Michigan Tech earned its seven-spot jump by sweeping Minnesota
Two wins at the Mac, 58 saves from Owen Bartoszkiewicz and the program's first sweep of the Gophers since 2005.
Michigan Tech didn't steal a weekend from Minnesota. The Huskies earned it, twice, at the Mac, and the voters noticed: Tech jumped from No. 19 to No. 12 in Monday's USCHO poll, a seven-spot climb off one series. Minnesota went the other way, from No. 14 to No. 20.
That's the biggest climb by any team that was already ranked, and I think it's the right one. A sweep of a Big Ten program in October tells you something about a team's structure, and Tech's structure looked ready.
How the Huskies did it
Saturday's opener went 3-2. Matthew Van Blaricom scored twice and set up the other goal, including the third-period winner after a cleared puck bounced off the glass to Kalem Parker, who found him.
Sunday was 3-1. Conner Roulette opened the scoring in the second, Teydon Trembecky added a power-play goal in the third, and Van Blaricom finished it into an empty net. Mason Moe's late power-play goal was the only one Minnesota got.
The decisive difference was in goal. Owen Bartoszkiewicz stopped 58 of 61 shots across the weekend. Minnesota outshot Tech in both games and still couldn't get more than two past him on any night.
"I was impressed with both teams," Tech coach Bill Muckalt said after the opener. "It was a tremendous game, but we were able to make one more play in the third period and hang on."
Why it matters
It's the program's first sweep of Minnesota since January 2005 and its first sweep of the Gophers in Houghton since January 1998. For a CCHA team, that's a résumé weekend. The NPI rewards wins over strong opponents, and a ranked Big Ten program is exactly the kind of win that still counts in March.
Minnesota has a reason and an excuse. Coach Brett Larson is working with a roster that's half new. "I guess not totally unexpected with 13 new guys and 13 returners with a very brief time to prepare," Larson said. That explanation is reasonable in week one; it won't be by week five.
Weekend slate
Tech plays St. Cloud State on Friday, another real test. Minnesota gets a weekend off before it visits Minnesota Duluth, currently No. 5, on Oct. 16 and 17.
My read: Tech is a top-15 team if Bartoszkiewicz plays like this, and Saturday's win was the 35th of his career, so this isn't a goalie learning on the job. Minnesota will be fine by November, but the Gophers just handed a CCHA team the kind of nonconference weekend that matters in March.
