National No. 14 Minnesota State-Mankato posted a 4-0 shutout on Friday night at the Berry Events Center, then scored a pair of power-play goals to eke out a 3-2 victory on Saturday to send NMU to 0-16 overall and 0-8 Central Collegiate Hockey Association records.

Two of Mankato’s goals in the opener were also scored on power plays.

With their seventh and eighth straight wins, the Mavericks moved atop the league with 24 points and now sport 7-1-2 league and 10-2-4 overall records.

NMU took care of one of its bugaboos this season, only getting outshot by a total of five shots on goal over the two games, rather than the 3-to-2 ratio of a deficit they had before that.

Northern Michigan University’s Matthew Argentina, right, jumps out of the way of a shot from a teammate hoping it gets by Minnesota State-Mankato goalie Alex Tracy during their CCHA hockey game played at the Berry Events Center in Marquette on Saturday. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

The Wildcats have now played four of the top five teams in the CCHA, and they’ll fill in that last top-five opponent this weekend when they travel to Ohio to take on third-place Bowling Green State at 7:07 p.m. Friday and 6:07 p.m. Saturday.

Northern’s next two series after that are against their “neighbors” in the conference, hosting sixth-place St. Thomas the following weekend, and after the holiday break traveling to seventh-place Lake Superior State to open 2026.

The team just above the Wildcats, eighth-place Ferris State, only shows up once on the NMU schedule this season and that won’t be until mid-February.

Here are details from this past weekend:

Mankato 4, NMU 0

On Friday at the Berry Events Center, Mavericks senior goaltender Alex Tracy posted a 35-save shutout, the most saves he’s had among what is now 10 shutouts in his four-year career and second this season.

He was the goaltender named to the All-CCHA Preseason team back in early October and has been selected to a college team to represent the U.S. at the Spengler Cup in Switzerland during the Christmas holidays.

The Wildcats were only outshot 37-35 as Northern junior netminder William Gramme, a transfer in the offseason from the University of Wisconsin, made 33 saves. This marked the second-most shots Mankato has allowed this season.

Caiden Gault led Northern with five shots on goal and 10 total shot attempts, teammate Tobias Pitka led all skaters with 15 faceoff wins, while NMU’s Tynan Ewart and Zane Demsey each paced all players with three blocked shots apiece.

Mankato scored in each period, including two in the middle period.

The Mavericks broke the scoreless tie with 7:18 left in the opening period, scoring on a mad scramble around Gramme’s crease during Mankato’s second power play. Gramme made the initial save, but Minnesota State’s Liam Watkins awaited on the doorstep to knock in a rebound.

The Mavs made it 2-0 just before five minutes was elapsed in the second period on a similar play, a scramble in front of Gramme on another power play that Watkins knocked home on a rebound.

It became 3-0 just before the game’s midpoint when Alex Zetterberg scored off a deflection high in the slot from an initial shot by Evan Murr.

And Mankato rounded out the scoring with an empty-netter with 24 seconds remaining from Tristan Lemyre on a breakaway.

Mankato 3, NMU 3

On Saturday at the Berry Events Center, the Wildcats scored first and last, but it was the three goals scored by the Mavericks in between in a span of less than 20 minutes on the clock that spelled the difference.

Each team had a pair of power play goals as only three goals were put in all weekend even strength.

Northern opened the scoring about 10 1/2 minutes in on the first power play by freshman Michael Burchill.

Teammate Jakub Altrichter, Northern’s leader with nine points, picked up his team-leading sixth assist by corralling the puck in the corner and making a cross-seam pass to Burchill, who let go of a wicked wrister for the first puck to get past Tracy in the series, according to a game account from NMU Sports Information.

That lead held up for less than 3 1/2 minutes, as with 6:03 remaining in the first, Mankato forced a turnover in the neutral zone. Bryce Strand came down on a 2-on-1 and made a cross-crease pass that deflected off an NMU defender and into the net for the night’s only even-strength tally.

With about minute left in the period, the Mavs took the lead for good when Lemyre finished off a one-timer on a power play.

It went to 3-1 with 8:26 to go in the middle period with another man-advantage tally by Jack Smith.

But Northern pulled back within a goal less than three minutes after that on a power play. Sophomore Grayden Slipec made a pass to Pitka, but it hit a Mankato defender’s stick and redirected right into the goal.

Despite there being more than 25 minutes of game left, NMU couldn’t get the equalizer, even after head coach Dave Shyiak pulled Gramme with a little more than a minute remaining in the game.

Like the night before, the Mavs only had a slight advantage in shots on goal, 36-33, as Tracy made 31 stops and Gramme had 33, including 15 in the middle period.

NMU also had a bit of an advantage on faceoff wins, 33-27, as each team blocked 16 shots.

Burchill’s goal was his third, tied for the team lead, and second on the power play, while Slipec’s was his first this campaign and seventh power-play tally of his collegiate career.

Matthew Argentina, who had an assist on Burchill’s goal, has points in two of his past three games, while Ewart and Girts Silkalns each had assists on Slipec’s tally, Ewart his third assist in his past six games and Sil

kalns getting his second point at NMU.

Minn. St.-Mankato 4, NMU 0

Friday at Berry Events Center

Summary:

First period — 1. MSM, Liam Watkins (Conrad, Murr) ppg 12:42

Second period — 2. MSM, Watkins (Benincasa, Murr) ppg 4:48; 3. MSM, Alex Zetterberg (Murr, Benincasa) 9:45

Third period — 4. MSM, Tristan Lemyre (Scholl) eng 19:36

Penalties-minutes: Mankato 3-6, NMU 4-8

Power-play opportunities: Mankato 2 of 3, NMU 0 of 2

Goalie saves: Mankato, Alex Tracy 35 (10-10-15); NMU, William Gramme 33 (13-11-9)

Minn. St.-Mankato 3, NMU 2

Saturday at Berry Events Center

Summary:

First period — 1. NMU, Michael Burchill (Altrichter, Argentina) ppg 10:33; 2. MSM, Bryce Strand (LeBel, Cichosz) 13:57; 3. MSM, Tristan Lemyre (Bergmanis, Smith) ppg 19:01

Second period — 4. MSM, Jack Smith (LeBel, Lemyre) ppg 11:34; 5. NMU, Grayden Slipec (Ewart, Silkalns) ppg 14:21

Third period — No scoring

Penalties-minutes: Mankato 3-6, NMU 5-10

Power-play opportunities: Mankato 2 of 5, NMU 2 of 3

Goalie saves: Mankato, Alex Tracy 31 (10-13-8); NMU, William Gramme 33 (8-15-10)

Story contents based on Northern Michigan University Sports Information press releases reviewing the games. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.