BIG RAPIDS, Mich. — The Northern Michigan hockey team overcame a two-goal deficit to top Ferris State, 3-2, Saturday night at Ewigleben Arena.

Darren Nowick's 11th goal of the season completed the comeback at 15:26 of the third, and Mathias Dahlstrom made 15 of his 36 saves in the final frame, to lift the Wildcats to 13-11-6 (10-8-4 WCHA) and keep them in the race for home ice in the WCHA tournament. 

In an even first period, Northern Michigan's best opportunity came with just over six minutes remaining. After fighting off his defender, Cohen Adair carried the puck behind the net and sent a backhand pass to Brock Maschmeyer in the slot. Maschmeyer's blistering one-timer hit the post and deflected harmlessly to the boards.

The Wildcats fell behind, 2-0, in the second period after the Bulldogs netted two goals before the 15:00 mark. Gerald Mayhew opened the scoring at 8:09, roofing a shot over Dahlstrom's glove on a transition play. Then, at 14:18, Ferris State capitalized on its second man advantage of the frame, as a Chad McDonald shot beat a screened Dahlstrom.

A minute and 10 seconds after the Bulldogs pulled ahead by two, Gerard Hanson struck to draw the Wildcats back within one. After a Nowick draw win, Hanson came up with the puck in a goalmouth scramble and sent it past Darren Smith.

Seconds after a Northern Michigan man advantage expired, Jordan Klimek's point shot hit a Bulldog and deflected to Denver Pierce, who was stationed in between the circles. Pierce's bullet beat Smith cleanly, evening the score at two all with just 34 seconds remaining in the frame.

Early in the third period, Matt Robertson had a chance to regain the lead for Ferris State, but Dahlstrom stopped his initial shot and Robertson sent the rebound wide. The Bulldogs outshot the Wildcats, 15-5, in the frame, but Dahlstrom stood tall, setting up Nowick's heroics.

After carrying the puck down low, Dominik Shine found Nowick in the slot through traffic. Nowick buried Shine's seeing-eye feed on his backhand, sending the puck into the upper left corner of the net.

Northern Michigan successfully killed off a late Ferris State power play to maintain its lead. Then, with Smith pulled for the extra attacker, the Wildcats held fast, with Nowick and Shine each blocking a shot and Dahlstrom denying McDonald with a pad save just as time expired.

The Wildcats return to the ice next weekend, hosting Alabama-Huntsville Feb. 19-20.

NOTES: Northern Michigan leads the all-time series, 53-28-5 ... Head coach Walt Kyle reached the 250-win plateau with the victory ...  Nowick has netted at least a point in seven of the Wildcats' last eight games; he has 11 points (2g-9a) over that span ... With two assists, which matched his career high last accomplished Jan. 8 at Minnesota State, Shine extended his point streak to five games ... Zach Urban, who missed significant time due to injury, picked up his first point of the season with the secondary assist on Nowick's game-winning goal ... Maschmeyer hit the 100-game plateau; he is one of two Wildcats on this year's team to reach the milestone, joining Nowick (132) and Shane Sooth (103).