March3,2011

African Night gives a cross-section of cultures

The

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Scott Walker’s policies threaten tradition

Men’s basketball upsets GVSU, advances in GLIACs

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Michigan Tech Lode

March 3, 2011

Serving the Michigan Tech Community Since 1921

ROTC cadets put training to the test ERIKA PEABODY Lode Writer Every Thursday, it is easy to pick out the students involved in Army ROTC. They all wear their uniforms in preparation for their training later in the day. However, most people don’t know much more about the program beyond that.

Every ROTC cadet that completes the program will be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army upon graduation. In order to be ready to take on this important, leadership position, the cadets must complete Army training exercises in addition to their regular lives as students.

The students in ROTC commit much of their free time to training, preparation for training and

many other duties that pop up during a regular week.

Third-year Nathanael Schenck is one of the students who lives the double life between the Army and school. Cadet Schenck said he chose to join the ROTC because he has been interested in the military pretty much his entire life. This is mainly due to the fact he grew up watching war movies with his dad.

When asked what being in the ROTC meant to him, Schenck responded, “to me it means committing to being the best future officer I can be and to do the best job possible in everything I do.”

He said that the ROTC has taught him to think on his toes and to be flexible and ready for anything.

Also, he added, it has taught him the importance of checking his email regularly.

According to Schenck, “the best thing about being in ROTC is the camaraderie. Sometimes being in the ROTC is tough and it really helps to be surrounded by people who understand and are going through the same thing.

Some of the training exercises that cadets are required to complete includes, but is not limited to, physical training (PT) three days a week, lab once a week when they run combat simulations on the Tech Trails, larger weekend exercises where they practice drills and simulations in a combat setting, and their Combat Water Survival Test (CWST) that just took place this Wednesday.

The CWST takes place once a year and is required of all cadets continued on 3

Starting the challenge: To begin their Combat Water Survival Test (CWST), cadets tread water for five minutes. Afterwords, cadets are through a series of tests that involved rescue strategies, deep water dives (as well as removing their gear before surfacing), and a 15m swim in full gear with their weapon.

Photo by Erika Peabody

Michigan Tech represented at Future Tech: IBM’s Watson LGBT youth conference MICHAEL FRIESEN Lode Writer This past weekend the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor was host to the Midwestern Bisexual, Lesbian, Gay, Transgender and Ally College Conference (MBLGTACC or affectionately dubbed BGC for “Big Gay Conference”). The event, which started in 1993 at Des Moines, Iowa, is an annual gathering of Midwestern college and university students united by activism for the cause of gay rights and so-

cial acceptance (with gay being used as a neutral umbrella term for non-heterosexual individuals or individuals falling outside of current gender norms). The conference is composed of speakers, workshops, lectures and entertainment all revolving around LGBT issues, social causes and civil rights struggles.

This year the conference was centered on the theme, “Justice or Just Us?” calling for a heightened awareness of struggles that are shared broadly, as opposed to concentrating exclusively on issues pertinent to the majority of the gay community –which

was identified to be Caucasian gay males. More than 1,300 individuals, including some students from Michigan Tech –organized by the student organization, Keweenaw Pride— attended the conference, which ran from Friday afternoon until Sunday just before noon.

This year’s MBLGTACC comes less than a year after Michigan Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell was fired for stalking and defaming Chris Armstrong when he was elected the first openly gay Prescontinued on page 3

The 2011 MBLGTACC conference: The image above shows the main stage where the vast majority of the Midwestern Bisexual, Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, and Ally College Conference (MBLGTACC) took place. The conference featured approximately 95 different sessions which ranged from professional speeches from activists directly involved with the civil movement, to presentations from novice speakers that wanted to help the movement continue to gain strength.

Photo courtesy of Michigan Tech

KIMBERLY GRIGG Lode Writer IBM has always taken on challenges involving technologies that are beyond the expectations of many people today.

Many think the robots created in this day and age are made to do one specific task and cannot comprehend the English language. This has been proven wrong by IBM with their new robot named Watson. Watson was specifically created to be able to compete on the television game show, Jeopardy. Watson took on two of the most famous Jeopardy players, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. Watson took on quite the challenge when IBM challenged these two Jeopardy

champions in a man vs. machine competition of knowledge and comprehension. It was not easy for IBM’s Watson to beat two of Jeopardy’s greatest contestants, but in the end Watson won both games of Jeopardy.

IBM took on this project in 2001, and an army of scientists worked on, and tested Watson to be able to play Jeopardy.

Eventually, Watson was able to answer Jeopardy questions between two and three seconds.

Although this is an extremely fast time to answer questions, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter were both able to answer many of the questions faster than that. Watson did have trouble with some of the quescontinued on 2

The face of Watson: The image above is the avatar used to display Watson’s thinking process, level of confidence, and even mood.

Photo courtesy of IBM Watson

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NEWS

Michigan Tech Lode Thursday, March 3, 2011

USG E-Board Election Results President: Beau Baldwin

Vice President: Yuritzi Garcia

Secretary: Lindsay Branton

Treasurer: Eli Karttunen

Photos courtesy of MTU USG

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Future Tech, from front tions in final Jeopardy, but the computer had always done the math so it could still win. At one point in the co mp e t i t i o n , after Watson had incorrectly answered a Final Jeopardy question, Alex Trebek commented, “Oh you sneak,” Computing comprehension: This slide shows a small glance at the process Watson due to Watson uses to answer the questions given to it. This is just one of many areas of research put betting only into the Watson project.

Photo courtesy of IBM Watson $947 from his lead winnings of $35,734.

