Local Sports

NMU hockey gets first sweep in 2 years, takes out CCHA’s top team

MARQUETTE -- The Northern Michigan University hockey team might have been overdue for a series sweep, but even the most optimistic of fans might not have thought it would come against the CCHA's best.

The Wildcats powered to 4-3 and 5-3 victories over former first-place Bowling Green State at the Berry Events Center over the weekend, vaulting from a tie for last place up to fifth place, just four points behind new frontrunner Augustana.

And they're not in their new lofty position because of playing extra league games -- rather, all eight league teams have played six CCHA contests.

NMU improved to 5-7 overall and 3-3 in the conference for nine points compared to 13 points for Augustana, which swept the Wildcats just two weeks earlier in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Northern is also three points behind now-second place BGSU, two points in arrears to third-place Minnesota State-Mankato and a single point less than fourth-place Michigan Tech.

The sweep was just the second in Dave Shyiak's two-plus seasons as Wildcats' head coach, the other coming two seasons

ago at Bemidji State on Jan. 17-18, 2025. Those victories were by scores of 4-1 and 3-1.

It was also NMU's first home sweep since turning the trick against these same Falcons on March 1-2, 2024, 4-1 and 1-0 triumphs.

Next up on Northern's docket is a trip to last-place Ferris State, which lost at Augustana 3-2 in overtime and 4-1 over the weekend.

Here are details from the Bowling Green series:

NMU 4, Bowling Green 3

On Friday evening, the Wildcats successfully finished off several comebacks when freshman forward Aapo Katavisto bagged his first collegiate goal with 1:10 remaining for the winner.

"We had really good pushback, and when we got that second goal, I thought we took it over," Shyiak said in an NMU Sports Information news release reviewing this game. "We are a four-line team, and everyone chipped in. It was a grindy type of game, and I thought our team responded well."

The Falcons scored the first goal about six minutes in, initially forcing Northern into its first comeback. Then after the Wildcats tied the score, BGSU scored back-to-back goals to take a two-goal lead early in the third period.

But the NMU offense came up with three goals in the final 9 1/2 minutes to not only overcome the deficit, but get the victory in regulation, worth an extra point in the league standings.

Northern managed 12 shots on goal in the final period as part of a season-high 32, forcing Bowling Green goalkeeper Jacob Steinman to make 28 saves. His Wildcats counterpart, Oliver Auyeung-Ashton, had 30 saves.

Each team bagged a power play goal in three chances, while one of NMU's goal scorers, freshman Coster Dunn, led all players with 10 total shots and five on goal.

Dunn also joined teammate Reilley Kotai in winning a team-high eight faceoffs.

But it was the Falcons who scored the only goal of the first period when the Northern defense broke down for a moment, according to NMU SI, and Brody Waters got in to score.

That goal held up for just over 20 minutes playing time until Wildcats senior forward Girts Silkalns notched a "bar down" goal for his first point of the season as freshman Darik Olson picked up the assist for his first collegiate point.

Then just before the midpoint of the second period, exactly 3:20 after Silkalns' goal, Bowling Green retook the lead with a power play goal by Ben Doran, who collected a loose puck in front of Auyeung-Ashton on a power play and sent it home.

NMU didn't have an answer yet, with the Falcons' Ty Cheveldayoff making it 3-1 about 5 1/2 minutes into the third. He also gathered a loose puck in front of the Northern goalie and backhanded it through the five-hole.

Now with urgency at the forefront, the Wildcats didn't waste a lot of time, getting one back 5:01 later when Dunn took advantage of a second shot attempt when he missed on the first as Katavisto and sophomore forward Peter Cisar earned assists.

Still needing one more goal to pull even, Bowling Green was whistled for a minor penalty with 8:01 left. Junior forward Grayden Slipec made it pay off just 22 seconds into the power play with a goal that was assisted by Michael Burchill, his fourth of the season.

That was two goals in less than two minutes.

But they couldn't get the go-ahead goal until time was really running down. With 70 seconds left, Northern sophomore forward Mathew Ward made a clean pass across the ice to Katavisto, who shot it past Steinman's glove side for the final lead.

NMU 5, Bowling Green 3

On Saturday night, the Wildcats cashed in the series sweep after three previous opening-game wins this season ended up as splits with a loss on a Saturday.

On this night, Northern never trailed, though there was adversity when the Falcons erased NMU's two-goal lead in a span of just 3 1/2 minutes in the middle of the second period.

