boston College in the NCAA Tournament. Although he didn't score, he did take shots. Goal in a match.
Nordstrom had his best season with the Black and Gold, scoring four points, the first four points of his collegiate career, and eight points in 28 games. The Atlantic Mines native finished the season playing in the team's final 10 games.
Freshman forward Tanner Rowe and the Michigan Wolverines advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Frozen Four by defeating Michigan State in the regional final.
Lowe, a Calumet native, did not dress for either of the Wolverines' two regional games against North Dakota State and Michigan State, but he was selected for a trip to the Frozen Four in his first season of college hockey. There is.
This season, he has played in 26 games and scored one goal.
local junior
The Austin Bruins of the North American Hockey League Central Division have three players from the Copper Country region nearing the end of the regular season. The Bruins struggled in the final stages and are now in third place in the division with 30 wins, 24 losses, 3 draws and 1 loss, and 64 points.
Hancock native Austin Salani is committed to playing at Dartmouth and continues to lead the Bruins in scoring with 30 goals and 67 points in 58 games. He is currently on a four-game winning streak, with four goals and five assists for nine points in that span.
Calumet native Jackson Riley played in 51 games for the Bruins this season, setting a career high with six goals and 12 points in 51 games. He has been particularly good lately, with two goals and two assists in his last seven games.
Houghton native Camden Markham has appeared in 14 games for the Bruins since being traded to Austin from the Wisconsin Windigo in January. He scored two goals and had both assists during this stretch.
This season, he played in 36 games as a rookie, scoring 2 goals and 7 points.
In the North American 3 Hockey League, Houghton native Matthew Lynanen helped the Bozeman IceDogs to third place in the Frontier Division with a record of 30-18-0-1 with 61 points.
Räinanen appeared in 36 regular season games, posting a record of 19 wins, 13 losses, 0 draws, and 1 loss, with a 3.64 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage.
The IceDogs lost two games to the Gillette Wild and were eliminated from the Fraser Cup Playoffs. Räinanen played in both games for the IceDogs.
In the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, Houghton native Gaborik Karlsson and Green Bay, Wisconsin native Eli Mikesh lead the Melville Millionaires to the playoffs with 65 points (32-23-0-1) to win the Viterra Division and advance to the playoffs. contributed to. . However, in the playoffs, they tied with the Battleford North Stars, who finished second in the Nutrien Division, and were eliminated in four games.
Karlsson played in 25 games for the Millionaires after being acquired at the trade deadline. He scored 3 goals and 11 points in that period. Mikesh played in 25 games after being traded to Millionaire. He finished with 6 goals and 13 points.
In the playoffs, both players played in all four games, with Mikeš scoring one goal. Karlsson was left off the scoresheet for the series.
In the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League, Houghton native Landon Stephens played his rookie season with the Sioux Eagles. The Eagles finished the regular season tied for 4th place in the West Region with 69 points and a record of 33 wins, 22 losses, and 1 draw. Unfortunately, the Espanola Paper Kings finished with a record of 34 wins, 23 losses, and 1 minute, 0 seconds, making them the final playoff berth instead of the Eagles.
Stevens finished the season with nine goals and 28 points in 46 games.
Huskies enter the professional world
Four Huskies recently signed professional contracts to further their post-college careers.
Senior defenseman Jed Pietila has signed with the ECHL's Toledo Walley. The Walleyes are coached by Hancock native and former Michigan Tech center Patrick Mikesh.
Jed has played in three games for the Walleyes and is a plus-1 so far.
Co-captain Arvid Caderos also signed with the Fort Wayne Comets in the ECHL. Caderos made his debut with the Comets on Sunday, April 7th.
In the American Hockey League, twins Logan and Blake Pietila have been signed. Logan signed with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the AHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Blake signed with the Cleveland Monsters, the AHL affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Logan appeared in one game with the Penguins along with former Huskies forward Matthew Quercia, but was dressed for the game before his debut. The opponent in that game was the Monsters, so he warmed up in that game as well as Blake.
Blake has yet to play in a game for the Monsters.