The researchers at IBM dis- time a robot has been able to puting algorithms to help out covered when Watson was an- do this. The researchers at IBM modern industry, third world swering the first final Jeopardy are very proud of Watson and countries, and –one day— the question that he was not just have definitely accomplished entire world. To find out more looking up answers, question something amazing through about Watson and IBM’s futhat he was not just looking up their work. It seems as if IBM ture plans for this technology, answers, but he was trying to is breaking through many bar- visit IBM’s website at http:// understand English; which he riers in technology, and plan www-03.ibm.com/innovation/ did very well. This is the fist to use this new series of com- us/watson/.

Important class drop notice The last day to drop full term fall semester classes is Friday, March 4, 2011 by 5:00 p.m. All drops must be done in person in the Student Service Center.

Drops cannot be done via the web. Also, please note: The last day to drop track B classes (those classes that begin on February 28, 2011) with a refund is Thursday, March 3, 2011.

The last day to drop track B classes with no grade is Wednesday, March 16, 2011.

The last day to drop track B classes with a “W” grade is Friday, April 1, 2011.

According to the University policy on late drops: “After the eighth week of the semester, a student may request a late drop from the Dean of Student’s Office, which will consider those requests that involve circumstances beyond the student’s control.”

Extenuating circumstances considered are prolonged illness, serious accidents and death

in the immediate family or of a close friend, or similar situations beyond the student’s control. All requests must be made in writing. Instructions for late drops are available in the Compass Office (Wadsworth Hall, G28) or the Dean of Student’s Office (Administration Building 170). No late drops will be granted to avoid poor grades.

Again, only extenuating circumstances will be considered for granting a late drop.

Be our guest.

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AIM HIGHER

Michigan Tech Lode Thursday, March 3, 2011

Michigan Tech represented at LGBT youth conference, from front ident of the University of Michigan Student Body. Armstrong made an appearance during one of the main ceremonies in which he thanked the attendees for their support on behalf of the gay community.

Speakers at the conference this year included the Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, Mara Keisling, Co-Founder of Southerners on New Ground, Mandy Carter and Executive director of the Audre Lorde Project, Kris Hayashi. Mara Keisling, herself a post-transition transgendered individual, has made great strides on behalf of the transgender and queer community.

Kris Hayashi spoke about his work for environmental justice, economic justice and the overlap between those areas and his work for queer, transgender and gender-nonconforming equality. Noting that, all too often, issues of racial equality in the United States were expressed in the binary of Caucasian vs. African Diaspora to the exclusion of other ethnic backgrounds.

Notably compelling was the

speech by Mandy Carter. She spoke of the gay rights movement as the current chapter in a continuous civil rights struggle –of which the women’s rights and racial equality movements were previous chapters— and reminded her audience that there would be more chapters yet to come. Carter urged her audience to continue the civil rights struggle even after the goals applying to any one individual had been attained by speaking against the mindset that she summarized as saying “I have mine, now you’re on your own.” Carter expressed a feeling of abandonment from the African American community, and in a voice cracking as she fought back tears, compared this abandonment of the gay community by the African American community to the discarding of human cargo from slave ships running from Africa to America.

The workshops at MBLGTACC this year were diverse, with presenters ranging from students still novice in delivering spoken material to professional speakers such as Robyn

Ochs –a well-known and respected gay activist who identifies herself as bisexual. Topics ranged from addressing specific issues, such as the heterosexist vernacular phrase “that’s so gay,” to exploring different identities, aspects of gender, intersections of race and gay identity, explaining and exploring transgender and intersex topics and discussing issues of activism and politics.

All of the students parted ways after the closing ceremonies, and the students representing Michigan Tech returned to Houghton having learned and grown from their experience at the conference. Some reported having been awakened to the subject of transgender issues and having a greater appreciation for the subtleties and nuances of gender and gender-nonconformity. Others expressed an appreciation for having the chance to spend time in a positive atmosphere for the LGBT movement, and for having the opportunity to socialize with other college students who shared their beliefs.

NEWS

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What sort of activities would you like to see in the Lode? Let us know by e-mailing lodecomment@mtu.edu. Since we will not have an issue over spring break, this week’s Sudoku is extremely hard. The puzzles are rated on a scale of 1 (easiest) to 100 (hardest); this puzzle comes out at 114 —hint: solve for a corner first! We wish all who attempt this puzzle the best of luck. The answer to last week’s puzzle is to the right.

ROTC cadets put training to the test, from front before they graduate. Major John Sullivan, one of the cadre members said, “The CWST is in place to help the cadets gain confi-

dence both in the equipment and in their own abilities.”

During the CWST, the weaker swimmers were taken aside and

Taking the plunge: (Above) Second-year cadet Nick Colvin readies himself for the equipment drop. (Below) First-Year cadet, Shawn Matuszewski, learns how to inflate his uniform in case of emergency.

Photos by Erika Peabody

given special swimming lessons, while the strong swimmers were put through a battery of tests.

The first part of the test consisted of the cadets all jumping into the pool to tread water for five minutes. All of them were still wearing their heavy uniforms and tennis shoes.

The other parts of the test included a 15 meter swim in full gear carrying a M-16, jumping deep into the water and shedding all gear before surfacing, learning to create emergency floatation devices and jumping off of the high dive blindfolded and holding a M-16.

There were many cadets taking the CWST for the first time and most of them declared the high dive portion the scariest part of the test. One of these first timers was Cadet Genevieve Rainey.

Unable to wear her glasses during the jump, she was unable to see anything which she claimed added to her crippling fear.

