Michigan
Michigan Tech
Michigan Set for 54th Annual GLI; Pearson to Face Alma Mater in Opener
12/27/2018 1:42:00 PM | Ice Hockey
THIS WEEK (54th Annual Great Lakes Invitational)
Sunday, Dec. 30 -- vs. Michigan Tech (Detroit, Mich.), 1 p.m.
TV: FloHockey.tv | Live Stats | Listen | Watch
Monday, Dec. 31 -- vs. Michigan State (Detroit, Mich.), 11:30 a.m.
TV: Fox Sports Detroit | Live Stats | Listen | Watch
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• Complete Game Notes (PDF)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan ice hockey team (6-7-4, 2-4-4-2 B1G) is set to take part in the 54th annual Great Lakes Invitational to kick off the second half of the season. The Wolverines will face off against Michigan Tech at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Sunday (Dec. 30) at 1 p.m. The following day, U-M will take on Lake Superior State or Michigan State.
Michigan at the GLI
The Wolverines are looking to win their record 18th John A. MacInnes Trophy, with their 17 GLI titles since the tournament's inception in 1965 being the most by any team. U-M has appeared in 30 GLI title games with an overall record of 17-13 in those championship contests.
Michigan is 59-36-1 all-time in the GLI and 30-18 in GLI semifinal games. Michigan's 59 wins are the most in GLI play, with Michigan State's 50 being the second most.
The Jack Tompkins Trophy is awarded at the conclusion of the GLI to the tournament MVP, and Michigan has had a GLI-record 19 award winners. Brendan Morrison (1994-96) has been the only player to receive the honor three times, while U-M's last recipient was Kyle Connor in 2015.
U-M in the 313
Michigan is 115-64-6 (.542) all-time in the city of Detroit, dating back to the 1922-23 season (first year of varsity competition) when U-M was defeated by Assumption, 4-1, on Belle Isle. Little Caesars Arena is the fifth rink at which the Wolverines have played in Detroit (Belle Isle, Olympia Stadium, Joe Louis Arena and Comerica Park).
Pearson at the GLI
Coach Mel Pearson has been involved in the GLI since 1977 when he played for Michigan Tech. Pearson was a part of four consecutive GLI championship teams and scored his most "famous" goal against the Wolverines in the championship game in 1979. He broke a 4-4 tie at 2:28 of the third overtime to give the Huskies the GLI title. The game still stands as longest in the 53-year history of the tournament.
Pearson holds a 6-7-1 record as a head coach in the GLI and won the tournament in 2012 with Michigan Tech. He was on the U-M coaching staff for 12 GLI titles, including a tournament-high nine-year streak from 1988-96.
Coach Pearson has been involved in the GLI at all four venues it has taken place (Olympia Stadium, Joe Louis Arena, Comerica Park and Little Caesars Arena).
The Michigan Tech Series
Michigan and Michigan Tech have played each other 224 times prior to this year's GLI tournament. The series started back in 1927, making the Huskies one of Michigan's oldest opponents. The Wolverines hold the advantage in the series with a 125-94-5 record. The two teams have been in four different conferences together, with the last being the CCHA. The Huskies are Michigan's most frequent opponent in the GLI, with the Wolverines holding a 24-12-0 record against Michigan Tech in the tournament.
The last time these two squads faced off against each other was in 2016's GLI semifinal game in which U-M fell, 2-0, to the Huskies. A familiar face was behind the bench for Michigan Tech that game as current Wolverines head coach Mel Pearson was in charge of the Huskies at the time. Pearson has yet to face his alma mater as a head coach.
Scouting the Huskies
The Huskies are led by head coach Joe Shawhan, who is in his second season behind the bench for Michigan Tech. He spent four seasons under Pearson as an assistant coach at Michigan Tech before being appointed bench boss after the 2016-17 season. From 2008-14 he was an assistant for the Northern Michigan Wildcats, which directly followed a stint as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Lake Superior State.
Michigan Tech heads into the GLI with a 10-7-1 overall record while currently sitting atop the WCHA standings with a 9-2-1-1 conference mark. The Huskies are coming off a weekend split with Alabama Huntsville (Dec. 14-15).
Leading Michigan Tech
Michigan Tech's offense is led by senior forward Jake Lucchini with 19 points (6G, 13A) in 18 games. Sophomore defenseman Seamus Donohue is second on the squad with 11 points (1G, 10A), while four players have chipped in with 10 points.
In net, senior Matt Jurusik has seen the bulk of the action with 10 starts and sports a 2.86 goals-against average and a .895 save percentage. Sophomore Robbie Beydoun and senior Devin Kero have each appeared in five games with three and five starts, respectively.
Red, White and Go Blue
U-M's Quinn Hughes and Josh Norris are competing at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5. Forty-seven Wolverines have appeared in the World Juniors tournament, including 39 for the United States, seven for Canada and one for Sweden. The duo were named alternate captains prior to the start of the tournament.
U-M players have brought home 26 medals (12 gold, four silver, 10 bronze). Hughes, Norris and Will Lockwood were members of the team last year that won a bronze medal.
Hughes and Norris will miss the Great Lakes Invitational and potentially the outdoor game at Notre Dame (Jan. 5) in the event USA advances to the medal round.
Quinn-tessential Blue-liner
Quinn Hughes has tallied 20 points (3G, 17A) this season, which is the third highest point total of any defenseman in the NCAA and the highest of any defender in the B1G. He leads all blue-liners in assists and ranks fourth amongst all skaters in the country.
No Joshin' Around
Josh Norris has scored 10 goals this season, which ranks tied for 10th in the country and tied for third in the B1G. Norris' 19 points on the season rank tied for seventh best in the B1G.
Breakin' out the Pasta
Nick Pastujov has scored nine goals this season, which puts him among the top 30 scorers in the NCAA (tied for 21st). His nine goals are more than he scored in all of his other years at Michigan combined and rank second on the squad.
Oh Captain, Our Captain
Joseph Cecconi ranks tied for sixth in the country amongst blue-liners with 12 assists, the second-highest total on the team.
Offensive Defensemen
The defensive duo of Quinn Hughes and Joseph Cecconi has a combined 33 points, which is the highest point total of any defensive pairings in the country. Army's MacAfee and Wilkinson rank second with a combined 28 points.
A Historic Point Streak
Quinn Hughes' 10-game point streak (Nov. 3-Dec. 7) was the longest point streak by a Michigan defender in the last 15 years, surpassing Jack Johnson's streak of nine games during the 2005-06 season.
The 'SNL' Line
Michigan's top line of Jake Slaker, Josh Norris and Will Lockwood has accounted for 41.5 percent (22/53) of the team's goals thus far and has recorded a combined 47 points.
Luck of the Draw
Michigan has won 594 faceoffs this season, the fifth most in the country, and has a faceoff percentage .535, which is the ninth best in the county. Lead center Josh Norris has won 222 faceoffs alone, the third highest total in the country, while Adam Winborg's faceoff percentage of .627 is eighth best in the nation.
Creating Chances
Michigan has taken 628 shots on goal, the third most in the country. The Maize and Blue is outshooting opponents by an average of 9.88 shots per game and has taken 168 more shots than it have allowed this season for the third-best margin in the country.
Man Advantage
The Wolverines are converting on 19.8 percent of their power plays, which is the 18th best percentage in the nation. U-M has scored 17 goals on the man-advantage, which is tied for ninth highest in the country.
Up Ahead
Saturday, Jan. 5 -- at Notre Dame (South Bend, Ind.), 3:30Â p.m. -- Outdoor game at Notre Dame Stadium
