With goals less than a minute into both the first and the second period, the No. 8 Michigan Tech Huskies rolled over the visiting Alabama-Huntsville Chargers, 11-1, Saturday night at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena.
With four points and three points, respectively, co-captains Tanner Kero and Blake Pietila each crossed the century mark for career points in the contest.
“I am really happy for Tanner and Blake to reach that milestone,” said Huskies coach Mel Pearson. “They are two guys who are committed to this program and came in here and really led us.”
The Huskies (20-7-1 overall, 15-4-1 WCHA) went six-for-eight on the power play in the contest.
“We are a better team than we showed,” said Chargers coach Mike Corbett. “When you are undisciplined in your systems and how you want to play, this is what happens. We got embarrassed, let’s be honest. I don’t want this feeling to go away.”
The Huskies got two goals each from Kero, winger Brent Baltus, winger Joel L’Esperance, and winger Max Vallis.
“Max has only played three or four games for us all year,” said Pearson. “We’ve really been riddled with injuries and we have had guys step up and do the job. I give them a lot of credit.”
It took the Huskies just 33 seconds to get on the board. Winger Malcolm Gould took a pass from assistant captain Cliff Watson and fired a shot on goal from the left circle. The puck trickled through Carmine Guerriero to Kero, who deposited the puck into the goal.
To add insult to injury, Chargers winger Chad Brears was whistled for hooking at the same time, putting the Huskies on the man advantage.
Vallis set up along the right boards. With no shot available, he passed across the ice to assistant captain Alex Petan, who wired a one-timer through Guerriero’s legs and in at 1:17 for what would eventually stand as the game-winner.
“It’s been a long year for me,” said Vallis. “I have not been getting in much. To get an opportunity, I obviously have to come in and show I belong to stay in the line-up.”
The Chargers ( 7-18-3 overall, 6-14-0 WCHA) only managed four shots in the first period, but they did have a good scoring chance when Regan Soquila carried the puck into the offensive zone and fired a shot that Jamie Phillips gloved. He made 11 saves to get the win.
On a Chargers power play, Phillips made a tough save with his right shoulder when Jack Prince fired the puck from the left point. His shot was tipped by Sweeney and hit Phillips on the shoulder.
The Huskies struck again just 10 seconds into the middle frame. After getting a pass from L’Esperance, Pietila carried the puck to the net and placed a backhand pass on the stick of Gould, who buried a one-timer.
The Huskies continued to pressure and were rewarded again at 4:41. An errant pass came out in front of Guerriero and Vallis was right there. His backhand beat the goaltender for his first goal of the season.
Guerriero’s night was over at that point, after surrendering four goals on 29 shots.
The Chargers finally broke through with a goal of their own after 94 minutes and 42 seconds of scoreless hockey when Prince took a pass from Brears on the backdoor and whistled a one-timer into the net at 13:48.
The Huskies picked up their fifth goal of the night late in the second when a goalmouth scramble went awry for the Chargers and Baltus banked a rebound shot off a Chargers defenseman and past Larose at 18:19.
Beginning the third period on a major power play, the Huskies struck twice. Kero netted his second of the night at 2:32 off a backdoor pass. L’Esperance scored at 4:52.
L’Esperance would strike again short-handed at 12:25 when he poked home a rebound.
The Huskies struck three more times over the last 5:15 of regulation. Vallis potted his second on a one-timer, Watson scored from the left point, and Baltus scored his second of the night on a rebound.
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