“He’s (Gucciardi) really learning how to use his skating to defend and then move the puck north,” Nightingale said. “He sprung multiple guys this weekend on breakaway looks. He’s got a gift of skating and I think he's understanding the importance of being a defender. And for him to be able to play at the next level that’s what he’s going to have to do. He has the gift of skating and closes plays and has the ability to move the puck.”

Larson tallied two goals on the night, recording his 10th and 11th of the season to take himself to the leading goal scorer for the Spartans. He had a near hat trick in overtime with a couple great shots at the net, but Michigan Tech did not allow for any to follow through. The game against the Huskies marked Larson’s second multi goal game of the season. 

“I thought he was going to get the third (goal) multiple times,” Nightingale said. “He’s a great teammate. It’s been fun to watch his game grow from the beginning of the year till now and I think he’s just scratching the surface of what he’s going to do as a player.”

As well as Larson and Gucciardi having stellar performances over the weekend, Nightingale recognized two more of his players in a post game press conference—freshman goaltender Luca Di Pasquo and senior forward Jeremy Davidson. 

“He (Luca) made some key saves for sure,” Nightingale said. “He’s been an unbelievable teammate for Trey (Augustine). And supporting Trey, and pushing Trey in practice, and our guys love him. And, that’s what we expected to see out of him. He’s a really good goalie.”

Along with Gucciardi’s improving game that Nightingale mentioned in a post game press conference, Davidson has done the same in the past year and has continued to skyrocket and help the team push into the championship game at the GLI. His play on the experienced senior line has helped the team to determine their further steps.

“We need that senior line to be really good for us down the stretch, and I thought tonight they were great again,” Nightingale said. “Maybe they didn’t get rewarded on the score sheet, but they were there on the puck and competitive. Jeremy can really shoot the puck, and what I really like about him is he’s understanding the value of playing away from the puck, and seeing a player mature that way and value doing it the right way is pretty cool.”

Nightingale said post game is one of the toughest parts of the sport of hockey especially if a team can play their hardest and they may not get rewarded. Although the team has to go home with a tough loss on their backs, Nightingale said he was still impressed with the way their game was played and knows that improvement can always be made day by day.

The Spartans are back into action on Jan. 5 at Munn Ice Arena looking to get back into the win column against the US National Team Development Program. Puck drop for the game is at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.