MARQUETTE, Mich. - After falling short in the Cappo Cup finale over the weekend, the Wildcat hockey team looks to get back to winning ways at home against the league leaders, the St. Thomas Tommies.
The Wildcats come into the weekend with a 7-11-2 overall record and a 5-7-0 CCHA record in 12 conference games played for 15 points and a 0.417 points percentage. The Tommies come into Marquette 11-10-1 overall and 9-5-0 CCHA record in 14 conference games played for 27 points and a 0.643 points percentage.
The 'Cats lost both games in Mendota Heights earlier this season and now look to bounce back at home, as this marks the first home game the Wildcats have played against the Tommies since October 10, 2021, when the 'Cats won 8-3.
Hear From Grant Potulny
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Friday, January 20 - vs St. Thomas at 7:07 PM
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Saturday, January 21 - vs St. Thomas at 6:07 PM
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Looking at the 'Cats
The Wildcats are coming off a disappointing road series against a surprisingly good, young Laker team that saw freshman Evan Bushy win both Defenseman and Rookie of the Week from the CCHA for his efforts over the weekend.
Despite struggling to find footing on the road this year, the 'Cats shine at home, boasting a 6-2-1 record and outscoring their opponents 29-20. In those nine games, the 'Cats are averaging 3.2 G/G while only allowing 2.2 G/G, and controlling the faceoff dot with a 54.9% FO%. At home, NMU is 20.7% on the PP, having scored on the man advantage three of the previous five home matchups, and 86.7% on the PK, having only allowed one PPG their previous six home games (19/20, 95%).
Michael Colella picked up two points on the weekend (1-1--2), bringing his season totals to five goals and seven points. Colella has had a tale of two halves this season; in his first 12 games he had two points, and he now has five points in his previous eight games (4-1--5).
Reilly Funk scored, improving his scoring run to four points in four games (2-2--4), and
Kevin Marx Noren found the back of the net for the first time in seven games.
Of active skaters,
Andre Ghantous leads the 'Cats in points against the Tommies (1-4--5). Colella has found scoring success in his career with three goals in six games vs UST, and
Kristof Papp holds a 57.1% FO% against the Tommies.
A Look at the Tommies
The current top team in the CCHA, the Tommies head into Marquette after sweeping the Huskies at home by scores of 4-3 and 3-1. Much like the Wildcats, the Tommies are great at home and struggle on the road; the Tommies hold a 4-7-0 record on the road, going 1-3-0 in their previous four road matchups.
Jake Sibell was just honored as the CCHA Goaltender of the Week for his efforts against the Huskies, where he made 27 saves and helped his team go 2/2 on the PK in a 3-1 win over Tech. Grant Docter (0-2--2) and Liam Malmquist (1-2--3) led the way for the Tommies with points over the weekend as seven different Tommies scored a goal. Lucas Wahlin (9-13--22) and Mack Byers (9-5--14) lead the Tommies in scoring, with eight of Byers' nine goals coming against CCHA opponents. Sibell (5-2-0, .946 SV%, 1.61 GAA) and Aaron Trotter (4-3-0, .912 SV%, 2.72 GAA) have split duties between the pipes all season, and with both sporting good numbers, we can expect to see both of them this weekend.
Wahlin leads the Tommies in points against the Wildcats (3-1--4), followed by Byers (3-0--0), Luke Manning (3-0--0), Noah Prokop (1-2--3), and Ryan O'Neill (1-2--3).
Grant Potulny mentioned having to improve on special teams this weekend, and the Tommies have struggled in the special teams department against the 'Cats; against the Wildcats, the Tommies are 0/20 on the PP over the past two seasons and were 71.4% on the PK last season.
Scoring first against this Tommy team is important, as they are 9-0-1 when scoring first compared to 3-10-0 when the opponent scores first. Similarly, they are 6-0-1 when leading after the first period and 9-1-1 when leading after the second period, compared to 1-6-0 and 2-9-0 when trailing after the first and second periods.
Cat Nips
- The 'Cats won the first three games in program history against the Tommies, but have since dropped the previous three meetings to even the series totals. The 'Cats have outscored the Tommies 20-18 over the six meetings, and won both home games
- The Wildcats have only allowed one PPG in their previous six home games (19/20, 95%)
- Of active skaters, Andre Ghantous leads the 'Cats in points against the Tommies (1-4--5). Michael Colella has also found scoring success in his career against the Tommies with three goals in six games, and Kristof Papp holds a 57.1% FO% against the Tommies
- Andre Ghantous leads all active NCAA skaters in points (50-95--145). Ghantous currently sits 19th in career points, 36th in career goals, 14th in career assists, and 29th in career games played in NMU program history.
2023-24 CCHA Honors
Pre-Season:
Week Two (10/13-10/14):
Week Three (10/20-10/21):
Week Four (10/27-10/28):
Week Six (11/10-11/11):
Week Seven (11/17-11/18):
Week Eight (11/24-11/25):