Dan Pike, who is participating in the program until he transfers next year, agreed with Rainey’s sentiments about the jump. Upon reaching the top of the ladder he leaned over the railing to get a better look and exclaimed, “Oh, I don’t think I can do that.”

Actions speak louder than words however, as Pike walked right to the edge and jumped off with a humorous scream of, “Staying alive!”

Cadets who had already completed the jump in prior years were less fazed about the jump.

When Cadet Aaron Wierschke, a second-year, was asked if he was

nervous he responded, “No way.

I’m excited, it’s a blast.”

Despite the early hour, the atmosphere in the pool area buzzed with nervousness and excitement as the older cadets who ran the

test, helped and encouraged their younger peers to achieve their best. Overall, this year’s CWST was successful as it ran smoothly, with no injuries and the majority of cadets passed.

Michigan Tech Lode Thursday, March 3, 2011

Pulse

ASO African Night gives a cross-section of African cultures ZACHARY PAGE Lode Writer The African Students Organization (ASO) hosted its tenth anniversary of African Night this past Saturday night with an extravagant array of food, and a fabulous performance carried out by the ASO. The theme of this year, Road Trip Across Africa, was dedicated to the exploration, history, and customs of different countries throughout the African continent.

As was done in the past, the event featured both a dinner in the MUB Commons and a show performed in the Rozsa Center Theater.

The food consisted of traditional African cuisine which included dishes from across the continent. The menu was comprised of famous dishes such as Peri Peri Chicken, Pilau, Kele Wele, Couscous, Keftas, and a traditional spinach platter.

One student accounted, “The food is very good and very spicy, especially the spinach.

I’ve always enjoyed spicy foods so I knew that this would be a fun and exciting event for me.”

The Pilau and Couscous, well-known rice dishes found throughout Africa, also proved a big sensation. “The Pilau is a special rice cooked in a seasoned broth,” stated an ASO member. “But the Couscous is the most popular and attracts attendees every year. It is a mildly-spicy rice which is cooked with currants and other spices.”

Charles Waters, who attends this event every year with his wife, stated, “The food is meant to attract a large crowd. The turnout from the dinner then segues into the most important aspect of the event, the performance, which is dedicated towards exciting and teaching the audience. This has been the tradition ever since.”

The show was divided into two parts; the first being a per-

formance consisting of separate acts and dances conducted by the ASO, and the second comprising of a visual display of traditional African drumming performed by the Adinkra Music and Dance Ensemble.

Opening with a slideshow of different African countries, the ASO opened the event with a fun and exciting modern West African dance carried out by various members of the organization. This was followed by a skit which was broken up into seven acts. Based on a group of three Michigan Tech students who traveled across Africa, each act dealt with a specific country they visit.

“This was one of the most important segments of the show,” said an ASO member. “Here, the audience gains a better experience of the specific countries within Africa, one of our goals of this year’s theme.”

The “Gumboot Dance” and traditional African fashion show trailed the skit, closing the first part of the performance.

Adinka Music and Dance Ensemble, a Detroit based West African dance band, closed the evening with a vibrant display of traditional drumming. The purpose of the arrangement, according to the group’s conductor, was to “tell a story” by giving better insight and accessibility into the customs and heritage of African life.

Drumming was accompanied by extravagant and energetic dances and acts performed by various members of the group.

Most of the instruments used had originated from various parts of Ghana, where much of the West African music scene began.

African Night attracts a larger audience every year and the ASO hopes to continue this trend in the future through teaching and showcasing.

For more information about ASO, visit their website at http://www.involvement.mtu. edu/organization/african-students-organization.

Peace Corps - 50 Years of Promoting Global Peace & Friendship

Be part of the next Peace Corps generation.

Information Presentation: Tuesday, March 15 at 5:00 p.m.

Memorial Union Building Alumni Lounge B

Life is calling. How far will you go? 800.424.8580 l peacecorps.gov/50

Upcoming Events March 18

7:30 p.m., Rozsa Center: Sones de México

Michigan Tech University 10:00 p.m., MUB Ballroom: SACS Comedian Rojiv Satyal Run Dates: Th 2/24, Th 3/3 Ad size: 3.87”w x 4”h

March 22

5:00 p.m., EERC 100: Honors Institute speaker Dr. Seth Donahue

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An old time play with a new time twist KIMBERLY GRIGG Lode Writer Last Friday, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” enchanted the Rozsa Center. The play was put on by Aquila Theatre. This theatre company enjoys performing daring and more contemporary plays on the stage. For this play though, they took the old play and added some new ideas to it.

The play wasn’t set in a certain time, but it was set in the forest of Athens, Greece. The play was filled with color, music and love.

The message of this performance was that even when one is under a spell, true love will be clearly seen.

The actors portrayed the characters in such a light that it made the play not only interesting to watch, but almost insightful. The amazing costume work also added to the effect of not being set in any specific time.

The most comic portion of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, was the play inside of the play. Some actors in the play put on an extremely funny performance while they were portraying the acting company in A Midsummer Night’s Dream putting on a special performance for the king. The special play was about a man falling in love with a woman (who was also played by a man) through a wall.

The woman eventually ended up

dying from a lion attack. The man, upon seeing this, took a good five minutes stabbing and slashing himself in various places in order to kill himself and afterwards spent five more minutes dying.

Throughout the play, lovers mixed with other lovers to add to the comedic and intellectual experience of the play. The confusion of the lovers added to the moral of the play that true love will always pull together the correct people, no matter what many happen.

