MADISON, WI -- Courtesy:  MTU

Michigan Tech hockey players Josh Robinson (Frankenmuth, Mich.) and Blake Pietila (Brighton, Mich.) have been named the Red Baron WCHA Defensive Player of the Week and Red Baron WCHA Rookie of the Week, respectively, for Jan. 31 after their roles in the Huskies’ tie and win at No. 1-ranked Minnesota Duluth last weekend.

A 6-0, 185-pound goaltender, Robinson, stopped 62 of 66 shots on goal for a .939 saves percentage, posted six shutout periods (one overtime), blanked the nation’s top scoring team for the final 109:47 of the series and held UMD scoreless on all six of its power-play chances. After falling behind 4-0 in the first period last Friday (Jan. 27), the Huskies fought back with four unanswered goals to earn a 4-4 (OT) tie. Then last Saturday (Jan. 28) night, Robinson earned his third shutout of the season, fashioning a 29-save, 5-0 victory for Michigan Tech that enabled them to bank three of four points. In that game, Tech became the first team to blank the Bulldogs in 105 games, dating to a March 1, 2008, (2-0) loss to visiting North Dakota. The Huskies were also the first to hold UMD senior All-American forward Jack Connolly without a point in a weekend series since Connolly’s freshman year.

On the season, Robinson is 11-9-2 overall with a 2.69 goals-against average and .912 save percentage. This marks the third time this season Robinson has earned the weekly honor (also on Oct. 18 and Nov. 1).

A 5-11, 195-pound freshman, Pietila had a team-high four points with a goal and three assists as the Huskies took three of four points from the defending national champion Bulldogs at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minn. In the series opener last Friday (Jan. 27), Michigan Tech rallied from a 4-0 first period deficit to earn a 4-4 (OT) tie, with Pietila assisting on a momentum-swinging goal early in the third period. He then came back in game two last Saturday (Jan. 28) to figure into three of the Huskies’ five goals with a goal and two assists in a 5-0 shutout, scoring the second goal of the game on a power-play at 12:19 of period one and then drawing helpers on Tech’s third and fifth goals.

Playing in every one of his team’s 26 games this season, Pietila is tied for third in scoring for Tech with 19 points (8g, 11a) and is tied for first with teammate David Johnstone as the club’s top scoring rookies.

Tech has had seven Red Baron WCHA Players of the Week in 2011-12: Robinson (Defensive, Oct. 18, Nov. 1 and Jan. 31), Pietila (Rookie, Oct. 11 and Jan. 31), Jordan Baker (Offensive, Jan. 17) and Milos Gordic (Nov. 1).

Michigan Tech will play another WCHA road series this weekend (Feb. 3-4) at Minnesota State.