MARQUETTE, Mich. - The Northern Michigan University hockey team is set to host the Ferris State Bulldogs for the Wildcats' last regular season home series at the Berry Events Center for the 2022-23 season. Puck drops will be Friday, February 17 at 7:07 p.m., and Saturday, February 18, at 6:07 p.m. 

This is a pivotal weekend for the Wildcats, as they come into the weekend sixth in the CCHA standings with 14-16-0 overall and 10-12-0 conference records, accruing 27 points in 22 conference games. The Bulldogs sit just above the 'Cats in fifth with 12-14-4 overall and 9-10-3 conference records, giving the dogs 33 points in 22 conference games. 

Thank You, Seniors
The Wildcats will honor Vincent de Mey, Alex Frye, Andre Ghantous, David Keefer, Jett Jungels,  Michael Van Unen, AJ Vanderbeck, and Tanner Vescio before Saturday's matchup against the Bulldogs.

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, February 17 - vs. Ferris State at 7:07 PM 
Live Stats  |  Watch on FloHockey  |  Live Audio  |  Game Notes (PDF)

Saturday, February 18 - vs. Ferris State at 6:07 PM 
Live Stats  |  Watch on FloHockey  |  Live Audio  |  Game Notes (PDF)


Last Time Out
The Green and Gold traveled to St. Paul, Minnesota for a bout against the St. Thomas Tommies, a weekend that saw a split with a 3-0 win and 4-2 loss.

On Friday, Vincent de Mey scored twice for the 'Cats, including a shorthanded tally, for his fifth and sixth on the year. Andre Ghantous also registered a goal for the 'Cats, his sixth of the season. Artem Shlaine picked up an assist, extending his point streak to four games. Aiden Gallacher had a pair of assists, along with David Keefer and Simon Kjellberg also picking up helpers. Goalie Beni Halasz turned aside all 29 shots against, earning his second shutout of the season.

Saturday saw Joey Larson and Michael Colella score for the Wildcats, giving Larson nine and Colella five goals on the year, respectively. Connor Eddy, Colby Enns, and David Keefer picked up helpers on the goals, and Beni Halasz stopped 30/33, a .909 SV%.


National Ranks
AJ Vanderbeck is T1 in short-handed goals (3), T3 in the nation in shots (119), and T19 in game-winning goals along with teammate David Keefer (3). Andre Ghantous is T31 in assists (19).

As a team, the Wildcats are fourth in faceoff win percentage (.544), T4 in shorthanded goals (6), 16th in power-play goals (26), 12th in penalty kill percentage (.838), 22nd in powerplay percentage (.215), T25 in shooting percentage (10.0), and 28th in goals scored (83).


Cat Nips

• All-time, the Wildcats are 72-32-6 against Ferris State in 110 games. More recently, the 'Cats are 8-2-0 in their last 10 and 18-2-0 in their last 20 games against the Bulldogs.
• Dating back to 2010, the 'Cats hold a 15-6-2 record at home against the bulldogs, with a 9-1 record in their last 10 home games.
• Joey Larson comes into the weekend with four goals and five points in his last five games played. Artem Shlaine has four points (1G, 3A) and Andre Ghantous has three points (2G, 1A) in their last five games played, respectively. David Keefer is currently riding a three-game point streak (0G, 3A).
• Kristof Papp earned CCHA Forward of the Week after the last series versus the Bulldogs when he led all CCHA skaters in goals (3) and points (4).
• In his last three games, Beni Halasz is sporting a .947 SV% and a 1.35 GAA.
• Coming into the weekend, the 'Cats are 22/23 (.956%) on the PK in the last seven games.
• The 'Cats have a 6-0-0 record when leading after one period and a 7-0-0 record when leading after two, along with a record of 5-2 in one-goal games and a perfect 3-0 in overtime.
• When scoring first, the 'Cats are 10-5-0, as opposed to 4-11-0 when the opponent scores first.
• The Wildcats are 13-3-0 when scoring 3+ goals, and 1-13-0 when scoring 2 or fewer. 

Coach Potulny Interview


A Look at Ferris State
The Bulldogs are coming off a split at home versus the Bemidji State Beavers by scores of 3-2 and 2-6, and are 3-5-2 in their last 10 games. Stepan Porknoy leads the Bulldogs in points with 20 (6G, 14A), and Jason Brancheau leads the Bulldogs in goals (11G, 8A). Projected starting goalie Noah Giesbrecht owns a 2.69 GAA and a .919 SV% in 26 games played, starting in 19 of those contests. 


Last Time vs. Ferris State
The 'Cats traveled to Big Rapids for their last series before the holiday break, where they saw a split by scores of a 2-5 loss and a 5-2 win. Kristof Papp earned CCHA forward of the week after he led all CCHA skaters in goals (3) and points (4) while collecting one assist, nine shots, one block, and four face-off wins in the series split at Ferris State last week.


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.

February 3-4
Joey Larson earned CCHA Rookie of the Week after he helped Northern Michigan to a home split with Lake Superior State, scoring two goals with one assist for three points. He was even for the weekend with a team-high eight shots on goal. On Friday, he had a goal and an assist in a 4-2 defeat, before scoring the eventual game-winner in a 3-1 victory over the Lakers on Saturday. 

February 10-11
Beni Halasz earned CCHA Goalie of the Week after he helped Northern Michigan to a road split at St. Thomas, going 1-1-0 with a 1.51 goals-against average and a .952 save percentage, which was both tops among CCHA netminders. On Friday, he made 29 saves to earn his second collegiate shutout in a 3-0 victory. He then turned away 30-of-33 shots in a 4-2 defeat on Saturday. He was a perfect 13-of-13 while the Wildcats were shorthanded, leading the penalty kill to a 10-for-10 weekend. 


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.