Northern Michigan University's David Keefer looks where to pass the puck during last weekend's home series against Bowling Green State held at the Berry Events Center in Marquette. (Photo courtesy NMU)

HAMILTON, N.Y. — The Northern Michigan University hockey team successfully pulled off comebacks both nights for a weekend sweep at Colgate.

The Wildcats improved to 3-1 with a 3-2 victory on Friday night and 4-1 win on Saturday.

AJ Vanderbeck scored the opening goal shorthanded and the final, winning goal on a power play to lead NMU on Friday, while teammate David Keefer notched his own pair of goals Saturday.

This weekend, NMU is back on the road for another nonconference series in South Bend, Indiana, to face Notre Dame. This unusual series won’t be played on consecutive days with the games at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 5 p.m. Sunday, and both will be televised on the Peacock pay service.

Here is a synopsis of the games at Colgate:

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NMU 3, Colgate 2

On Friday, Vanderbeck scored a pair of goals for the second straight game after he pulled off that feat in the second game against Bowling Green at home on the previous Sunday.

Vanderbeck entered the season as the top goal scorer in the CCHA from the 2021-22 season, having earned an All-CCHA Second Team berth for that season and a CCHA Preseason Team spot in September.

At this early point in the season, he leads the nation in goals with four.

And the senior forward made his second goal of the contest the game winner. This time around, he broke a 2-2 tie with just 16 seconds remaining in regulation.

After his own team finished killing off a shorthanded situation with 2:34 to go, the Wildcats received a power play 20 seconds later. With just two seconds remaining in that power play and only a handful more seconds left in the third, Vanderbeck used a rocket wrist shot to power the puck over the shoulder of Colgate goalie Carter Gylander, according to an account from NMU Sports Information.

Well before that, Vanderbeck scored the only goal of the first period with just under three minutes left, finding himself with the puck after a Raiders turnover entering their offensive zone. The senior crossed the blue line and fired a shot in on the short side, according to NMU SI.

Earlier in the period, Northern almost scored during its own power play, getting several good looks including by Keefer, according to NMU SI.

In the second, Colgate evened the score with the only goal of that period, also on a power play near the midpoint of the game. Pierson Brandon scored on assists from Colton Young and Alex Young with 9:10 remaining.

By that point, NMU goalie Charlie Glockner had made 22 saves and Gylander 15 in a 1-1 game.

In the third, the Raiders took the lead for the only time on another power play goal, this time by Matt Verboon and again with Alex Young assisting with 17:22 to go.

Colgate’s 2-1 lead remained for about four minutes before a Raiders major penalty gave Northern a five-minute power play. Less than a minute into it, the Wildcats’ Artem Shlaine buried his second goal of the season, with assists credited to Mikey Colella and Joey Larson, to retie it 2-2.

It was Colella’s third assist and fifth point just four games into the season.

But NMU couldn’t cash in any more during the extended power play, setting up Vanderbeck with his last-second heroics.

Glockner finished with 31 saves, including 16 in the second period, while Gylander had 27, a dozen coming in the final period.

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NMU 4, Colgate 1

On Saturday, Northern freshman goalie Beni Halasz stopped 27 of the 28 shots he faced as Keefer scored two of his team’s final three goals to give him three goals this season. Vanderbeck had an assist as he’s now at six points, the same number as Andre Ghantous, who had a goal and assist in this game.

Halasz set another mark just by stepping on the ice as the first Hungarian to play in goal during an NCAA Division I hockey game.

Despite all the good statistics from this game, Colgate grabbed the initial lead, scoring the only goal of the first period with 2:28 left on a power play goal by Alex Young. It was already NMU’s third shorthanded situation as the Wildcats were whistled for seven minor penalties during the game.

After killing off yet another Colgate power play early in the second period, Northern junior Brett Willits scored his first collegiate goal with 12:28 left while in the front of the net as Reilly Funk assisted.

The score stayed tied 1-1 for not quite four minutes before Keefer notched his first of the game, this one assisted by Vanderbeck and Ghantous.

NMU protected its one-goal lead by killing off one more shorthanded situation in the third before Ghantous gave his team some insurance with 1:38 remaining, gathering a redirected shot and firing it back past Gylander for his first goal this season, according to NMU SI.

Keefer added a final touch by scoring into an empty net with 25 seconds to go.

Halasz’s performance made up for his teammates being outshot 28-22.

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