This classical play even speaks true now; in a time of lust, misfortune and greed. The moral of this play will always speak true to the young of yesterday, the youth of today, and children of tomorrow.

Michigan Tech Lode Thursday, March 3, 2011

Scott Walker, GOP policies threaten Wisconsin’s progressive traditions NICK BLECHA Pulse Editor I’ll be honest: I’m more than a little proud of my Wisconsin heritage. There’s a lot to like about the state: the dairy, the Packers… I’m sure when I turn 21 in a year I’ll be adding the beer to that list as well.

I’m also proud of Wisconsin’s political history. Though the state has had its dark moments (such as McCarthyism) it has also been a cradle of the progressive movement. Wisconsin created some of the nation’s first unemployment insurance and workman’s compensation laws. It was also the

home of the labor movement’s earliest successes.

So that, among other reasons, is why I consider Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s attempt to effectively destroy Wisconsin public workers’ unions by repealing collective bargaining rights to be a disgrace to the state, its people, and its history.

Now, full disclosure. I voted against Governor Walker in the last election. I also have relatives who are members of public workers’ unions–specifically, teachers’ unions.

That said, Governor Walker claims that his plan to strip collec-

Ask Sassy Dear Sassy, I think people reveal way too much personal information on Facebook. The other day, someone went on and on about how much they loved their boyfriend. I think it’s disgusting. Is there any Facebook etiquette you could recommend to your readers?

Sincerely, Freaked-out on Facebook Dear Freaked-out, I agree with you wholeheartedly. When you splatter your passion all over Facebook (perhaps not the best choice of words) for your significant other, it makes everyone else want to vomit.

There should be a certain amount of privacy in a relationship, otherwise your life becomes a soap opera where the actors are less than attractive and no one gets shot. Nobody wants to know.

I grant one exception. Couples who are recently engaged may be lovey-dovey on Facebook for one week. If nothing else, it lets all the lonely creepers know that there’s one less possibility in the world.

Dear Sassy, Spring break is right around the corner and I am super excited!

One of my friends invited me to go to Puerto Rico with them and I’ve already got my swimsuit and shot glasses packed! I’m just worried because I’ve never travelled to another country before. Do you have any tips for international travel?

Sincerely, Party on Dear Party, You shouldn’t be worried about going to another country. Not only because it’s a rewarding experience, but because Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States and isn’t a different country at all. You’re so excited to pass out drunk on the beach that you’ve forgotten basic civics.

I don’t think you’re ready to travel to a neighboring town, much less undertake an over-water flight. Puerto Rico doesn’t need another sloppy, idiotic spring breaker who is so intoxicated they almost drown in the rum shower. Do the people of Puerto Rico a favor and stay home.

Dear Sassy, I have a friend that keeps pressuring me to come hear his band.

They play in the living room of their house and judging from the tracks on their Myspace, they are horrible. They sound like a mix of Nickelback and Chris Daughtry. How can I tell him no?

Sincerely, Band hater Dear Band, I hope they haven’t invested too much money into their project yet. If they sound like you say they do, they should immediately burn all of their instruments and give up music forever.

No doubt they have the feeling they’re about to be “the next big thing”. It’s surely only a matter of time before they’re discovered the the world learns of their greatness.

I don’t mean to squash their creativity. I’m sure they have something to add to the music world. It may be something absolutely horrible, but any addition has its value.

That being said, they have no right subjecting you to their noise.

Torture is against the law after all.

OPINION

tive-bargaining rights is necessary to balance the state budget, which he has described as a “crisis.” Yet if the state budget is in such bad shape, why did Walker sign a bill that would grant significant, unpaid-for tax breaks to large corporations? Even considering that that bill won’t take effect until the next budget, it certainly doesn’t help Walker’s claim that his real concern is fixing the state deficit.

Even more damning is the public workers’ union’s offer to accept virtually all of the concessions Walker has asked for, as long as collective bargaining remained intact. Walker rejected that proposal. One Republican state senator even offered as a compromise, a bill that would strip collective bargaining rights merely temporarily, restoring them after a period of two years. Walker rejected that one too.

Indeed, this seems like a transparent power grab by Walker and

by Republicans in general. Republicans know very well that unions are a major source of Democratic support. Among the top 10 political donors in the last election cycle, the only Democratic donors were unions. Furthermore, according to an analysis by political statistician Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight, the impact of union membership (and living in a union household) on the margin between Barack Obama and John McCain was 4.8 percent, “enough to swing a close election.” Although breaking the power of unions would have obvious side effects (perhaps, for example, union members would have record turnouts in protest) the Republicans seem to be calculating for a long-term advantage.

They are trying to get the public on their side, with the Republican politicians talking about “shared sacrifice” and spreading scare stories about “forced unionization” while conservative commentators like Glenn Beck demonize unions by such tactics as trying to tie them to Islamic extremist groups.

Interestingly, it doesn’t seem to be working. Opinion polls asking about the support for Governor Walker’s bill, or one like it, show opposition ranging from 53 to 67 percent, depending on question wording, the polling company, and the group sampled. The protests in Madison, despite the best (or worst) efforts of Walker and the Republicans, are growing. The public even seems to be souring on some of Walker’s other proposals, among them a bill that would turn Wisconsin’s voter registration laws from among the most liberal to the most restrictive and an option for the governor to privatize any of Wisconsin’s state-run power plants and sell them without competitive bids. The prank call from a liberal blogger posing as billionaire oil tycoon and conservative donor David Koch, which Walker fell for, has hardly helped his perception either. So now Walker is stuck: either accept a compromise after proclaiming his opposition to such and looking weak, or stick to his guns and risk losing the support of the public and perhaps even face a recall.

