Nolan Kent

HOUGHTON — Michigan Tech ran its winning streak to six games at Northern Michigan University’s expense, shutting out the Wildcats 2-0 on Saturday night in a hastily-arranged hockey series after each Upper Peninsula school lost its original weekend opponent.

This home-and-home nonconference series continues at 5 p.m. Monday with a game at NMU’s Berry Events Center. The game won’t be televised, but as are all Northern games, it will be broadcast by radio station WUPT 100.3 FM The Point.

The series was only announced on Friday afternoon after Tech lost its chance to host Lake Superior State in a WCHA pair of games just hours earlier due to coronavirus pandemic concerns.

The same concerns dashed NMU’s WCHA series at Alabama-Huntsville on Wednesday.

The series is nonconference as the two U.P. schools already have their only league meeting set for the originally scheduled end of the regular season on Feb. 26-27.

On Saturday, the Wildcats lost their seventh straight game to fall to 2-9 overall, though they are only 0-2 in WCHA games.

Despite the lack of scoring, NMU actually outshot Tech 32-31, including a 15-8 edge in shots in the third period, when Northern had a pair of power plays.

Tech goalie Mark Sinclair earned the Huskies’ fourth shutout of the season while Northern’s Nolan Kent was the hard-luck loser in net.

The Huskies (7-3-1) scored the game winner early when Eric Gotz knocked the puck home exactly three minutes in during a power play as teammate Arvid Caderoth fed the puck to the point and Gotz sent it through traffic, according to an MTU sports information report.

The Wildcats could’ve easily fallen further behind after NMU’s Colby Enns was called for a tripping minor, checking from behind major and game misconduct that created a seven-minute power play later in the first period, though two minutes of it was negated on a Tech minor called on Colin Swoyer.

No goals were scored in the second period, though Northern had an excellent chance when Andre Ghantous and Noah Ganske were stopped on a 2-on-none chance when Ganske’s shot went wide, according to an NMU sports information report.

Kent made 11 saves for the second straight period, including one stretch when the Huskies fired six shots on net without leaving their offensive zone.

Despite NMU pressure in the third, Tech tallied an insurance goal with 6:54 left when Tristan Ashbrook of Manistique scored his first goal in his second game as a Husky. He took a pass from Brett Thorne while streaking in on a 2-on-1 break with Blais Richartz, according to the MTU report.

“Thorny gave me a great pass, and Blais hustled so the defenseman had to make a decision,” Ashbrook said about his goal. “The goal is nice but it’s better to get a win in the best college hockey rivalry in the U.P.

“I’ve watched a lot of games from both teams growing up. It’s a cool feeling being a part of U.P. college hockey. I’m happy to be here and happy to be able to play in the U.P.”

NMU head coach Grant Potulny pulled Kent for an extra attacker with 2:40 left, then got a power play with 50 seconds on another penalty on Swoyer, but Sinclair made a pair of saves in the final moments, the MTU report stated.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.