PITTSBURGH — Change isn’t always a bad thing.

The Pittsburgh Huskies Under-16 Class AA hockey team lost nearly half its players from last year’s roster — and is headed to this year’s USA Hockey Tier II National Championships.

The 16-team tournament takes place April 3-7 in Troy, Mich.

“We had seven or eight players move on from last year for various reasons,” coach Vic Whann, a Butler resident, said. “Despite so much turnover in the roster, the kids on this team were very receptive to executing the way we like to play.

“They believe in our system. They stick to it. They listen to what we’re saying.”

The Huskies play in the Pittsburgh Amateur Hickey League and will take a 29-10-1 overall record into the national tourney. The 18-player 16-under team features six players from Butler County.

Forwards Nick Whann, Dustin Davis and Connor Scott, defenseman Dalton Scott and goaltender Clay Bachman are from Butler. Forward Nick Makozy is a Mars resident.

Bachman has been shouldering the netminding duties since fellow goalie Cley Pujol underwent hip surgery in the beginning of February. Pujol attends Franklin Regional High School.

“Clay does so much for this team ... We rely on him too much,” Whann said. “When we have a hiccup defensively, it’s easy to figure Clay will clean it up.”

The Huskies recently won the USA Hockey Tier II Pennsylvania State Championship, dropping a 2-1 overtime shootout decision to the Mid-State Mustangs before reeling off wins of 5-2 over the Steel City Renegades, 5-3 over the North Pittsburgh Wildcats and 3-2 over the Butler Valley Dawgs.

Bachman stopped 137 of 145 shots in the tournament, fashioning a 94.5 save percentage.

Kittanning resident Christian Miller led the team with five goals and three assists in the tournament while Davis contributed three goals and three assists. Makozy and Nick Whann both had a goal and two assists.

“The core of this team — Christian Miller, Dustin Davis, Clay and Nick — I’ve been coaching since they were six years old,” Whann said.

Miller leads the Huskies with 42 goals and 71 points. Davis has 35 goals and 62 points, Whann 18 goals and 44 points. Bachman has a .910 save percentage all season.

The Huskies have not sent a team to nationals since the under-12 squad qualified in 2008-09. That tourney was played in Charlotte, N.C.

“Some of these kids played on that team,” Whann said.

The Huskies also have players from Leechburg, Worthington, Tarentum, Springdale, Pittsburgh and Glenshaw.

“We only have three teams in our entire organization,” Whann said. “We’ve gone up against programs that have scads of teams. This is a tremendous opportunity for these kids.”

At nationals, the Huskies will play three preliminary games to try to accumulate enough points to qualify for the quarterfinal round. A team receives three points for a win in regulation, two for an overtime win, one for an overtime loss.

The Huskies will face opponents from Massachusetts, Connecticut and Michigan in the preliminary round.

USA Hockey oversees hundreds of youth programs nationwide.

“Getting to this tournament in hockey is the equivalent of the Little League World Series in baseball,” Whann said. “I’m proud of these guys.”