Whatever happens, I certainly hope it will be something that will allow me to continue to be proud of Wisconsin’s progressive tradition.

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He Said, She Said

Is Michigan Tech ready for spring?.

Carl Drache, Mechanical Engineering, Second year Michigan Tech isn’t ready for spring because it’s always supposed to be cold here, but I am ready for spring Andrea Zuidema, Geology, Fourth year Not yet, maybe come April. I wouldn’t mind more time to go snow shoeing and cross-country skiing Weixiang Chen, Finance, Third year No, I like summer.

Lydia Patch, Biological Science, Third year Did we even have a winter?

Andy Klescewski, Environmental Engineering, Second year Of course, almost all the snow statues are melted or knocked down.

Erica Morgan, Civil Engineering, Fourth year I have lived here for 22 years… YES!

Michigan Tech Lode

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Editor in Chief ...................................Stephen Anderson Business Manager.....................................Jacob Vehring Online Editor.........................................Priyanka Anand Design Editor...............................................Yunhua Li News Editor.....................................Cameron Schwach Opinion Editor...........................................Luke Gublo Sports Editor .........................................Daver Karnosky Pulse Editor...................................................Nick Blecha Advisor ........................................................Kara Sokol

Staff Writers - Jack Ammerman,

Jordan Erickson, Michael Friesen, Kimberly Grigg, Elijah Haines, Priyanka Moharir, Jun Ni, Liz Nigro, Zachary Page, Erika Peabody, Rebekah Price, Jodhbir Singh

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Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials represent the consensus of opinion of the senior editorial staff of the Michigan Tech Lode.

Opinions expressed in the Lode are not necessarily those of the student body, faculty, staff or administration of Michigan Technological University or the Michigan Tech Lode.

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Michigan Tech Lode Thursday, March 3 2011

Sports

Men’s Basketball knocks off Grand Bye # th r e b m Valley State to advance in GLIACs nu DAVER KARNOSKY Sports Editor Sophomore forward Ali Haidar and the men’s basketball Huskies gave head coach Kevin Luke a night to remember as the Huskies upset the Grand Valley State Lakers at the GVSU Fieldhouse 74-72 in their Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference quarterfinal matchup Wednesday night. The win was Luke’s 300th of his career.

The Lakers jumped out to a 10-point lead over the first 3:12 of play as the Huskies missed a pair of shots and turned the ball over twice. Junior forward Mike Hojnacki finally got the Huskies on the board with a three-pointer 11 seconds later. Hojnacki would finish 16 points before the night was over.

Freshman forward Jordan Reetz and freshman guard Alex Culy dropped back-toback three-pointers to follow Hojnacki’s, helping the Huskies get back within one, 10-9. The Lakers extended their lead to

five twice before the Huskies could sustain any more offense.

A three-pointer from freshman guard Austin Armga shaved the Lakers’ lead to two, 19-17, with

12:04 left in the first half, and the Huskies never trailed by less than four from that point forward.

The Huskies took their first lead of the night after Culy drained a threepointer with 5:35 left in the half.

A three-pointer from Hojnacki and a jumper from Reetz helped the Huskies take a four-point lead, 31-27, with 3:01 left. The Lakers recovered the lead briefly before Armga ended the half with a layup to give the Huskies a 33-32 lead at the half.

The Huskies opened the second half impressively, jumping ahead by 11, 45Senior stud: Senior guard Don Fowler drives 34, 4:16 in. Reetz against Lake Erie from the top of the key. nailed a threePhoto by Ben Wittbrodt pointer and a jumper to extend

the Huskies’ lead to 16, 54-38.

The Lakers cut the lead to 13, but a free throw from Armga and another from Hojnacki put the Huskies back up 15, 56-41, with 9:25 to go.

The Lakers pushed back down the stretch, cutting the Huskies’ lead to as few as two points, 7169, with 32 seconds remaining.

Culy hit a pair of free throws to put the Huskies up four, and senior guard Don Fowler hit the second of his two free throws with nine seconds to go to give the Huskies a five-point lead.

The Lakers hit a three-pointer with three seconds left to pull within two. The Huskies needed two tries to inbound the ball, but they managed to and came away with the win.

Haidar finished the night with 25 points. Reetz added 10 as the third Huskies’ player in double figures.

The Huskies will return to action on Saturday against the Ferris State Bulldogs at 1 p.m. Check out our web site, www.mtulode. com/sports, after the game for a detailed recap of the action.

Lindstrom ties GLIAC record as Women’s Basketball advances DAVER KARNOSKY Sports Editor It took the fifth-ranked women’s basketball Huskies just 11 seconds Wednesday night to jump out to an early lead in their Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) quarterfinal matchup with the eighth-seeded Tiffin Dragons, but another 18 minutes to establish control of the game as the Huskies came away with a 58-40 win. Junior forward Lindsey Lindstrom came up with 19 rebounds, tying a GLIAC Tournament record set by former Huskies’ forward Katie Wysocky.

Senior forward Lucy Dernovsek attempted to set the tone for the Huskies with her early three-pointer on the Huskies’ opening possession. The Huskies had a golden opportunity on their next possession to open a six-point lead, but senior guard Angela Guisfredi missed a three-pointer of her own.

“That’s exactly what they’ve done all year,” said Huskies head

coach Kim Cameron of the seniors. “Lucy does everything and she was great for us today.”

