Five Michigan names highlight Tech’s incoming freshman class

By @MichaelCaples –

Michigan Tech has officially announced its incoming freshman class for the 2019-2020 college hockey season, and there’s a distinct Michigan flavor for the Huskies.

Five of the seven players in the freshman class hail from the Great Lakes State, including twins Blake and Logan Pietila of Howell.

Brendan Datema (Sterling Heights), Chris Lipe (Rockford) and Jake Crespi (Brighton) are joined by Alberta natives Logan Ganie and Parker Saretsky on the new roster.

Blake Pietila shows up with All-USHL Second Team honors, after finishing second in the top junior league with 30 regular-season victories for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. He also helped Team USA win a World Junior A Challenge title in December. He played for both Compuware and Little Caesars at the 16U level.

Brother Logan Pietila racked up 12 goals and 23 assists in 2018-19 with the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL. He also played for Compuware and Caesars with Blake.

Crespi, the 2017 Mr. Hockey winner with Brighton High School, served as an assistant captain for the Tri-City Storm in 2018-19, registering 27 points in 69 games.

Datema, a Belle Tire and Victory Honda alum, was named the NAHL Defenseman of the Year after posting 21 goals and 39 assists in 58 games with the Amarillo Bulls. More on that here.

Lipe, a Fox Motors product, played for the Kenai River Brown Bears of the NAHL in 2016-17 before one year with the Des Moines Buccaneers and one year with the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL. This year, he logged 16 points in 62 games from the blue line.

For more on the commits, and the two non-Michigan natives, check out Tech’s release here.