Home cooking smells so good: NMU hockey won’t be home again this month after BGSU in town
NMU hockey won’t be home again this month after BGSU in town
Northern Michigan University’s Grayden Slipec, right, tries to get to the puck before Minnesota State-Mankato’s Alex Zetterberg during their CCHA hockey game played at the Berry Events Center in Marquette on Friday. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
Northern Michigan University’s Branden Piku, right, works to take control of the puck after the Wildcats’ Mathew Ward, front left, falls into Minnesota State-Mankato’s Sawyer Scholl, back left, during their CCHA game played at the Berry Events Center in Marquette on Friday. Each Wildcat scored his second goal of the season on this night. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
Northern Michigan University’s Grayden Slipec, right, tries to get to the puck before Minnesota State-Mankato’s Alex Zetterberg during their CCHA hockey game played at the Berry Events Center in Marquette on Friday. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
Northern Michigan University’s Branden Piku, right, works to take control of the puck after the Wildcats’ Mathew Ward, front left, falls into Minnesota State-Mankato’s Sawyer Scholl, back left, during their CCHA game played at the Berry Events Center in Marquette on Friday. Each Wildcat scored his second goal of the season on this night. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
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MARQUETTE -- Fans won't get another chance to catch a home game this month after the Northern Michigan University hockey team hosts CCHA-leading Bowling Green State this weekend.
Starting times are the usual home-game 7:07 p.m. on Friday and 6:07 p.m. on Saturday at the Berry Events Center.
The Wildcats' next home game is on Friday, Dec. 4, against their main Upper Peninsula rival Michigan Tech as the opener of their typical home-and-home series, with the Saturday game that weekend in Houghton.
The following weekend, NMU's last games before Christmas, will be a home series vs. Augustana on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 11-12.
Before those upcoming home games, the Wildcats travel to Ferris State on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 20-21.
Northern takes the weekend immediately following Thanksgiving off, just like they'll do for several weekends after the Augustana series before traveling to Milwaukee for the Kwik Trip Holiday Faceoff on Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 29-30.
NMU is 3-7 overall and 1-3 in the CCHA, good for three points and a tie with Lake Superior State for seventh place in the eight-team league.
Bowling Green is at the other end of the spectrum, going a perfect 4-0 in league games, though only 6-4 overall, and having 12 points in the CCHA, a four-point lead on second-place Augustana (7-0-3, 2-0-2).
"I think they’ve got traction to their game right now," Northern head coach Dave Shyiak said in an NMU Sports Information news release previewing the series. "They look like a seasoned team right now, even though it's only four games in.
"I think there are key drivers for their team -- they've got great depth on both offense and defense, and the goaltending is playing solid.
"So, it's going to be a challenge, but I want our guys to embrace the challenge."
The Falcons, who the Northern coach also characterized as being his team's "most physical opponent" to date, are receiving votes in this week's two major national polls conducted by USCHO.com and USA Today. BGSU has outscored league opponents 20-9 as it has swept LSSU 6-2 and 4-2 and Bemidji State 5-2 and 5-3 over the past three weekends.
Before that, Bowling Green was swept at No. 2 Michigan 7-2 and 4-3 to open the season, then won twice at the Ice Breaker Tournament in Fairfield, Connecticut, downing Sacred Heart 3-2 and No. 14 UConn 5-2, and finally were swept at home by Niagara 3-2 in overtime and 2-1.
NMU SI also noted that the Falcons are the eighth-oldest team in NCAA Division I with an average age just over 22 years old. And they're the tallest and third-heaviest team in the CCHA.
For this weekend's games, fans can purchase tickets by visiting the NMU Tickets website at tickets.nmu.edu, live stream both games online through MidcoSports Plus or tune in to radio station WUPT 100.3 FM The Point. Fans can also follow along with live statistics and post-game coverage provided through nmuwildcats.com, and subscribe to the official Northern hockey social media accounts for coverage all throughout the weekend.
Last weekend, the Wildcats won their first league game of the season in the opener of a series with another team receiving votes in the polls, Minnesota State-Mankato. While playing at the Berry, NMU was a 2-1 victor on Friday before settling for the split after a 3-0 setback on Saturday.
"Obviously, winning our first league game is good," Shyiak said. "I certainly thought it was a battle against a good opponent that won the league last year, and then for us, we got to get a little bit more consistency from night to night."
Sophomore Ian Engel and senior Branden Piku each scored their second goals of the season for Northern in the triumph.
Piku, a transfer from Lake Superior State in the offseason, is among four players leading the Wildcats with four points this season, while Engel, a transfer from North Dakota during the summer, is in another quartet with three points apiece.
Interestingly, NMU's 16 goals have been scored by 10 players, the leader being Darik Olson with three goals and also three points.
Sophomore goaltender Oliver Auyeung-Ashton returned to the lineup vs. Mankato after missing the Augustana series two weeks ago.
For the season, he has a 3-5 record with one shutout, .924 saves percentage and 2.38 goals against average. In NCAA official stats listed at www.ncaa.com, Auyeung-Ashton is 25th in saves percentage and 28th in goals against. Those stats include goalies with less than two full games played.
Story contents based on a Northern Michigan University Sports Information press release previewing the series. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee's email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.