Sophomore guard Sam Hoyt would down a three-pointer to give the Huskies a 6-2 lead before Guisfredi made her lone three pointer for the game to give the Huskies a seven-point advantage, 9-2. It took the Dragons just two minutes to even things up, 9-9, and make life difficult for the Huskies.

In just under seven minutes from that first tie, the Dragons took their first lead of the game, 14-13. They were able to do it with both Hoyt and Dernovsek off the floor due to foul trouble.

The Huskies missed their leaders and went 6:20 without scoring a point before senior center Lisa Staehlin made a jumper to tie the game at 15-15 with 6:05 left in the half. The Dragons would regain the lead and extend it to four before the Huskies wrestle control back.

A clutch three-pointer from the left side of the three-point line by freshman forward Kate Glodowski regained the lead for the Huskies, 22-21, with 1:59 left

in the half. Staehlin would add a pair of free throws to giving her eight points and the Huskies a three-point lead at the half.

Staehlin opened the second half with a layup and a jumper to extend the Huskies lead to seven, 28-21, in the first two minutes. The Dragons cut into the lead with a layup, but Dernovsek nailed a jumper to regain the seven-point advantage for the Huskies.

A Dragons’ three-pointer cut the lead to four before Hoyt dropped a three-pointer and a layup to build the Huskies’ lead to nine, 35-26. The Huskies continued to push their advantage until they were up 15, 43-28, with 9:11 remaining. A second three-pointer from Glodowski and a layup by Lindstrom helped the Huskies expand their lead to 19, 49-30, with 6:16 to go.

Over the next three minutes, the Huskies never led by less than 15 until Staehlin put up back-to-back layups to give the Huskies a 21-point advantage with 3:21 to go. Lindstrom notched her 19th rebound of

the night to set up Staehlin’s second layup.

“We knew it was going to be a battle,” said Lindstrom of the game. “I just wanted to help with the team. I thought that the rebounds were there since they weren’t boxing out.”

Cameron was able to work several freshman into the game over the last 2:34 to give them some valuable minutes heading into the next round of the GLIAC Tournament.

Staehlin led the Huskies with 20 points in 27 minutes of play.

Lindstrom finished with nine points and held Mandy Jaeb, the Dragons’ top scorer to just four points.

“Lisa demanded the basketball,” said Cameron. “We gave it to her and she scored it.”

The Huskies finished with 51-30 advantage in rebounds.

The Huskies also notched 24 points in the paint to just 12 by the Dragons.

The Huskies will play again on Saturday at 1 p.m. Be sure to check out our web site, www. mtulode.com/sports, after the game for a detailed recap.

1

former hockey Huskies’ signee, Jake Hauswirth, was traded during the NHL trading deadline.

Hauswirth was moved from the Washington Capitals to the Florida Panthers.

2

former hockey Huskies, defenseman Andy Sutton and recently acquired forward Jarkko Ruutu, are attempting to lead the Anaheim Ducks to the playoffs.

3

consecutive come-frombehind wins by the men’s basketball Huskies during their fivegame winning streak to clinch a spot in the GLIAC Tournament.

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straight games with a win to close out the regular season for the women’s basketball Huskies.

Only three teams scored more than 54 points against the Huskies during that stretch.

78

percent (77.8) winning percentage by the men’s tennis Huskies’ doubles teams during their first three matches of the season last weekend.

Schedules/Results Visit gliac.org for full standings W. Basketball (24-2 overall) Feb. 19 vs. Lake Erie, W, 89-49 Feb. 24.at SVSU, W, 64-54 Feb. 26 at Northwood, W, 68-51 Mar. 2 vs Tiffin, W, 58-40

M. Basketball (16-10 overall) Feb. 19 vs. Lake Erie, W, 71-68 Feb. 24 at SVSU, W, 71-67 Feb. 26 at Northwood, W, 88-77 Mar. 2 at Grand Valley, W, 74-72

Men’s Tennis (2-1, 0-0 GLIAC) Mar. 5 vs Aquinas Mar. 6 vs Presbyterian Mar. 7 vs South. New Hampshire Mar. 8 vs St. Leo

Hockey (4-26-4, 2-22-2 WCHA) Feb. 25 at Minnesota, L, 5-2 Feb. 26 at Minnesota, L, 5-2 Fri. vs North Dakota, 7 p.m.

Sat. vs North Dakota, 5 p.m.

Visit wcha.com for full standings

Editor’s Shootout

The Editor’s Shootout is a competition of knowledge, luck and wits between sports editor Daver Karnosky, editor in chief Stephen Anderson, business manager Jacob Vehring and you, the reader, via online poll. Stephen Anderson won last year and has won two of the last three years (former opinion editor Rob Devaun with the other win). This will be a weekly feature where each editor picks his winners of the three biggest games/series of the week and backs up his decisions with a short rant.

THIS WEEK: PittsburghPenguins at New Jersey Devils, Duke Blue Devils at North Carolina Tar Heels, Los Angeles Lakers at San Antonio Spurs

JACOB VEHRING Business Manager 2-1 Last Week, 39-24 Overall

STEPHEN ANDERSON Editor in Chief 1-2 Last Week, 37-26 Overall

DAVER KARNOSKY Sports Editor 0-3 Last Week, 24-39 Overall

YOU Readers 0-3 Last Week, 27-36 Overall

Looks like Stephen is finally making this a competition. Now Daver, on the other hand, should just stick to writing articles. Even though the Penguins have been ravaged by injuries this season, the Devils have just been bad, so the Penguins will get the victory. In the regular season finale between the Tar Heels and the Blue Devils, the Blue Devils will show that they are tournament ready with a big win over their biggest rivals. The Spurs just lost Tony Parker to an injury and the Lakers are looking to set the tone for the playoffs, so with this combination the Lakers get an important confidence-building win over the number one team in the West.

