HOUGHTON, Mich. - The total was 114 days and counting for Michigan Tech on Saturday.
It had been that long since the Huskies won a Western Collegiate Hockey Association men's game. The victory came at home on Halloween against Alaska Anchorage.
No. 13-ranked Minnesota Duluth sought to continue that streak against last-place Michigan Tech at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena. The fifth-place Bulldogs (16-9-7 overall, 10-8-6 WCHA) won Friday and are 7-2-1 their past 10 games and 12-5-4 the last 21, and 6-1-3 against the Huskies the last 10 games in the series.
The streak is intact, but barely as UMD and Michigan Tech tied 2-2 in overtime. Michigan Tech's Derek Kitti scored at 7:08 of the third period to earn the tie. Josh Meyers had given UMD a 2-1 lead with the only goal of the second period.
The first period was almost identical to Friday, a 1-1 tie with Michigan Tech scoring first. The Huskies took the lead on a Jordan Baker breakaway 7:39 into the game, his team-leading 14th. UMD center Michael Gergen countered from the crease four minutes later and the second half of the period belonged to the Bulldogs, who led in shots on goal 10-5.
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Senior defenseman Josh Meyers got the only goal of the second period to put UMD up 2-1. He scored from high in the slot on a shot that hit the cross bar and deflected in behind freshman goalie Josh Robinson. Meyers has eight goals this season, all on power plays, and has 71 career points.
Michigan Tech (5-22-7) wants to avoid the least-successful league season in school history. The Huskies are 1-18-7 in the WCHA, while the school's fewest conference wins were recorded in 1999-2000 at 2-26 under coach Tim Watters.
Michigan Tech is winless for 11 games in 2009, at 0-7-4, with just two league games remaining - March 6-7 at home against Minnesota.
One thing working for the Huskies is their power play, which had produced nine goals the previous seven games. Yet, Michigan Tech hadn't scored more than three goals since that Oct. 31 victory and ranked last in Division I in scoring at 1.52 goals a game.
The Huskies were matched against the best defensive team in the WCHA, with UMD allowing just 2.29 a game.
Friday's win gave UMD more league points (25) than all of last season when finishing eighth.
Minnesota Duluth.....1-1-0-0--2
Michigan Tech..........1-0-1-0--2
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First period - 1. Michigan Tech, Jordan Baker 14, 7:39; 2. UMD, Michael Gergen 8 (Andrew Carroll), 11:36. Penalties - Jack Connolly, UMD (hooking), 4:39; Alex Lord, Michigan Tech (charging), 12:19.
Second period - 3. UMD, Josh Meyers 8 (Mike Connolly), 13:31 (pp). Penalties - John Kivisto, Michigan Tech (tripping), 2:03; Travis Oleksuk, UMD (roughing), 11:59; Brett Olson, Michigan Tech (roughing), 11:59; Eli Vlaisavljevich, Michigan Tech (interference), 11:59; Trent Palm, UMD (roughing), 14:33; Drew Akins, UMD (double-minor roughing), 14:33; Ryan Bunger, Michigan Tech (roughing), 14:33; Seth Soley, Michigan Tech (double-minor roughing, interference, served by Bryce Reddick), 14:33; Jordan Fulton, UMD (hooking), 17:33.
Third period - 4. Michigan Tech, Derek Kitti 3 (Kivisto), 7:08. Penalties - Mike Montgomery, UMD (interference), :47; John Schwarz, Michigan Tech (holding), 8:37.
Overtime - No scoring. Penalties - None.
Shots on goal - UMD 10-10-4-0--24; Michigan Tech 5-4-12-0--21. Goalies - Alex Stalock (15-9-6), UMD (21 shots-19 saves); Josh Robinson (3-8-1), Michigan Tech (24 shots-22 saves). Power plays - UMD 1-of-6, Michigan Tech 0-of-3. Referees - Don Adam, Bill Mason. Linesmen - Sean Jacques, Ed Moberg. A - 2,248.
