Coming into the 2016-17 season, the Michigan Tech Huskies were supposed to have one of the top defenses in the country, thanks in large part to the fact that they featured three seniors and two juniors who had all played in essentially every game since the quintet stepped on campus.
After starting the season 0-4, that group looks a bit different thanks to a decision coach Mel Pearson made on the second night of their opening weekend at Minnesota-Duluth. Pearson moved senior Chris Leibinger to forward to make room for freshman Mitch Reinke.
The move has paid off for both players.
“He’s one of those players, a rover, who can play all over, which is nice to have,” said Pearson when asked about Leibinger. “It’s nice to have the luxury of seven defensemen.”
Leibinger, a physical presence on the Huskies back end for three seasons, crashes into the offensive corners as hard as he did when playing defensively. Knowing what he did not like happening to him has given him the perspective of how to attack offensively.
“As a defenseman, you get forechecked a lot,” said Leibinger. “I usually try to hit the guy before they hit me, playing defense. So I kind of have a sense of what the defense is going to do. … It’s kind of fun to be on the other side and put the pressure on and try and strip the puck and create something.”
When the occasion calls for it, Leibinger still slides back and plays defense on the penalty kill, and that suits him just fine.
“I still mainly practice at defense,” said Leibinger. “When I get to the games, I just have to keep things simple, use my speed. Coach actually puts a lot of trust in me out there, and that feels good and gives me a lot of confidence out there.”
Having another senior up front has been crucial during the Huskies’ rough start. Pearson has already come to rely on Leibinger’s effort, no matter what role he is in at a given time.
“Whether you are five-on-five or killing penalties, where we put him on defense, and then he played at forward and he gets a goal and had another couple of opportunities,” said Pearson. “Until some of our other forwards push for other opportunities, they have got to be better than Chris. Right now, Chris is doing a real good job.”
Sometimes his teammates are not even sure what position he is playing at any given time, but that does not stop them from working hard alongside him.
“It’s kind of weird,” said Matt Roy. “Sometimes, when he is out on the faceoff in the defensive zone, we have to ask him what position he is playing. It’s fun, he has a lot of energy and a lot of speed, so it really opens things up for us.”
Friday night, Leibinger — who had just four career goals coming into the game — scored his first goal of the season on a well-timed tip of a shot from Roy. With the Huskies leading 4-0 against the visiting Alabama-Huntsville Chargers, Leibinger found a soft spot in the slot and redirected Roy’s shot past Matt Larose.
Leibinger was a key component of the Huskies’ first win of the season with their 7-3 victory over the Chargers.
WCHA results
Bemidji State 2, at Northern Michigan 0
Leo Fitzgerald and Jay Dickman each found the back of the net as the Beavers shutout the Wildcats.
Lake Superior 6, Michigan State 1
Six different scorers helped the Lakers cruise to the 6-1 win over the Spartans in nonconference action. Gage Torrel, J.T. Henke, Max Humitz, Brayden Gelsinger, Kris Bindulis, and Owen Headrick all scored for the Lakers.
Minnesota State 4, St. Cloud State 1
The Mavericks continued their fast start by downing the Huskies. Michael Huntebrinker, C.J. Franklin, and Brad McClure helped the Mavericks jump out to a 3-0 lead. Max Coatta added an insurance goal in the third period.
Nebraska-Omaha 3, at Alaska-Anchorage 1
Jonah Renouf scored the lone goal for the Seawolves when he found the back of the net on a power play in the second period.
Bowling Green 4, Western Michigan 4
Mitchell McLain and Sean Walker scored first-period goals to give the Falcons the early lead. Leading 2-1 in the second, Alec Rauhauser and Brett D’Andrea put the Falcons up 4-2. The Broncos battled back with two third-period tallies to force overtime.
