MARQUETTE, Mich. –  The Northern Michigan Ice Hockey team hits the road for the first time this season as they head down state to take on the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP) for an exhibition tilt Saturday evening (October 5). The game will be held at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m.

For Coach Potulny, this exhibition means a little more to him. His mentor growing up, Jim Johannson, the late assistant executive director of USA Hockey, dreamed of collegiate teams making the trek to Plymouth, Michigan to play an exhibition game at USA Hockey Arena against his USNTDP. Potulny, aware of this wish, made a promise to Johannson that he would bring his squad down to play the development team in the near future. Johannson unfortuantely passed away in early 2018 but the Northern Micihgan team was eager to fulfill that promise made.

WEEKLY NOTES

AGAINST THE USNTDP

The last time the two teams faced off, it was the Wildcats coming out on top, shutting out the USNTDP 4-0 in 2015-16. All-time, the Wildcats are 6-1-1 against the development team.

The USNTDP U18 squad are undefeated this season in USHL play, posting a 3-0 record heading into this weekend.

Based out of Plymouth, Michigan, the national team was founded in 1996 "to prepare student-athletes under the age of 18 for participation on the U.S. National Teams and success in their future hockey careers" as stated in their mission. Having relocated from Ann Arbor, Michigan in 2015, the team now competes as a member of the USHL with USA Hockey Arena serving as their home ice.

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ON THE RETURNERS

Seventeen members of the 2018-19 squad will lace their skates up again for the Wildcats this season. Nolan Kent looks strong in net as the last line of defense, taking over for all-time Wildcat program leader Atte Tolvanen who was named WCHA Goaltender of the Year in 2018-19. On the blueline, the Wildcats return three members of last season's team, including reigning WCHA Defenseman of the Year in senior captain Philip Beaulieu. He is joined by fellow senior Rylan Yaremko and junior Adam Roeder. Eleven Wildcats are back at the front, in two seniors, three juniors and six sophomores. The offense talent amassed 114 of the Wildcats' total 282 points last season.

FRESH FACES

The Wildcats add nine newcomers to the team in 2019-20 as well as junior defenseman, Ben Newhouse, who sat out the 2018-19 season due to transfer requirements. The team also added three goaltenders in the offseason, two of which look to split time between the pipes with sophomore netminder, Nolan Kent. 

MAKING UP POINTS

In the off-season, Northern Michigan lost 46% of their point-scoring to graduation but the 2019-20 squad seems poised to fill those shoes. Two rising seniors made up part of the team's top-five scorers last year in Philip Beaulieu (6-29-35) and Darien Craighead (10-10-20). The veteran duo now looks to lead the young team to even more time in the offensive zone

PRESEASON RANKINGS

The Wildcats were pegged to finish fourth in the WCHA this season as voted on by the league's coaches in the 2019-20 Mankato Free Press WCHA Preseason Coaches' Poll. The media picked Northern Michigan to finish third through the regular season, behind only unanimous favorite Minnesota State and Bowling Green.

2019-20 CAPTAINS

Having served as an alternate captain in 2018-19, senior defenseman Philip Beaulieu (Duluth, Minn.) was named captain of the 2019-20 squad prior to the season.

YEAR THREE UNDER COACH POTULNY

The third head coach in NMU Hockey history enters his third season behind the bench in 2019-20. In two seasons with the team, Potulny has led the Wildcats to two 20+ win seasons and boasts a career head coaching record of 46-31-5. Last season the team went 21-16-2, which included a berth in the WCHA semifinals where they faced Bowling Green. In his first season at the helm of the Wildcats, Potulny's team recorded a 25-15-3 season, it's first 25-win season since 2001-02 and advanced to the WCHA Championship game. 

UP NEXT

The Wildcats open their regular season at home against the Spartans of Michigan State. Former CCHA rivals, the two teams have met on 71 occasions, including a series split last season in East Lansing. After dropping their first contest downstate, NMU came back to beat Michigan State, 4-3, on Saturday night. The Spartans own the all-time series with a 31-36-4 record, but the Wildcats have had the upper hand in recent memory with a 13-7-2 mark in the last 22 meetings.