Kids asked the players questions, played dodgeball and ate some pizza together.

During the Q&A period in the classroom, Cardinal pointed out a similarity between the Wildcats and some of the young, aspiring hockey players in the room: these accomplished athletes began playing the sport at three or four years old, just the same as these middle schoolers.

One Wildcat named Julian Molinaro, a goalie from Toronto, Canada, said he played against his new teammate, Aidyn Hutchinson a right-winger from Alberta, Canada in the past season.

“We played each other at nationals. We hated each other,” Molinaro said with a chuckle. “We look back in the video and we’re two feet away from each other, in each other’s faces the whole game and now months later, we’re best buds on the same team.”

Northern Michigan University hockey players face off against Neguanee Middle School sixth-graders in a dodgeball match while visiting the school on Friday. (Journal photo by Alexandria Bournonville)

“Those of you that are in hockey right now, might be playing against someone, you might end up with in college, if you play at the college level,” Cardinal said.

Wildcats Will Diamond, a forward from Chicago, and his teammate Medrick Bolduc, a forward from Quebec, Canada, demonstrated their favorite “celly” — the physical expression of celebration or joy after a good play — for the kids.

Cardinal’s sixth-graders also asked the boys about their trophies, penalties, snapped hockey sticks and favorite teams before heading to the NMS gym for a couple of rounds of dodgeball.

In the first game of dodgeball, the seven college athletes were defeated by the NMS kids.

One student, Lane Taavettila, beat Bolduc in a race across the length of the gym, giving him well-earned bragging rights that he beat a college student in a dash just days after winning a school track and field meet a few days prior.

When the friendly competition was over, students and athletes sat together on the gym floor to discuss some of the Wildcats’ goals before their hockey season starts.

Trevor Mitchell, a defenseman from South Lyon, MI, said his goal is to “stay positive throughout the whole year.”

“We have to have faith in ourselves,” said goalie Ethan Barwick from Edmondson, Canada. ” … A lot of rankings have us low so it’s just proving them wrong, showing them that we’re better than what they think we are.”

“My goal for this year is just to work hard each and every day,” said defenseman Grayden Daul from Chicago, “just being there for my teammates, having fun, being better each and every day.”

“They talked about resiliency,” Cardinal said afterward, “which is a big term that we use in sixth grade because we oftentimes read stories about how characters overcome a big obstacle and I’ve always stressed the importance of resilience and remembering that word.”

Their last activity of the day was a pizza lunch with the students at NMS’s recently renovated courtyard.

Cardinal, glad to see the students so excited, said the kids not only prepared their questions in advance but made custom cards to give to the players. He said, “It’s important to make sure you give thanks to those that go above and beyond and do extra things for the community.”

Sixth-grader Tanner Helninen who recently moved to the area from Iron Mountain said due to family connections he’s more of a Michigan Tech fan but about the NMU team said: “You gotta respect them.”

Not only did Tanner have a good time during the dodgeball matches but he was moved by some of the advice of the athletes as a fellow hockey player himself.

“I just got to keep myself committed to hockey and hopefully I can make it to that (level),” Tanner said.

The organizer of the meet-up, Carole Turner, said she was happy to see the kids enjoying themselves.

“It takes me back to when I was a teacher in Ishpeming and we used to have the Wildcats adopt (the students) every year and they came to the classroom and we saw them for their pre-game meals and it was exciting, just as exciting as it is today,” Turner said.

The Wildcat hockey players, who have been practicing hard and getting to know the community and its people have gone fishing on Lake Superior, helped host a marathon and refereed for a local Stick It To Cancer Hockey Tournament.

“It was fun, always giving back to the community as a team and an organization and a school. We got to play dodgeball with them, we got to talk to them in the classroom, as well,” Mitchell said. “They sound like they support us and we’re going to support them and see them as much as we can.”

Northern’s first hockey game of the season will be an exhibition match today in Houghton against Michigan Tech at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena.