But there had to be something much sweeter about the Wildcats’ 3-2 victory at Michigan Tech on Saturday night.

With NMU entering the series with a 1-23 record, any win is extremely important to get. But knocking off your biggest rival, the nationally ranked Huskies, is extra special.

Then the fact it came on the heels of getting drubbed 8-2 the night before at their home Berry Events Center rink has to make the retribution at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena that much more special.

It all came together for the Wildcats on Saturday when they overcame a five-minute shorthanded situation that was complicated with a two-minute minor called just before that, which had overlapped for a 5-on-3 situation for close to a minute and a half in the first period.

Northern Michigan University’s Tobias Pitka, center with stick raised, tries to get to a pass from the corner but it was out of his reach while he crashes the net with Michigan Tech goaltender Owen Bartoszkiewicz, right, covering during their CCHA game played at the Berry Events Center in Marquette on Friday. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

Northern gave up the game’s first goal late in that Tech power play, only to get it waved off after NMU head coach Dave Shyiak was successful with a challenge.

Then not 30 seconds later with the power play still in force, the Huskies scored again — this time for real.

Despite that, NMU followed by putting in three straight goals over the next two periods to make a late MTU goal scored with its goalie pulled rendered meaningless.

The Wildcats are now 2-24 overall and 2-16 in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. Probably most importantly, Northern now has eight points in the standings, pulling within a single point of Ferris State, which holds the eighth and final spot in the CCHA Tournament that will be played in March after the regular season is over.

Tech was denied a chance to pull within two points of league-leading St. Thomas, too, though the Huskies are still in second place with 37 points as St. Thomas has 42.

MTU is now 17-9-2 overall and 12-4-2 in the league and had been No. 19 in the nation in two national polls entering the weekend.

Northern has another challenge this weekend, hosting Bemidji State, which at 7-8-3 in the CCHA is in sixth place.

The following weekend, the Wildcats have their final off week of the season, then travel to Big Rapids on Feb. 13-14 to take on Ferris, likely for the final spot in the CCHA postseason.

Here are details from the game vs. the Huskies:

MTU 8, NMU 2

On Friday night in Marquette, the Wildcats suffered their worst loss of the season as previously they had lost a quartet of games by four goals, though none since a 4-0 home setback to Minnesota State-Mankato on Nov. 28.

Tech jumped all over each of NMU’s three goalies until Max Weilandt, a newcomer to the team this month, seemed to stem most of the bleeding by only allowing one goal in the third period.

Freshman sensation Oliver Auyeung-Ashton was tagged for three goals in less than eight minutes at the game’s outset, while William Gramme gave up four more over the second half of the opening period and throughout the second.

Together they made 28 saves as Tech only had a 36-32 shots on goal advantage. Huskies goaltender Owen Bartoszkiewicz, coming off his fifth CCHA Goaltender of the Week award this season, stopped 30 shots.

Isaac Gordon, Stiven Sardarian and Teydon Trembecky knocked pucks in during the game’s first eight minutes on a team total of just four shots to make it 3-0. Gordon’s came on a power play.

Gramme held the Huskies at bay for almost a full period until the onslaught begun anew in the first half of the second period. That’s when Tech’s Reid Andresen, Sardarian and Noah Reinhart plunked pucks into the net in a span of just 1:46 that made it 6-0. The latter two were on power plays, with Sardarian’s middle goal on a 5-on-3.

Reinhart got his second goal not quite 10 minutes after his first with time winding down in the middle period that made it 7-0 at the second intermission.

The Wildcats didn’t quit in the third period, though, at least trying to build some momentum for the night’s next game, which apparently worked, as NMU’s Peter Cisar and Matthew Argentina stopped any shutout hopes by Bartoszkiewicz with goals 7:05 apart, Argentina’s on a power play.

Argentina and Tynan Ewart got assists on Cisar’s tally, while Mathew Ward and Oliver Beaulieu earned helpers on Argentina’s goal, Beaulieu’s his first career point.

NMU 3, MTU 2

On Saturday night in Houghton, Argentina most certainly built on his goal-scoring momentum of the night before as he dropped in two more goals in the third period, including the game winner, eight minutes apart in the game’s final 10 minutes.

Auyeung-Ashton got the start for the second straight night and made it pay off for the Wildcats, stopping 42 shots, including 18 in the final period. Bartoszkiewicz stopped 34 shots, 16 in the opening period.

After surviving all the shorthanded play in the first period — nine minutes worth on a major and two minors — trailing just 1-0, Northern got to work when freshman Tobias Pitka, just weeks after playing for his home Slovakia in the world juniors tournament, tied the game with 6:23 left in the second.

His tally came on a power play when he deflected a Cisar shot from the left side of the net as Ward also got an assist.

Still tied entering the third, Argentina untied it with 9:02 left on a rush opportunity when Cisar slid a rebound of a shot by Pitka across the crease and to a waiting Argentina, according to an NMU Sports Information account of the game.

Argentina then made it 3-1 with 2:57 left when Tech pulled its goalie quite early and the NMU forward made the Huskies pay with an empty-netter.

However, MTU emptied its net quite quickly after the ensuing center-ice faceoff and made it pay off for them when Trembecky scored with 1:06 to go.

But the Wildcats held on over the final minute-plus to double its win total this season.

MTU 8, NMU 2

Friday at Berry Events Center

Summary:

First period — 1. MTU, Isaac Gordon (Koskipirtti, Sardarian) ppg 3:07; 2. MTU, Stiven Sardarian (Koskipirtti, Prouty) 6:01; 3. MTU, Teydon Trembecky (Reinhart) 7:51

Second period — 4. MTU, Reid Andresen (Sardarian, Gordon) 5:16; 5. MTU, Sardarian (Koskipirtti, Anderson) ppg 6:10; 6. MTU, Noah Reinhart (Jansson, Andresen) ppg 7:02; 7. MTU, Reinhart (Jansson, Trembecky) 16:33

Third period — 8. NMU, Peter Cisar (Ewart, Argentina) 9:01; 9. NMU, Matthew Argentina (Ward, Beaulieu) ppg 16:06; 10. MTU, Trembecky (Reinhart, Prouty) 19:06

Penalties-minutes: MTU 4-8, NMU 4-8

Power-play opportunities: MTU 3 of 3, NMU 1 of 3

Goalie saves: MTU, Owen Bartoszkiewicz 30 (9-10-11); NMU 12-9-7–28 (Oliver Auyeung-Ashton 4-x-x, William Gramme 8-9-x, Max Weilandt x-x-7)

NMU 3, MTU 2

Saturday at Houghton

Summary:

First period — 1. MTU, Elias Jansson (Koskipirtti, Sardarian) ppg 13:56

Second period — 2. NMU, Tobias Pitka (Cisar, Ward) ppg 13:37

Third period — 3. NMU, Matthew Argentina (Cisar) 10:58; 4. NMU, Argentina (Ward) eng 18:03; 5. MTU, Teydon Trembecky (Jansson, Birnie) 18:54

Penalties-minutes: NMU 6-23, MTU 4-8

Power-play opportunities: NMU 1 of 3, MTU 1 of 6

Goalie saves: NMU, Oliver Auyeung-Ashton 42 (11-13-18); MTU, Owen Bartoszkiewicz 34 (16-10-8)

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.