Small setback last week, but it’s time to get back on track, and nothing like a few match-ups with my most hated teams to do it. I simply cannot pick Pittsburgh, Crosbaby or not, and I detest the Tar Heels. That makes my first two picks obvious, but I genuinely think the red-hot Devils will beat Pittsburgh at home. While Duke will be playing at NC, the Blue Devils are just a better team. Shooting woes have doomed them at times, but they’ll fire on all cylinders in this rivalry game. The Spurs are almost impossible to beat in San Antonio, but the Lakers will get lucky in a big Western Conference finals preview.

I have given up trying to figure out how best to pick these matchups. It seems that had I gone with the opposite of every pick I’d made, I would be tied with Jake. Oh well, such is life. I like the move Pittsburgh made heading into the stretch run without Sid or Geno, but I have to admit, the Devils are hot right now. Speaking of Devils, the Duke Blue Devils are always great, and I believe that they will showcase the fact that they are NCAA Tournament ready with a big victory over their top rival. Finally, even though I don’t care about the NBA, I have to admit that the Lakers are a better team than the Spurs on paper. However, I think that the Spurs will rally without Parker and win anyway.

Each week, we’ll let you the reader vote in our Editor’s Shootout online poll at www.mtulode.com/sports/2011/3/3/ editors-shootout-polls-7/. The majority of the vote for each match-up will be the chosen team, and your cumulative record will get put alongside our three wannabe experts. We’ll run this feature through the entire year and see who comes out on top.

Penguins, 4-3 Duke, 78-75 Lakers, 104-97

Devils, 5-3 Duke, 79-68 Lakers, 97-95

Devils, 4-2 Duke, 68-65 Spurs, 98-94 Last week’s picks: Blues Aztecs Heat

Michigan Tech Lode Thursday, March 3, 2011

Sports

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Playoff preview on tap for Hockey Huskies JORDAN ERICKSON Lode Writer Top-ranked North Dakota will be the final visitors to Houghton, Mich. this season as they take on the hockey Huskies to close out the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) regular season. The Huskies are coming off a sweep at the hands of No. 20 Minnesota, while North Dakota arrives after going sweeping Bemidji State to claim at least a tie atop the WCHA standings.

Team Scope: North Dakota: North Dakota has had little to complain about this season with a 19-6-1 record in conference play and 24-8-3 overall. The team is currently ranked fourth in the nation in offense and is tied for ninth in defense.

Their power play is 10th-best in the country and their penalty kill is 15th.

Last weekend, the team found

success on home ice as they de- core have on a team. The Huskies’ feated the Beavers 5-1 and 5-2. last win came against then-No. 4 The series was the second time Denver in which two shorthanded North Dakota scored at least 10 goals helped give the Huskies the goals in a weekend, the first time tip they needed for a 3-2 win. Since also coming against the Beavers back in October. The wins guaranteed North Dakota at least a tie for the MacNaughton Cup, awarded annually to the WCHA’s top team during the regular season, and the top playoff spot.

The Huskies: The Huskies enter their last weekend of WCHA play at the opposite end of the spectrum. With only two conference wins under their belt the Huskies have felt the Puck-stopper: Sophomore Kevin Genoe effects man-games looks to stop a shot against Bemidji State. lost to injury comPhoto by Ben Wittbrodt bined with a young

then, the Huskies have dropped three straight heading into the upcoming weekend. The Huskies scored four goals last weekend, all by freshmen.

Who’s Hot: North Dakota: North Dakota’s Matt Frattin, who was suspended for a large portion of last season, has been a hot player all season.

Frattin is currently ranked 17th among national scoring leaders, third in goals, and 13th in power play markers. Last weekend, Frattin notched a goal and an assist in the wins over the Beavers.

Goaltender Aaron Dell has been solid between the pipes. Currently Dell is ranked fourth among national goaltending leaders and has a .911 save percentage in WCHA play along with a 2.01 goals against average.

The Huskies: Freshmen have been dominating the score sheets for the Huskies all season, and this week is no different. Freshman winger Milos Gordic had a

goal in each game, keeping him in his position as the Huskies’ point leader. Gordic is looking to become the first freshman to lead the Huskies in scoring for a season since Mike Zuke in 1972-73.

Freshman forward Jacob Johnstone also had a big weekend in Minneapolis, assisting three out of the Huskies’ four goals.

The Big Picture: North Dakota enters this weekend as the top team in the WCHA and comes to the MacInnes Student Ice Arena looking to collect the MacNaughton Cup (whose home is the Dee Stadium). With the Huskies having their last home series, the best thing they could do is to jump on North Dakota early, watch themselves in the defensive zone, and play the way they’ve been capable of all season, potentially stealing a game from the top team, which is exactly what the Huskies did to North Dakota the last time the two teams met and North Dakota was ranked No. 1.

Broomball HQ

Redonkulous dethrones The Pirate Sheep, concluding entertaining 2011 IRHC Broomball season STEPHEN ANDERSON Editor in Chief

The Pirate Sheep have dominated IRHC Broomball for years, and, while they made yet another appearance in the Championship game, the dynasty was finallly robbed of victory by Redonkulous.

My broomball playoff predictions were about as good as Charlie Sheen’s decisions lately, but that is what makes the playoffs entertaining.

The gap between the best teams

and the worst teams may be quite large, but strong parity seemed to play out in the later stages of the playoffs.

