It’s officially hockey season in many parts of the world where the sport reigns supreme and that includes the post-secondary ranks.
Several players from the NWT are making their mark yet again at schools around North America and that includes Yellowknife’s Jack Works. The 22-year-old is in his second season at Michigan Tech University in Houghton, Michigan and is a junior (third year). He transferred to the school last year after spending two seasons with the Denver University Pioneers, where he was a part of the men’s hockey team that won the 2021-22 NCAA Men’s Hockey Championship.
In his first season with his new team, Works played in 39 games, putting up eight goals and nine assists for 17 points.
It was his first full season of college hockey and he said he loved being able to be out on the ice making a difference.
“Last season was awesome,” he said. “I got into every game we played and we worked really well as a team. We have a lot of returning guys this season and a good crop of freshmen, so I’m hoping we’ll jell together and have a great season.”
The 2023-24 season for Michigan Tech started on Oct. 7 as the Huskies took on the University of Minnesota-Duluth, a game that ended in a 2-2 tie.
If you’re wondering why the game ended in a draw, Works explains why:
“It was a non-conference game,” he said. “We played five minutes of overtime and no one scored, so that’s how it ended. If it was a conference game, we would’ve gone to a shootout, but we play in different conferences and they don’t play shootouts in that case.”
Michigan Tech plays in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA), while Minnesota-Duluth are in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC).
Last season, Michigan Tech was in the running for the national championship and played in the NCAA Midwest Regional Semifinal with Penn State, Michigan and Colgate.
An 8-0 drubbing at the hands of Penn State was the end of the road for Michigan Tech and Works said the team is using that loss as some motivation for this season.
“We lost early and that’s never good,” he said. “We struggled to score near the end of last season and our goal this season is to win the regular season title, get a good seeding and peak when the playoffs start.”
In the off-season, Works said he worked on skating and shooting for this season and he’s hoping to put that work to good use.
“I’ve been getting time on the power-play and special teams,” he said. “My job is to show the younger guys how to do it and be a leader and contribute out there every game.”
When Works graduates, he will do so with a major in finance and the heavy part of his specialty is beginning this year.
“A lot of my finance-focused courses started this semester, so I’m really getting into it now,” he said.