PLYMOUTH — A typical college hockey program likes to open its season with an exhibition game, typically against a weaker opponent, so its players can get their feet wet.

The Northern Michigan University team, on the other hand, decided to test itself in its exhibition as the Wildcats suited up against the U.S. National Team Development Program Under-18 team.

The U-18 team is notorious for upsetting college programs, including Wildcats head coach Grant Potulny’s former team at Minnesota back in 2014, and it made a furious third period rally Saturday night against the Wildcats, but NMU held on and emerged with a 4-3 victory. Overall, the Wildcats are now 7-1-1 against these U-18s.

NMU started off hot, getting a goal less than two minutes in from Luke Voltin off a feed from Andre Ghantous.

The Wildcats later padded their advantage to two goals in the final two minutes of the opening period. With Northern on the power play, forward Ty Readman snuck the puck past U-18 goalie and Wisconsin commit Noah Grannan to put the Wildcats up 2-0. Vincent De Mey and Griffin Loughran got assists.

In the second period, the U-18s got a goal back. On a power play, Providence commit Brett Berard got a pass from future Friars teammate Chase Yoder and shot the puck past NMU goalie Nolan Kent at the 7:19 mark.

Kent and fellow NMU goalie John Hawthorne split time in net, with Kent playing the first half of the game. He finished with 10 saves.

Late in the second, NMU got its lead back to two goals on a great shot by Ghantous. The freshman got a pass from fellow newcomer Jett Jungels and beat Grannan high blocker-side.

Leading 3-1 early in the third, Northern got another tally at 3:35. Wildcats forward Grant Loven put a weak shot on net and it managed to get by Grannan. Adam Roeder and Hank Sorensen earned assists.

The U-18 team didn’t go away, though, cutting its deficit to two on a tally by Boston University commit Luke Tuch at the 15:23 mark. Later, with Grannan pulled for the extra skater, Michigan commit Thomas Bordeleau shot the puck by Hawthorne to pull the U-18s within one with less than two minutes to go.

However, the Wildcats withstood the final flurry with Hawthorne making an impressive glove save at the buzzer to close out the victory. He finished with 15 saves.

NMU returns to Marquette this weekend to open the regular season against Michigan State at the Berry Events Center. The Wildcats split a series with the Spartans in East Lansing last season.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Writer Ryan Stieg. His email address is rstieg@miningjournal.net.