Season 8 Episode 4 of the Chasing McNaughton Podcast: Buy Us A Bus. This week, Tim Braun, Rob Gilreath, and Nathan Cima were joined by Norah Hughes, returning president of the Michigan Tech Misfits.
Misfits Annual Meeting
The Misfits recently had their annual meeting and Norah reported the e-board is mostly intact from last year with a couple newcomers. The St. Cloud trip went smoothly with no arrests or traffic stops. Equipment needs are covered (cowbells, flags, 3D-printed drumstick handles). Norah talked about the Tech vans becoming increasingly hard to book, so some Misfits are driving their personal vehicles and getting reimbursed for gas. Norah also talked about LSSU being the planned spring trip.
First Home Series
Warm ice forced a Friday postponement, which created a weird atmosphere and reduced Saturday's crowd. The Sunday afternoon game also had low turnout. Tim bribed his daughter with Lululemon to attend both games. The Misfits had a strong showing, though some key regulars were absent.
Arizona State Coaching Situation
There was a brief discussion of the rumors of Dave Hakstol becoming the ASU head coach, with parallels drawn to Michigan Tech's own messy Marcinkevics situation and the challenges of anonymous player complaints.
St. Cloud Series Recap
Tech (3-1-0) split the weekend series with St. Cloud. Nathan argued the weekend wasn't as bad as the Discord reaction suggested, given that Tech won the expected goals battle both nights and effort was there. Tim was frustrated by poor shooting accuracy Friday, hitting goalies in the logo Saturday, and a sluggish power play (2-for-7 on the weekend). They talked about how Tristan Delisle was nearly invisible, and that Conner Roulette was struggling. The consensus of the group was that there will be growing pains with new faces, but a 3-1-0 record through two tough series is a good start to the season.
Broadcast & Arena Experience
NCHC TV's announcers were widely criticized for their broadcast, which included singing Backstreet Boys and a Subaru jingle on the air along with going on bizarre tangents. The in-arena PA was unintelligible due to echo. There were more Tech fans than St. Cloud students in the building on Saturday.
Sieve Chant
Tim explained the proper technique for the sieve chant (yell the goalie's name first, then "Sieve, Sieve, Sieve" accelerating). Only Evan is doing it correctly. The group joked about needing a metronome for pacing.
Non-Conference Roundup
Bowling Green won the Icebreaker. Augustana tied and beat Duluth in OT. Bemidji lost two close games to North Dakota. Minnesota State was swept (4-0, 4-1) by Wisconsin, who looked dominant. Northern Michigan lost twice at Michigan State. Lake State split with Lindenwood.
Alaska Series Preview
Alaska comes to Houghton having lost to Boston University but defeating Boston College in overtime. Everyone predicted a Tech sweep. Nathan talked about his expected lineup changes: Tristan Delisle may sit, Austin Moline could draw in as a 7th defenseman, and Joey Costanzo may get his first start in goal. The power play needs to improve. Tim won't be attending in person and will watch from a hotel in Iowa.
Cut for Time
This week's cut content for Patrons included a discussion on Rob losing fantasy hockey due to a UI bug that didn't carry his lineup over (Janssen stuck on the bench). Nathan is losing fantasy hockey because Michigan State started their backup goalie. Norah is quitting fantasy hockey entirely and mentioned her past fantasy hockey punishments (supposed to drum on a Home Depot bucket but never did). The group also talked about baseball.