While Redonkulous was a strong team in the regular season, many people, myself included, thought that the shared players between Redonkulous and Ridikilus would focus on the latter team.

An early playoff exit by Ridikilus changed that up, and may have

motivated Redonkulous moving forward.

The Pirate Sheep lost its top two players from a year ago, but proved that they simply reload instead of rebuild. Their victory over MooCrew, who I had heralded as one of the top three teams all year, proved their skill level.

DHH Super Team and Black Ice may not have earned the level of respect they deserved heading into the playoffs, both reaching

the final four teams (out of 240 teams), with Black Ice winning third place overall, rubbing salt in my wound for often nudging them just outside the top 20 in the Lode’s weekly power rankings.

While I am in my fifth year at Michigan Tech, the popularity of broomball continues to blow me away with its almost cult-like following and the intensity of the competition.

Some people who have never

experienced broomball do not understand its draw, but for the hundreds and nearly thousands of players (and two media members) who participate, it is a fantastic experience.

Subzero Winter Carnival temperatures and 60-degree temperatures a week later could not prevent IRHC Broomball 2011 from being a season to remember!

Visit mtulode.com/sports/ broomball to see all our coverage.

Goal scorer: The Pirate Sheep notch a goal in their victory over MooCrew, one step to yet another championship game appearance.

This year, though, Redonkulous put an end to the dynasty.

Photo by Stephen Anderson

Visit mtulode.com/sports to catch up on all your Huskies sports and keep your eye out for athlete features throughout the semester This week on www.mtulode.com:

Three-match weekend proves fruitful for Men’s Tennis DAVER KARNOSKY Sports Editor Eager to begin their 2011 season, the men’s tennis Huskies traveled for a trio of matches and came home with a pair of victories. The Huskies swept Ripon College, 9-0, lost in a close match to St. John’s, 5-4, and defeated St. Cloud State, 6-3. Juniors Anders Sandholm and Douglas Yossida both won all three of their singles matches.

On Sunday, the Huskies swept all three doubles matches to grab the early lead in the match before winning three of the six singles matches at St. Cloud State.

Junior Luka Stupar and Yossida got the Huskies on the board with an 8-1 win over Shane Ecklund and Kevin Bauleke at number one doubles. The duo has started the season 2-1.

Sophomore Andrew Kremkow and Sandholm fought hard to get a 9-7 win over Michael Margolies and Matheus Aching at number two doubles. The duo finished the weekend 3-0.

Senior Chris Verhulst and freshman James Konarske needed a tiebreaker to win at number three doubles over Joao Orsi and Elliot O’Neal, 9-8 (11-9). Verhulst and Konarske are 2-1 on the season.

Stupar downed Ecklund at number one singles, 6-3, 6-0.

Stupar is 2-1 on the season.

Sandholm defeated Bauleke at number two singles, 6-4, 6-3.

Yossida needed three sets to take down Orsi at number three singles, 5-7, 7-5, 10-3.

At St. John’s, the hosts took two of the three doubles matches and the teams split the singles matches.

Kremkow and Sandholm needed a tiebreaker to win at

number two doubles, 9-8 (108), over Elliot Elm and Zach Shrwise.

Sandholm cruised to a 6-4, 6-1, victory at number two singles over Ian Hansen. Konarske also won in straight sets over Justin LaBeaux, 6-3, 6-2, at number four singles. Yossida won by default at number three singles.

Against Ripon, no doubles team surrendered a point in the sweep. In singles play, Stupar also didn’t give up a point. The most any Huskies’ player gave up was five by Sandholm, two in the first set and three in the second.

The Huskies will travel to Orlando, Fla., over spring break to face four opponents, Aquinas, Presbyterian, Southern New Hampshire, and St. Leo. Be sure to check out our print edition after break for a detailed recap of the action.

Today (Mar. 3): Basketball recaps Friday: Hockey recap, GLIAC Tournament Preview Saturday: Basketball and Hockey recaps Sunday: Basketball recaps Monday: Editor’s blog Tuesday: A look at the women’s NCAA Midwest Regional Wednesday: Spring Break!

Every week on www.mtulode.com:

• • • • • •

Article continuations All game recaps posted online the same day Interactive reader/fan polls (see previous page) Regular blog posts by sports staff Digital PDF archive of print editions Become a Facebook fan of the “Michigan Tech Lode”

Look for our special “Reader Interaction” section at www.mtulode.com/sports

Lode SportS Talk Radio

91.9 FM Sat. 10-Noon Check the Lode Facebook page on Friday night to find out who will be the special guest(s) on the show.

Would you like your club team featured in this section?

E-mail Daver Karnosky at dbkarnos@mtu.edu

8

Husky Hodgepodge

Michigan Tech Lode Thursday, March 3, 2011

Have a wonderful, safe Spring Break!

JORDAN ERICKSON Lode Writer

The Lode will not publish during Spring Break. The next print edition will come out on Thursday, March 17.

Until then, follow us online for regular updates! mtulode.com facebook.com/mtulode twitter.com/mtulode

lodesubmit@mtu.edu lodecomment@mtu.edu lodeads@mtu.edu

How far away will you be going over Spring Break?

• Staying at Michigan Tech • 0-200 miles • 200-500 miles • More than 500 miles vote now on mtulode.com

Last edition’s poll results:

How far will the women’s basketball team go in the playoffs?

Lose in Elite Eight tournament - 53% Win the National Championship - 27% Lose in Regional tournament - 13% Lose in GLIAC tournament - 7%