Northern Michigan University’s Matthew Romer, center, and Jesse Tucker, right, skate at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena in Houghton against Michigan Tech on Saturday. (Photo courtesy NMU)

HOUGHTON — The result might be encouraging for new Northern Michigan University head hockey coach Dave Shyiak.

Assembling almost an entire roster from scratch over the summer, these Wildcats fought valiantly before losing 4-3 at Michigan Tech on Saturday evening in what is only an exhibition game.

NMU spotted Tech a fairly quick 2-0 lead in the game’s first 15 minutes, only to pull back within a single goal three times, including in the game’s final two minutes.

Northern scored a little bit of everything, gaining an unassisted goal, a power play goal and a “regular” two-assist goal just seconds after the Huskies assumed their initial two-goal advantage.

They were outshot, but only 31-27, as Ryan Ouellette, NMU’s lone goalie with previous collegiate experience, made nine saves in each period for 27 total.

Tech netminders Max Vayrynen and Derek Mullahy split their minutes almost evenly and totaled 24 stops.

Maybe not too surprising, but the Wildcats were surprised right out of the gate, giving up a goal 69 seconds in when MTU’s Owen Baker snuck into a soft area at the bottom of the left circle, according to a game account provided by NMU Sports Information. Baker fired a quick slapshot that turned end over end and beat Ouellette in his five-hole.

A mad scramble in front of Ouellette with a little over five minutes remaining in the opening period made it 2-0. The puck landed on a Husky stick in the slot and Nick Williams fired the puck through a slew of humanity.

Then just 15 seconds later, the Wildcats’ Matthew Romer drove the play into the far right corner of the offensive zone, according to NMU SI. He slipped a pass through two defenders to find Colby Browne alone in the slot. Browne corralled the puck and fired a shot all in one motion from between the hash marks and beat Tech’s Vayrynen to the stick side.

After no scoring in the second period — even though NMU had its most shots on goal with 11 — the power plays started producing in the third.

Tech did it first, scoring just before the midpoint of the third when Elias Jansson scored his first of two goals when he walked into the right circle. Using an NMU defender as a screen, Jansson fired a shot along the ice and past the Northern goalie.

Not quite three minutes later, the Wildcats notched the only even-strength goal of the period when Nicolas Ardanaz found a wayward pass while coming out of the box after serving a penalty. Eleven seconds after the penalty expired, he was sprung loose on a 2-on-1, and from his off-hand side, came down the right-wing side and fired a wrister through the wickets of Tech’s Mullahy that pulled Northern within 3-2 with 7:41 to go. This was NMU’s unassisted goal.

After the Wildcats drew another penalty, MTU was back on the power play and Jansson converted again, making it 4-2 with 5:23 left.

The night’s final tally was another man-advantage goal scored by NMU when Jakub Altrichter corralled a rebound in the right circle and quickly fired a shot past the sprawling Mullahy, giving the ‘Cats life with 2:01 left, according to NMU SI.

After this unofficial start, the Wildcats get to work in a pair of real games this weekend, traveling to Colorado Springs, Colorado, to face Colorado College of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference at 9 p.m. EDT Friday and 8 p.m. EDT Saturday.

The following weekend, NMU returns home for its Berry Events Center debut, hosting one of Shyiak’s past teams, Alaska-Anchorage, at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18, and 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19.

The CCHA season doesn’t open until Tech comes calling to Marquette for the first game of a home-and-home series at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1.

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