MARQUETTE, Mich. - The Northern Michigan University men's hockey team is set for a home-and-home series versus their neighboring CCHA rival, the Michigan Tech Huskies. Game one on Friday will be played in Houghton, with puck-drop set for 7:07 PM, and Saturday's contest will be in Marquette, with game time slated for 6:07 PM. 

Friday's contest from the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena will be broadcasted on Fox UP, while TV6 will be live from the Berry Events Center on Saturday. 

The Wildcats (12-12-0, 8-8-0) currently sit sixth in the CCHA with 21 points in 16 games played. The Huskies are third on the table, with 32 points in 18 games played. 


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, January 27 - at Michigan Tech at 7:07 PM
Live Stats  |  Watch on Fox UP | Watch on FloHockey  |  Live Audio  |  Game Notes

Saturday, January 28 - vs. Michigan Tech at 6:07 PM
Live Stats  |  Watch on TV6 | Watch on FloHockey  |  Live Audio  |  Game Notes


Last Time Out
The Wildcats traveled to the land of 10,000 lakes to clash with the Bemidji State Beavers, a weekend that saw a split by scores of 4-0, BSU, and 5-2, NMU. 

The Beavers scored three goals in a 0:54 second span in the first period and didn't look back, shutting out the Wildcats 4-0 on Friday, January 20. It was the fastest sequence of three goals for the Beavers since 2006. 

The Wildcats bounced back in game two as ten different 'Cats recorded points, including two-point nights from Aiden Gallacher, AJ Vanderbeck, and Artem Shlaine, successfully securing the weekend split by a final score of 5-2. 


A Look at Michigan Tech
The Huskies are coming off of a weekend in Big Rapids that saw them go 1-0-1, winning game one 1-0 with the 3-3 tie being decided in a shootout that saw Ferris State pick up the extra point. 

Goalie Blake Pietila was just recently nominated for the Hobey Baker award, a prestigious award given annually to college hockey's top player. Pietila has played in 25 games for the Huskies, and currently holds a 15-7-3 record with a 2.06 goals against average and a .914 save percentage. He leads the nation in shutouts with six. He was just named CCHA goaltender of the week after going 1-0-1 with a 1.44 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage, which was both tops among two-start netminders in the CCHA.

Ryland Mosley currently leads the Huskies with 25 points (10G, 15A) in 27 games. 


Players to Watch
David Keefer has 10 points (3G, 7A) in 11 games against the Huskies, and Alex Frye has four points (1G, 3A) in two games verses Tech this season.


National Ranks
AJ Vanderbeck leads the nation in shots (107), Vanderbeck is T1 in short-handed goals (3), Vanderbeck and David Keefer are T9 in game-winning-goals (3), Vanderbeck is T15 in points (27), Andre Ghantous is T17 in assists (18), and both Keefer and Vanderbeck are T21 in goals (12).

As a team, the Wildcats are third in faceoff win percentage (.550), T5 in shorthanded goals (5), 9th in power-play goals (24), T13 in powerplay percentage (.238), T15 in shooting percentage (10.7), T23 in goals scored (72).


Stat Lines to Follow

• Both AJ Vanderbeck (4G, 6A) and Andre Ghantous (2G, 8A) have 10 points in their last 10 games. This year the Wildcats have a 10-2-0 record when they both record at least one point.
• David Keefer comes into the weekend with five goals in his last ten games, and Kristof Papp has four goals in his last six games. 
• The 'Cats have a 5-0-0 record when leading after one period and a 6-0-0 record when leading after two, along with a record of 5-1-0 in one-goal games.
• When scoring first, the 'Cats are 8-5-0. When the opponent scores first they are 4-7-0.
• The Wildcats are 11-3-0 when scoring 3 or more goals, and 1-9-0 when scoring 2 or fewer. 
• The 'Cats have a 12-5-0 record when 4 or more different skaters record at least one point.

Coach Potulny Preview



Hobey Baker Watch
Northern Michigan University hockey players AJ Vanderbeck and Andre Ghantous have been nominated for the Hobey Baker Award, an annual award given to the top National Collegiate Athletic Association men's ice hockey player. 

Fan balloting for the 2023 Hobey Baker Award is open through Sunday, Mar. 5 at midnight ET. This year's nominees include 82 skaters representing 43 NCAA Division I schools, including ten from the CCHA. 

College hockey fans can vote in the fan-voting campaign by clicking here.


CCHA Honors
October 1-2 
Aiden Gallacher received Defenseman of the Week after blocking eight shots in two games.
Joey Larson received Rookie of the Week, posting a rookie-best three points (1g, 2a) in two games.

October 20-22
AJ Vanderbeck received Forward of the Week after recording four points (2g, 2a) in two games. 

October 28-29
Beni Halasz received Rookie of the Week after going 1-1-0 with a 2.02 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage. 

Player of the Month: October
Vanderbeck received Forward of the month after leading all CCHA skaters in goals (6), points (13), points per game (1.44), multi-point games (4), game-winning goals (2), shorthanded goals (1), shots (52) and shots per game (5.78) in 10 games in October.

Halasz received Rookie of the Month after posting a 3-4-0 record with a 1.97 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage in seven October games (6 starts) for the Wildcats. He was second among all NCAA Division I rookies in goals-against average, save percentage, and total saves (173).

November 11-12
Larson received Rookie of the Week after he paced all CCHA rookies with two points on a goal and an assist in the Wildcats' weekend split with Bemidji State.

Player of the Month: November
Halasz earned his second straight Rookie of the Month honor after going 4-2-0 with a 2.18 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage as the starter in all six games for Northern Michigan in November. He led all CCHA rookie netminders in wins, goals-against average, and save percentage while ranking second in total saves (135) and saves per game (22.5). His month was highlighted by recording his first collegiate shutout on November 11 against Bemidji State, where he made 25 stops. He also made a career-high 32 saves against Lake Superior State on November 5. 

December 9-10
Kristof Papp led all CCHA skaters in goals (3) and points (4) while collecting one assist, nine shots, one block and four face-off wins in a series split at Ferris State last week.


Etched in History  
With his start in net on October 8, 2022, at Colgate, Beni Halasz became the first Hungarian-born goaltender to play in an NCAA Division I game. Halasz shined with the opportunity, smothering 27 of 28 shots he faced for his first career win. He also helped kill 6 of 7 penalties in the contest.