Could be an even matchup: Mankato just ahead of Wildcats in CCHA
Mankato just ahead of Wildcats in CCHA
Skaters from Northern Michigan University, top, and Stonehill converge in front of the Wildcats' net during their college hockey game played at the Berry Events Center in Marquette on Oct. 17. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
Northern Michigan University’s Noah Houle, left, takes a shot that Stonehill goaltender Mason Vaccari, far right, stops during their game played at the Berry Events Center in Marquette on Oct. 17. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
Skaters from Northern Michigan University, top, and Stonehill converge in front of the Wildcats' net during their college hockey game played at the Berry Events Center in Marquette on Oct. 17. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
Northern Michigan University’s Noah Houle, left, takes a shot that Stonehill goaltender Mason Vaccari, far right, stops during their game played at the Berry Events Center in Marquette on Oct. 17. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
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MARQUETTE -- You could call it a perfect season so far for the Northern Michigan University hockey team.
"Perfect" hasn't contributed to a lot of winning on the ice, if you consider that the term refers to the Wildcats having faced a team receiving votes in national polls every single series in this young season.
NMU takes on another opponent receiving those polling votes this weekend when it hosts CCHA foe Minnesota State-Mankato at 7:07 p.m. today and 6:07 p.m. Saturday at the Berry Events Center.
The Mavericks, however, only sit in a tie for fifth place in the league after their opening CCHA weekend produced a pair of 2-2 overtime ties at home against Lake Superior State. Mankato won the first night's shootout and the Lakers took Saturday's.
That gives the Mavs three points, which unfortunately for the Wildcats is three more than they have after being swept in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, by Augustana last weekend, 12-0 and 4-1.
Mankato is getting its national polling votes on the strength of a 2-4-2 overall record coming against Wisconsin, St. Thomas and Merrimack, both wins coming vs. former CCHA member St. Thomas on Oct. 23-24.
Actually, some statistics look fairly even between this weekend's combatants. For instance, Mankato has scored 15 goals and Northern 14 in the same number of games, eight.
NMU averages 22.13 shots on goal per game, seventh in the eight-team CCHA, but the Mavericks are eighth at 22.00.
The Wildcats also have an advantage on the power play, converting 17.9% of the time, third in the league, while Mankato is fourth at 14.8%.
Where there's a big discrepancy is on the penalty kill, with the Mavs second at .852 and NMU seventh at .676. But Northern has one of the league's four shorthanded goals, Mankato does not.
NMU is also No. 1 in the league in faceoff winning percentage at .509 while the Mavericks are seventh at .458.
And Northern is also at the top of the CCHA heap in blocked shots with 127 while Mankato is third with 99.
To purchase tickets for this weekend's games, visit the Wildcats online ticket seller, NMU Tickets, at tickets.nmu.edu. Fans can live stream both games through MidcoSports Plus or listen to radio station WUPT 100.3 FM The Point. Fans can also follow along with live statistics and postgame coverage provided through nmuwildcats.com, and subscribe to the official NMU hockey social media accounts for coverage.
The opener against Augustana was a low point for a Wildcats team that seemed to be turning it around. However, NMU was missing its CCHA Preseason First Team goaltender Oliver Auyeung-Ashton -- no reason given by NMU Sports Information -- and regular backups Max Weilandt and Jack Fuller just couldn't withstand the 48 shots on goal the Vikings peppered them with that night.
In fact, NMU SI mentioned that the team had to fly out Fuller on the morning of the first game of the series to South Dakota to be Weilandt's backup that evening.
Weilandt and the Northern defense withstood Augustana's attack much better on Saturday, with Weilandt playing the entire game and facing 39 shots. The goalie kept NMU in the game, 1-1 after two periods, before back-to-back goals 1:08 apart early in the third doomed the Wildcats. The final goal was an empty-netter in the final 2 1/2 minutes.
"We obviously, you know, were humbled after Friday," Northern head coach Dave Shyiak said to NMU SI in its preview of this weekend.
"Sometimes you can't bounce back from (a tough game on Friday) mentally, and we talked about that as a group; you got to show some type of resolve and resiliency, and I thought we did a real nice job of that in the second game on Saturday night."
Merril Steenari, a transfer from Colorado College in the offseason, rejoined the Wildcat lineup for the first time since the season opener, scoring his second goal in four games on Saturday. Newly appointed alternate captain Branden Piku added an assist after playing in his 100th collegiate game on Friday.
Despite some struggles by Mankato this season, Shyiak is still wary of a Mavericks team that has had great success in the league, along with the former WCHA, over the past decade.
"They've got a winning pedigree (in Mankato)," Shyiak said. "They've won for many, many years.
"They're very structured, they play within themselves, they wait for their opportunities, and they just play a really simple structured game and they they adhere to it and that can be difficult to play against.
"So, it'll be a good matchup.... We have to take another step forward and for us to do that we got to focus on ourselves."
Story contents based on Northern Michigan University Sports Information press release previewing the games. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee's email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.