MARQUETTE – Last year at this point in the season, the Northern Michigan University hockey team was preparing for a nonconference series against Penn State.

This year, NMU is again playing out of the WCHA, this time against No. 19 Minnesota-Duluth. The series takes place Jan. 29-30, with the Wildcats (9-9-6, 7-7-4 WCHA) having an off-week in their schedule this weekend.

That week off is the difference this year, so the Wildcats have an extra week to prepare for the big series. Even though it can be a nuisance, assistant coach John Kyle says a nonconference weekend could benefit his squad.

“I kind of like the idea (of a nonconference series) since we’re trying to get healthy and we’re almost healthy,” he said, “Coming off those injuries, a lot of guys are going to need a couple of games before league play to sharpen themselves up coming back into the lineup. These could be great games for that.”

So far this season, UMD (8-8-5) has underachieved. The Bulldogs were the trendy team to win the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, but they have been inconsistent.

They picked up three straight shutout wins, but were later shut out on back-to-back nights by No. 2 North Dakota.

UMD also dropped four games in a row to ranked opponents like No. 8 UMass-Lowell and No. 15 Denver, as well as getting swept by No. 7 Nebraska-Omaha.

Still, Duluth is potent offensively and has a quality goaltender in Kasimir Kaskisuo.

“I think they’re a team with a lot of depth and they’re well-coached,” Kyle said. “They bring a lot of energy and they’re very disciplined in their play.

“We’re playing them here and I think that’s an advantage. We love having the students back and having that energy.

“We’re going to be home at a rink that we’re familiar with and if we play our system and execute like we should, the game plan in place is there for us to win those games,” he added.

“Duluth is going to have something to say about that. But by the same token, I don’t think they’re going to come in here and run all over us by any means.

“They’re not that type of team and I think we’ll play toe-to-toe with them.”

Last weekend, the Wildcats salvaged a split against Alaska-Fairbanks at home. After falling in an overtime heartbreaker on Friday, Northern fired in five goals Saturday to get an important conference win.

“We’re not happy with a split, especially at home,” Kyle said. “They’re a good team. On paper, we’re fairly similar.

“I thought we didn’t come out quite with the same urgency on Friday and on Saturday, we did and it showed.”

Goalie Mathias Dahlstrom also returned to action on Saturday and looked sharp in his first start since Oct. 16.

Dahlstrom suffered a season-ending knee injury last January and been battling an ailing back so far this year before his triumphant return last week.

“He was ready,” Kyle said. “We know what he can bring and there’s a certain poise that he has. He has proven he can win and we can win games that we shouldn’t win on just his play alone.

“We’ve had great goaltending from everybody this year and Mathias is certainly part of that with the body of work that he’s done before. He was really solid. He fought it just a little bit early, but he just composed himself and shut them right down.”

The question now for the Wildcats is who’s going to be the No. 1 netminder. Dahlstrom, Atte Tolvanen and Mathias Israelsson have all showcased their talents this year. They’ve all looked good, so it’s going to be a tough call for the coaches going forward.

“They’re all healthy right now,” Kyle said. “Mathias is coming back and we want to give him some work, too, but we also have a responsibility to develop these younger guys.

“I think before the playoffs start here, they’re all going to get chances throughout the week and in different games. That’s our plan.

“A lot of teams around the country would love to have one of our goalies and they’ve shown that they’ve been that good. It’s a little harder to roll the dice and pick a goaltender when you have three versus two.

“You’ve got to keep everybody happy, and in that position, especially, in the right mindset,” Kyle said.

“Staying focused is important and you want them to make them feel that they’re participating and contributing all in an equal way.

“At the end, they’re going to show us who is the best goalie. Somebody is going to rise up and the other guys are going to be competing for that second spot.”

The puck drops at 7:07 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 29-30, at the Berry Events Center.

Ryan Stieg can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 246. His email address is rstieg@miningjournal.net.