Michigan Tech scored early and often en route to an 11-0 victory over the U.S. National Under-18 Team on Thursday night at MacInnes Arena.
Every forward who dressed had at least one point for the Huskies. Senior forward Paul Cabana scored twice and added an assist, while sophomore forward Frank Werner tallied four assists.
“We executed very well,” said Michigan Tech head coach Mike Sertich. “We had a shaky start, but once we settled down we reeled ourselves back in and maturity showed.”
“It was fun to just go out there and take it to them,” said sophomore forward Bob Rangus, who had a goal and an assist. “I can’t wait until next weekend. I think we’re ready. We’re just going to go up the stairs from here.”
Junior goaltender Brian Rogers stopped 15 shots to earn the shutout.
“Brian made a key save right off the bat and our kids rallied behind that,” commented Sertich.
Rangus began a five-goal first period when he fired the puck through U.S. goaltender Gerald Coleman’s legs at the 3:34 mark.
Brad Patterson buried a pass from Cabana at 8:52, defenseman Ryan Lenton scored at 10:18, Brett Engelhardt made it 4-0 at 14:59, and Chris Durno closed out the opening period with a goal at 17:13.
The second period was more of the same as the Huskies continued to dominate the younger opposition. Jon Pittis came out of the penalty box and scored on a breakaway 45 seconds into the period.
Cabana made it 7-0 at 2:19 and then added his second of the night on the power play at 13:48. Freshman Rob Rankin rounded out scoring in the middle period with a goal at 14:31.
Freshman defensemen Brad Sullivan and Brady Greco scored in the third period to complete the rout.
“We got stronger as the game went on,” said Sertich, who is in his first full season behind the Michigan Tech bench. “Physically we were in great shape and mentally we played the entire contest. We now have a benchmark to see where we can proceed from.”
The Huskies held a 47-15 edge in shots and scored on their only power play of the contest. The U.S. National Under-18 Team went 0-for-6 with the man advantage.
The Huskies begin regular-season play when they host St. Lawrence for a pair of games next weekend.
The U.S. National Under-18 Team will complete its trip to the Upper Peninsula with a game against Lake Superior State on Saturday night.
