Carson Bantle's return, penalties top Wisconsin hockey's watchlist at No. 17 Michigan Tech
MADISON – Mike Hastings knows Michigan Tech all too well.
During the previous two seasons, the Huskies and Hastings’ teams at Minnesota State competed for the top spot in the CCHA. Minnesota State won both league titles, edging Tech by just two points last season.
Hastings returns to Houghton, Michigan, on Friday and Saturday for his first true road series as Wisconsin’s head coach. The game Friday begins at 6 p.m. Saturday's contest starts at 5 p.m. Both games can be viewed on flohockey.tv
The Huskies, who are ranked No. 17 in the USCHO.com and USA Hockey Magazine/The Rink Live polls, were voted the conference favorite in a poll of the coaches in the league..
“These guys can defend,” Hastings said. “They’re committed to it and they’ve got a guy between the posts that if he sees it, he’s going to stop it, so we’ve got our work cut out for us.”
Here are three things to watch during the Badgers’ third weekend of the season.
Can the Badgers stay out of the box?
Wisconsin players have been sent to the penalty box 25 times in four games. That ties Michigan for the most in the Big Ten. Sophomore Jack Horbach leads the team with four penalties. Freshman Owen Mehlenbacher had three against North Dakota last Saturday.
The good news is the Badgers' penalty kill has been fantastic, killing 21 of 22 power plays (95.5%). However, putting that kind of pressure on your defense as often as UW has is a receipe for trouble.
“I will tell you the idea of going to the box as often has we have, if we want to be successful that has has to stop," Hastings said. "Is it going to go right to zero? No, but we have to address it, own it and make sure it gets better from the top down.”
Carson Bantle returns to Tech
Badgers senior Carson Bantle played his freshman season at Tech. He totaled two goals and three points in 19 games in 2020-21 when he was WCHA preseason player of the year. The Onalaska native has one goal for UW this season, the game-winning goal against Augustana on Oct. 8.
How will the Badgers handle Tech’s physical play?
Part of the challenge of facing Tech will be dealing with its physical style on the small sheet at John MacInnes Student Arena.
In addition to senior goaltender Blake Pietila, the CCHA preseason co-player of the year, the Huskies return preseason all-conference selections Kyle Kukkonen, a sophomore forward, and Jed Pietila, a senior defenseman. The Huskies also return 20 players from a team that allowed a league-low 2.08 goals per game in league play last season.
“It’s a tall task, but it’s one that at the end of the year if you have an opportunity to play for a championship (and) try to continue your season, this is the type of hockey that is going to be played,” Hastings said. “The whistles go in their pockets and they ask the players to decide it.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What to watch when Wisconsin men's hockey plays at Michigan Tech
