Beef was the missing ingredient.

The Michigan Tech hockey team struggled until freshman Angus (Beef) Redmond took over as the starting goaltender in late October.

He’s 11-2-1 and is one of the top netminders in college hockey. The confidence he has shown in net has lifted the Huskies (12-7-3), who are hoping it carry that back to Houghton by winning the final Great Lakes Invitational at Joe Louis Arena.

Tech faces Michigan (7-8-1) in the GLI opener at 3:30 p.m. Thursday. Michigan State (4-9-1) faces Western Michigan (8-5-3) at 7 p.m. in the second game.

Game thread: WMU beats MTU,1-0, in OT in GLI final

Michigan Tech coach Mel Pearson laughed when asked recently why he waited so long to turn the net over to Redmond, given the team’s early struggles, which included losing four straight to start the season and a 1-5-2 record after eight games.

“Everybody wants to know that,” Pearson said with a chuckle. “Everybody in Copper Country said, ‘Why didn’t you play him?’ I wanted to give the upperclassmen an opportunity to play. They both put in a lot of work paying their dues. Quite truthfully, at the time we didn’t think Angus was ready.”

Neither of the other goaltenders had much experience prior to this season, but Pearson gave them the chance to start first. Senior goaltender Matt Wintjes was 1-2-1 in four starts with a 3.25 goals-against average and sophomore Devin Kero went 0-3-1 with a 3.30 GAA in five games.

“We knew we had a tough schedule right off the bat with all the road games, tough buildings to play in,” Pearson said. “We got to a point where we just weren’t going anywhere.”

By that time they decided to start Redmond against rival Northern Michigan in late October they had seen him make strides in practice, working with assistant coach Joe Shawhan to improve his lateral quickness.

Redmond made the most of his opportunity, stopping 19 shots in a 2-0 shutout at home. Pearson stuck with him on the rematch in Marquette, and Redmond stopped 29 shots in a 5-1 win for the sweep.

“We felt the timing was good," Pearson said. “Our team had sort of turned the corner. Our team hadn’t played well the first eight games, especially defensively.

“We were all excited about our returning defensemen, but they were trying to do way too much with the puck. Too many giveaways, too many turnovers and put a lot of pressure on our goaltenders.”

Redmond didn’t let the pressure of the moment get to him in his first start.

“I knew it was a big opportunity and I really wanted to perform well,” Redmond said. “I wasn’t trying to overthink it too much. I was obviously nervous, but I was just trying to keep my game simple. I knew in my mind that I could do it.”

Pearson said Redmond is a quiet teammate and isn’t letting his early success affect him on or off the ice.

Redmond wears No.37, in honor of his father. When he came home with No.37 on another team, his father mentioned he’d once grown up on a 37th street. When it came time to pick a number at Michigan Tech, Redmond figured he’d go with 37 again.

He noted the other day it’s worked well so far.

Redmond has made a big impact in a short time with the Huskies. He leads the nation with a 1.40 goals-against average and his .937 save percentage ranks fifth nationally. He’s one of six goaltenders with at least 11 wins.

Redmond was named WCHA rookie of the month in November, after allowing 12 goals on 166 shots in 486 minutes. Redmond has also been named a conference defensive player of the week and rookie of the week.

Redmond (6-1, 200) grew up in Langley, B.C. in western Canada. A previous coach referred to him as Beef, a nickname that stuck and has carried over to his time in Houghton.

He’s comfortable with the nickname, but not yet with his newfound celebrity. He joked he hasn’t signed Beef as an autograph, but has thought about it.

Redmond is excited about this weekend and his first chance to play in an NHL rink. He said he has practiced at the Canucks’ rink in Vancouver in the past, but never played a game there.

Coaches and teammates have already warned him about the Joe’s lively boards.

The Huskies spent the past couple days practicing at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube and there’s been plenty of talk about what it would mean for Tech to win the last GLI at the Joe.

“Obviously we’ve talked that Michigan Tech won the very first one at Joe Louis,” Redmond said. “So it’d be really cool to get the last one. I know the seniors haven’t been able to get the win so far, so it’d be huge for them.”

Contact George Sipple: gsipple@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @georgesipple.

Great Lakes Invitational

When: Thursday-Friday.

Where: Joe Louis Arena.

Participants: Michigan Tech (12-7-3); Michigan (7-8-1); Michigan State (4-9-1); Western Michigan (8-5-3).

Thursday’s schedule: Michigan Tech vs. Michigan, 3:30 (FSD); Michigan State vs. Western Michigan, 7 (FS Plus).

Friday’s schedule: Third-place game, 3:30 (FSD); championship, 7 (FS Plus).

Tickets: $18, $30 and $45 at the door, (800) 745-300 or ticketmaster.com.