Battling for position: Adjacent in CCHA standings, Northern Michigan University, Ferris State hockey teams to clash
Northern Michigan University’s Joseph Nardi, right, brings the puck into the Michigan Tech zone as the Huskies’ Tommy Parrottino defends during the second period on Feb. 27 at the Berry Events Center in Marquette. (Photo courtesy Shannon Stieg)
Northern Michigan University forwards Joe Nardi, second from left, and Griffin Loughran, second from right, fight for the puck at center ice with Bowling Green State's Max Johnson, left, and Cameron Wright during the second period of their WCHA game on Feb. 21 at the Berry Events Center in Marquette. (Photo courtesy Shannon Stieg)
Northern Michigan University’s Joseph Nardi, right, brings the puck into the Michigan Tech zone as the Huskies’ Tommy Parrottino defends during the second period on Feb. 27 at the Berry Events Center in Marquette. (Photo courtesy Shannon Stieg)
Northern Michigan University forwards Joe Nardi, second from left, and Griffin Loughran, second from right, fight for the puck at center ice with Bowling Green State's Max Johnson, left, and Cameron Wright during the second period of their WCHA game on Feb. 21 at the Berry Events Center in Marquette. (Photo courtesy Shannon Stieg)
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This weekend: NMU at Ferris State, 7 p.m. Friday and 6 p.m. Saturday; Radio: WUPT 100.3 FM The Point
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MARQUETTE -- The Northern Michigan University hockey team travels to play the team directly behind it in the CCHA standings this weekend.
The Wildcats travel to Big Rapids to face Ferris State at 7 p.m. Friday and 6 p.m. Saturday.
NMU is 5-6 overall and 3-5 in the CCHA with eight points, part of a three-way tie for fourth place in the eight-team league. However, the Wildcats have played more league games than the two teams they're tied with, Michigan Tech and Lake Superior State. The Bulldogs are 3-8-1 and 2-2 with five points and in seventh.
Northern is 68-30-6 all-time vs. Ferris, including a road record of 26-13-4, according to an account from NMU Sports Information. Most impressively, the Wildcats are riding a 14-game winning streak against the Bulldogs, most recently 5-4 and 5-3 wins on Jan. 29-30 in the WCHA.
Last weekend, NMU split a home-and-home series against Michigan Tech, the road team winning each game.
Northern won 3-2 in overtime on Friday in Houghton despite being outshot 45-19. Senior Ben Newhouse scored the opening goal before junior Hank Crone scored as sophomore goalie Rico DiMatteo made 43 saves, tying his career high in saves.
Junior AJ Vanderbeck scored the game-winner in OT.
On Saturday at the Berry Events Center in Marquette, senior Hampus Erikkson opened NMU's scoring in the second period, with the team's other goal coming from Crone a short time later that made it 2-1 Northern.
But the Huskies answered with a pair of power play goals, and late in the game, an empty netter.
DiMatteo and Newhouse were both named CCHA Players of the Week for their efforts in the series.
Vanderbeck has nine goals, tied for third in NCAA Division I, while he joins Crone for most points among Wildcats with 16 in 11 games. These linemates are also tied for eighth nationally in points, while Mikey Colella and Andre Ghantous each have 13 and are tied for 25th in the nation.
Crone and Ghantous' 11 assists each are seventh nationally.
Vanderbeck's four power play goals are fifth in the nation and tops in the CCHA.
Newhouse leads the nation in shots blocks with 41, an average of 3.72 per game.
And the Wildcats' 30.6% success rate on the power play in third nationally.
Crone and Erikkson are among the seven new players, four of them transfers, with NMU this season. Crone and Bo Hanson come from Denver of the NCHC, while Erikkson had played at LSSU. In addition, Trevor Cosgrove played at Colgate of the ECAC previously.
Senior captain Joseph Nardi has played in 160 straight games without missing one in his Northern career. He is now the schools' all-time leader in consecutive games played and just six games away from becoming NMU's all-time leader in games played.
Fan can follow the team @NMUHockey on Twitter, @nmu_hockey on Instagram, NMU Hockey on Facebook and @nmuhockey on TikTok.
Both games will be broadcast on radio station WUPT 100.3 FM The Point and online at streamdb7web. securenetsystems.net/ce/wupt.
Video for both games will be available at www.flohockey.tv/ and live statistics Friday will be at www.ferrisstatebulldogs.com/sports/mice/2021-22/boxscores/20211119_ryvf.xml and Saturday at www.ferrisstatebulldogs.com/sports/mice/2021-22/boxscores/20211120_rphe.xml.
Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.