The Wildcats recovered to score their own back-to-backs and retake control.

"We played our game on our toes, we played tough, and that's a really good hockey team on the other side," Shyiak said in another NMU SI roundup of the game. "I am happy for our young group. They are starting to understand that it takes a total team effort, and they showed that."

Auyeung-Ashton finished with 22 saves as the Wildcats again held a narrow shots-on-goal margin, this night 28-25. A different BGSU goalie, Tyler Palmer, made 23 saves, including 14 in the opening period when the home team initially took control.

Northern also scored a pair of power play goals even while giving up a shorthanded one, making it three power-play tallies over the weekend.

NMU scored rather quickly to start this night when junior forward Medrick Bolduc tipped in a Falcons' errant pass by Carson Campbell 6:38 in. It was Bolduc's first goal of the season as a pair of defensemen picked up assists -- freshman Jason Davenport and sophomore Ian Engle, the latter getting another assist later in the game.

Northern made it 2-0 with 55 seconds left in the opening period just nine seconds into a power play. Freshman defenseman Evan Depatie, who led the team in total shots on this night with eight, had a shot blocked by Palmer, but the determined Depatie skated around the back of the net, emerging on the other side to swat the loose puck into the net.

Senior forward Branden Piku and Slipec earned assists, Slipec also finishing with two on the night.

Then on a Wildcats five-minute power play in the first half of the second period, the Falcons instead cashed in when Dominik Rymon rocketed the puck cleanly past Auyeung-Ashton to make it 2-1 with 11:25 left in the period.

Less than 3 1/2 minutes later with the major penalty expired, BGSU tied it on an even-strength goal from Peteris Bulans, grabbing the momentum from NMU.

However, Burchill negated that less than 90 seconds later when, with 6:42 left in the second, Burchill picked up his second point of the weekend with the go-ahead goal that was assisted by Cisar and Engel.

Northern created a little space early in the third. Piku gave the Wildcats their second power-play tally of the night with 15:53 to go, firing a long-range shot from the blue line that flew in as Slipec got the assist.

It was an important goal as Bowling Green picked up a power play tally with 25.5 seconds remaining following a high-sticking call on Piku exactly one minute earlier and the Falcons pulling Palmer to make it a 6-on-4.

In a position Shyiak has often found himself in, BGSU quickly pulled the goal again, but this time the Wildcats made them pay when Cisar slammed home an empty-netter with exactly one second left.

NMU 4, BGSU 3

Friday at Berry Events Center

Summary:

First period -- 1. BG, Brody Waters (Whynott, Campbell) 6:01

Second period -- 2. NMU, Girts Silkalns (Olson) 6:13; 3. BG, Ben Doran (Higgins, McKinley) ppg 9:33

Third period -- 4. BG, Ty Cheveldayoff (Sloan, Higgins) 5:31; 5. NMU, Coster Dunn (Katavisto, Cisar) 10:32; 6. NMU, Grayden Slipec (Burchill) ppg 12:21; 7. NMU, Aapo Katavisto (Ward, Silkalns) 18:50

Penalties-minutes: Bowling Green 4-8, NMU 3-6

Power-play opportunities: Bowling Green 1 of 3, NMU 1 of 3

Goalie saves: Bowling Green, Jacob Steinman 28 (12-7-9); NMU, Oliver Auyeung-Ashton 27 (11-9-7)

NMU 5, BGSU 3

Saturday at Berry Events Center

Summary:

First period -- 1. NMU, Medrick Bolduc (Davenport, Engel) 6:38; 2. NMU, Evan Depatie (Piku, Slipec) ppg 19:05

Second period -- 3. BG, Dominik Rymon (unassisted) shg 8:35; 4. BG, Peteris Bulans (Soto, Bushy) 11:53; 5. NMU, Michael Burchill (Cisar, Engel) 13:18

Third period -- 6. NMU, Branden Piku (Depatie, Slipec) ppg 4:07; 7. BG, Brody Waters (Doran, Hotson) ppg 19:34; 8. NMU, Peter Cisar (Olson, Houle) eng 19:59

Penalties-minutes: Bowling Green 4-19, NMU 3-6

Power-play opportunities: Bowling Green 1 of 3, NMU 2 of 3

Goalie saves: Bowling Green, Tyler Palmer 23 (12-10-1); NMU, Oliver Auyeung-Ashton 22 (9-5-8)

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