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MARQUETTE — Northern Michigan University in conjunction with the CCHA released its hockey schedule for next season on Friday.

The NMU schedule is available at https://nmuwildcats.com/sports/mens-ice-hockey/schedule, or by visiting the university athletics website at nmuwildcats.com and clicking under men’s hockey and then the schedule.

The CCHA also announced its league schedule the same day, with a press release about the schedule at https://ccha.com/news/2023/5/4/mens-ice-hockey-2023-23-ccha-schedule-announced.aspx. Links to the actual schedule, both an online formatted version and a printable one, are available there.

Northern Michigan University's Andre Ghantous, right, skates by the net and Bemidji State goalie Mattias Sholl making sure the puck went in the net for a goal during their CCHA playoff game at the Berry Events Center in Marquette on March 3. Also pictured is the Wildcats' Connor Eddy, left. (Photo courtesy Ron Mattson)

The Wildcats came within three minutes of earning an automatic berth to the NCAA Division I tournament after falling in the CCHA Championship game in March. Northern led Minnesota State-Mankato 2-0 before giving up two goals late in regulation, then the overtime-deciding goal that allowed the Mavericks to earn the automatic berth.

What was the toughest pill for NMU to swallow was that the loss also ended a seven-game winning streak that brought the Wildcats from sixth place in the league and a losing record to their final 21-17 overall and 14-12 CCHA record.

NMU will try to improve on that result this season with its 32-game regular season slate that begins nearly two weeks later than the 2022-23 slate. Exactly half the Wildcats’ games are at home and the other half on the road with no neutral-site contests in sight.

This fall’s opening weekend is Friday and Saturday, Oct. 13-14, with a nonconference weekend at Minnesota-Duluth of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. NMU is 3-3 all-time vs. the Bulldogs, most recently the Wildcats enjoying a home sweep of the nation’s No. 1 team during the 2021-22 season.

Northern remains on the road the following weekend, playing another Friday-Saturday nonconference series at NCAA independent Arizona State on Oct. 20-21.

All Wildcats’ series this season are two games on a Friday and Saturday. Game times for nearly all road games are still to be announced, while all home games will be played at 7:07 p.m. Friday and 6:07 p.m. Saturday.

NMU plays at its home Berry Events Center for the first time on Oct. 27-28 against Ferris State, which also marks the team’s CCHA opener.

The Wildcats went 3-1 last season against the Bulldogs, including 9-2 and 8-3 thrashings that kick-started the late-season win streak. Northern has had great success against Ferris in recent seasons, going 21-2-1 against the ‘Dogs since the 2016-17 season.

Once starting in the league, NMU has just two more nonconference series, and one actually isn’t.

The true nonleague set will be at home on Nov. 17-18 against Alaska-Fairbanks, while the “pseudo” nonconference set is against future CCHA member Augustana, also at home, on Dec. 1-2.

The Vikings are scheduled to enter the league as a full member in the 2025-26 season. For this season and next, each league team plays Augustana in one series, one year at home and the other in the South Dakota city. Those series don’t count in the league standings.

Last year, the CCHA played a 26-game league slate, meaning NMU played each of its seven league opponents in four games except for one opponent. That exception was CCHA newcomer St. Thomas, which would’ve been considered a disadvantage.

This year, the league plays 24 league games, with the two fewer games coming because of the technically nonleague contests vs. Augustana. It means the Wildcats play two CCHA opponents in only one series, which this season could be a more advantageous Minnesota State-Mankato and Bemidji State.

Once their season starts, the Wildcats don’t have an off weekend until mid-December, which includes playing Thanksgiving weekend.

Following their home and league opener vs. Ferris, NMU plays at St. Thomas and home vs. Lake Superior State to start November.

After the home games vs. Fairbanks, Northern goes to Bowling Green State on Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 24-25, then comes home to face Augustana to open December.

Before a month-long Christmas-New Year’s break, NMU has one more series, a traditional home-and-home set vs. Michigan Tech.

That series opener will be played in Houghton at 7:07 p.m., on Friday, Dec. 8, and the follow-up in Marquette on Saturday, Dec. 9.

Four straight weekends off ends on Jan. 12-13 with a series at LSSU. The Wildcats then have one more weekend off before the regular season ends in early March.

Northern follows up the Lake State set in Sault Ste. Marie with a home set vs. St. Thomas on Jan. 19-20 and road trip for the only meeting vs. Mankato on Jan. 26-27.

The second MTU home-and-home set opens February with a game at home on Friday, Feb. 2, and the return trip to Tech’s MacInnes Student Ice Arena at 6:07 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 3.

Then comes a home series vs. Bemidji on Feb. 9-10, the only games against the Beavers, followed by Feb. 16-17 as an off weekend.

The Wildcats make their sprint to the finish with a road set at Ferris on Feb. 23-24 and home weekend vs. Bowling Green on March 1-2.

That sets up Northern and the rest of the CCHA for its best-of-three league tournament quarterfinals at the top four seeds from March 8-10, then the CCHA semifinals on Saturday, March 16, and CCHA Championship the weekend of March 23-24.

Then the NCAA Division I regionals start March 29 with the NCAA Frozen Four culminating in the NCAA Championship on Saturday, April 13.

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