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Intense rivalry

MARQUETTE – The Northern Michigan University hockey Wildcats are in the most difficult stretch of their season. This weekend, they’ll be facing their archrival in a pivotal series.

The Wildcats will face off against Michigan Tech in a home-and-home series. It’s arguably the biggest meeting the two teams have had in quite a while, which could make for an intense two nights.

“It’s a great weekend for us,” NMU head coach Walt Kyle said. “It’s a great rivalry. I’ve said it before: I think both schools are blessed to be able to have it and both communities are blessed to have it. We’re excited to get the chance to play.

“I think every college program probably has teams that they are rivals with and that they like to play. Ours is right here and right in our face.

“I think that makes a great environment to play in. Players like to play against good teams and rivals in great venues with a lot of people,” he added.

When asked what comes to mind when someone says Michigan Tech, Wildcats captain Ryan Kesti smirked and said “hatred.”

The senior is looking forward to playing the Huskies and emphasized the importance of keeping the MTU offense in check.

“It should be a fun weekend,” he said. “We look forward to this. The key this weekend will be playing with emotion and then keeping it in check.

“(Tech is) a good offensive team and we need to make sure that we play defensively sound and from there, control their chances.”

The Huskies are having their best season in decades with a record of 15-5 after starting with 10 straight victories.

That winning streak helped Tech hold the No. 1 ranking in the country briefly.

The Huskies are gunning for their first NCAA Tournament berth since 1981.

As hot as Tech has been, it stumbled this year, most glaringly last Saturday when the Huskies were shut out by Wisconsin, which has a 2-11-1 record.

Offensively, the Huskies are balanced, with six players reaching double digits in points. Tanner Kero is tied for sixth in the nation in scoring.

Tech is also strong in net. Jamie Phillips is fifth in the country in goals against average (1.66) and save percentage (.939). The junior is also a potential Hobey Baker candidate with Kero.

Normally, Northern would counter Phillips with star goalie Mathias Dahlstrom, but Dahlstrom’s status is up in the air for the third straight series.

However, Wildcats goalie Michael Doan has filled in for Dahlstrom fairly well. He helped NMU pick up hard-fought ties with Bemidji State and fourth-ranked Minnesota State on Saturday.

Doan has been waiting for this opportunity and is prepared for what the Huskies are bringing to the table.

“I’ve been working for it the last three years,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that Mathias got hurt, but I’ve prepared every day as if I’m going to play.

“When I got my chance, I was ready for it and I feel like I’ve played well, so I’m happy about it.

“I know that they like to block a lot of shots in their own end which can create a lot of rushes that come back the other way,” he added.

“They have a smaller rink, so when we’re at their place, there’s a lot of traffic, a lot of wheeling around the net and shots are coming from everywhere.

“I try to prepare the same way no matter who we are playing. It’s just you and the puck out there.”

While Tech is nationally-ranked and gaining attention from all over, NMU on the other hand, is sitting fifth in the WCHA standings.

The Wildcats are hoping to earn a home playoff series and with fourth place Alaska-Fairbanks ineligible for this postseason, NMU currently holds the final home spot.

A win – and especially a sweep this weekend – would be a huge confidence boost for NMU and give the Wildcats that extra boost to clinch the home playoff series.

Kyle was disappointed with how the Wildcats performed Friday in a 4-1 loss to Minnesota State, but was pleased with their effort in Saturday’s 2-2 tie.

He changed his lines that night and played some guys that normally might not see ice time. Kyle said that could happen again this weekend.

“I didn’t think we did a good job on Friday,” Kyle said. “I thought Saturday we played hard and played physical. We were mentally strong and we did we needed to do to contain them.

“We took some guys out that we didn’t think were paying the price mentally and physically that they needed to and we put some guys in there that we knew would.

“There’s a good chance that those guys will see time both games, or at least one game this weekend,” he added.

Kesti says this weekend is special, not simply because the two teams are rivals, but they’re starting to get back in the national conversation.

“No matter what, the game is going to be fun,” he said. “It’ll be intense. They are a big deal.

“To have them be at the level they are now and for us to look to climb that ladder, it makes it a little extra special.”

Ryan Stieg can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 246.

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