MARQUETTE, Mich. - The Wildcats make the trip out east for the first non-conference meetings of the year. NMU will visit New York state with a weekend series at the Raiders of Colgate University.
NMU and Colgate will drop the puck at 7 p.m. on Friday, October 7 to begin the series. It will wrap up on Saturday, October 8 at 4 p.m.
Follow Along
Make sure to follow @NMUHockey on Twitter to get updates throughout the week leading up to the games and for live updates while the 'Cats are on the ice.
Friday, October 7 at 7 PM
Live Stats
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Game Notes
Saturday, October 8 at 4 PM
Live Stats
Watch on ESPN+
Listen
Game Notes
Last Week
Northern started the season with a rare conference series against Bowling Green State. The Falcons took game one 6-4, but the Wildcats bounced back with a 4-3 OT win on Sunday.
AJ Vanderbeck bested the goaltender short side in 3-on-3 OT for the Sunday victory.
Transfer
Artem Shlaine (1G, 3A) led the way with four points.
Mikey Colella (2G, 1A),
AJ Vanderbeck (2G, 1A),
Joey Larson (1G, 2A), and
Andre Ghantous (3A) all had a three-point weekend.
Josh Zinger had an assist in each game to start his career.
Players of the Week
Joey Larson took home CCHA Rookie of the Week and Aiden Gallacher (8 blocked shots) claimed CCHA Defenseman of the Week.
Atop the Nation
After the first weekend of action, NMU is tied for first in the country in power-play goals (4), third in power-play percentage (44.4%, 4-9), second in faceoff win percentage (67.2%, 82-122), and third in total assists (15) and points (23).
Aiden Gallacher is 2nd in the country and 1st in the CCHA with 8 blocked shots.
Mikey Colella is T-1st in the nation with two power-play goals.
Artem Shlaine is T-2nd in points (4) and T-3rd in assists (3).
A Look at the Wildcats
AJ Vanderbeck has been selected to the All-CCHA Preseason Team after earning Second Team honors last season. Vanderbeck had 24 goals and 19 assists for 43 points. His 24 goals led the CCHA a season ago.
Freshman forward
Joey Larson has been named the CCHA Preseason Rookie of the Year. Larson received Michigan's Mr. Hockey Award in 2019.
Charlie Glockner returns in net after being named to the All-CCHA Rookie Team last season.
Andre Ghantous ranked in the top-10 in the CCHA last season with 26 assists.
A Look at Colgate
The Raiders scrimmaged RPI and won 4-2 while also winning 5-1 over Guelph in exhibition action.
A season ago, Colgate went 18-18-4 and 9-9-4 in the ECAC. Colton Young led the Raiders with 15 goals and 32 points. His brother, Alex Young, paced the team with 21 assists.
The Wildcats have gone 3-0 when matching up with Colgate. The Raiders visited Marquette last season, and NMU won 4-2 and 6-3.
AJ Vanderbeck had a goal and four assists in the series while
Mikey Colella and
Alex Frye each added a goal and assist of their own.
In the Polls
The Wildcats were picked to finish second in the CCHA Coaches' Preseason Poll. NMU received 61 points and two first-place votes. Minnesota State sits in first with 69 points and six first-place votes.
NMU is receiving votes in the USCHO poll and the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll. Colgate is receiving votes in the USCHO poll.
Coach Potulny Weekly Preview
2022-23 Captains
AJ Vanderbeck and
Tanner Vescio will represent the Wildcats with the Captain patch this season. Alternate captains
David Keefer and
Andre Ghantous will also take part in the leadership group.
Roster Breakdown
The 30-man 2022-23 roster consists of eight seniors, ten juniors, two sophomores, one redshirt freshman, and nine true freshmen. Four transfers join the 'Cats this season (
Simon Kjellberg - RPI,
Aiden Gallacher - Michigan State,
Kristof Papp - Michigan State, and
Artem Shlaine - Uconn).
The Wildcats represent the United States, Canada, Hungary, Russia, and Sweden.
A Season Ago
NMU finished last season with a 20-16-1 record. Northern fell at Minnesota State in the CCHA Semifinals to end their season. The Wildcats went on the road in the Quarterfinals to take a best-of-three series from Lake Superior State.
Year Six for Coach Grant Potulny
Wildcat head coach
Grant Potulny enters his sixth season behind the Wildcat bench. In five previous seasons with the team, Coach Potulny boasts a 95-80-11 record and has led the team to three 20+ win seasons in his five seasons. Last season, Potulny led his Wildcat squad to a 20-16-1 record, besting Lake Superior State in the CCHA Quarterfinals before falling in the Semifinals. In his first season at the helm, Potulny's team recorded a 25-15-3 season, its first 25-win season since 2001-02 when they advanced to the WCHA Championship game.
