Since it will be a few long months until next season, this will most likely be the last Husky Talk of this year, but I have all intentions of bringing back this column next year. If I have any fans out there that would like to comment or suggest ideas you can email me, I would love to hear them.
Michigan Tech's season has been over for awhile and some of the seniors have left to play at the next level, others are looking to finish up school this spring. All the seniors at MTU have been fun for the fans to watch, and all have left us with great memories. I have been following the team pretty close for the last 3 or 4 years so I have seen many of the current seniors play in many games. I have many memories of all of them including the 7-6 come back win against Northern Michigan, and the great road sweeps this year.
I received answers from 5 of the 7 seniors leaving, Cam Ellsworth (CE), Ryan Markham (RM), Brad Sullivan (BS), John Hartman (JH), and Phil Pietala (PP). I did not get an answer from Colin Murphy or Clay Wilson, but that is understood since both are currently planning for other teams. Thanks for all the great memories and we all wish you all the best of luck in the future.
MCH: What has been your favorite team memory as a Husky?
CE: Sweeping the Gophers at Marriucci.
RM: My favorite memory has to be coming back from 3 goals down to beat NMU my junior year. It was by far the most amazing come back that I have been a part of in my life.
BS: My favorite team memory will always be the locker room talk. Just being around the guys I will never forget the stories.
JH: This year sweeping the Gophers in Minnesota and winning Winter Carnival.
PP: My favorite team memory as a Husky was our thrilling 7-6 overtime win over rival Northern Michigan. As a hockey player with ties to this area (I grew up watching Michigan Tech) I have never felt better. It was in our building and was something that our fans were waiting to see from our team. Colin Murphy's four goals was amazing but the excitement on the ice and in the locker room after that game was something special.
MCH: What has been your favorite individual memory as a Husky?
CE: Breaking the all time saves record.
RM: Scoring my first goal against Wayne State University my freshmen year. It wasn't pretty, but it still counted.
BS: My favorite individual memory was my first goal against Duluth.
JH: Playing my first game freshman year.
PP: My favorite individual memory as a Husky was dressing for my first WCHA game at Mankato under coach (Mike) Sertich. When I was a little kid, my dad told me to start writing down my goals and trying to acheive them. At the time, my goals all revolved around hockey. I grabbed a paper plate and wrote down my goal for the upcoming season and at the very end, I thought about long terms goals and wrote that someday I wanted to play hockey at MTU. I came straight to college after high school because of academic scholarships and Mark Maroste invited me into camp. I spent my first year developing and adjusting to the college level. Then the following year, coach Sertich told me that I would play at Mankato. I had a great feeling that I finally got the chance to do something I worked towards my entire hockey career.
MCH: What current underclassman is best suited to fill your position?
CE: Bryce Luker is an excellent goalie who I think will have a great two years here.
RM: It is going to take a player who cares immensely about his team, and does his role to help the team win games.
BS: Jake Wilkins is the most suited underclassman to fill my position.
JH: Playing with Mike (Botavanja) and Jimmy (Kerr) has been unbelievable, we all play our hearts out. So I would have to say those two.
PP: The most effective part of my game was playing physical. I have always liked hitting, skating and playing the simple game. I think Mike Batovanja has done a great job playing the style that I liked to play.
MCH: Do you currently have any hockey plans now? How about next year?
CE: I am hoping to play as long as I can.
RM: I plan on playing professional hockey as soon as possible. Things are in the works right now, but I am not sure if I will have the opportunity to play this year, or if I will have to wait and see what my opportunities are next season.
BS: No plans right now, but I want to continue playing hockey.
JH: I am looking to hook on with a team right now, nothing is set yet though. I would like to play next year as well.
PP: At the moment I don't have any hockey plans. This season has been very long and disappointing from a personal standpoint. I'm pretty sure that my competitive hockey career will end here at MTU. I have plans of going on the medical or chiropractic school after graduation.
MCH: What will you miss most about the Houghton area?
CE: All of the people. The people are so nice here.
RM: I will miss everything about the Houghton area. I will miss my family the most, because they have been here to support me throughout hockey career and my life. The fans here are the best; they have supported us through thick and thin. The community here is unbelievable, all of the people here are nice caring individuals. It has been such a privilege to play at Michigan Tech.
BS: The thing I will miss most about Houghton is the knowledge and tradition of hockey, and the history this area has for hockey.
JH: Victoria’s Kitchen and the snow.
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