MARQUETTE, Mich. - After a split series with the top-seeded Tommies, the Wildcat's schedule doesn't get easier this weekend, as they travel to Mankato, Minnesota to square off against the third-seeded Mavericks.

The 'Cats last time facing Mankato was March 18, 2023, in the CCHA Championship game, where they dropped a heartbreaking 3-2 overtime loss for the Mason Cup and a bid to the NCAA Tournament.  

The Wildcats (8-12-2, 6-8-0 CCHA, 18 pts, .429 pts%) currently sit sixth in the CCHA, eight points out of a home playoff position. The Mavericks (12-9-3, 8-5-1 CCHA, 26 pts, .643 pts%) are currently third in the CCHA in points, but second in points percentage, as MSU has two games in hand on second-place Bemidji State. 

Grant Potulny Weekly Press Conference - 1/23/24

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Make sure to follow @NMUHockey on X, formerly known as 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 26 - at Minnesota State at 8:07 PM ET
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Saturday, January 27 - at Minnesota State at 7:07 PM ET
Watch | Live Stats | Live Audio

Looking at the 'Cats
Against conference opponents his season, the Wildcats are 5-2-0 at home and 1-6-0 on the road. At home, the 'Cats outscore their opponent 22-16, average 3.1 G/G to 2.3 GA/G, own a team .913 SV%, win 56.8% of faceoffs, have five PPGs for a 20.8 PP%, and are 77.8% on the PK and have only allowed one PPG in the last four home games. These numbers change drastically on the road, where the 'Cats are outscored 12-30, average 1.7 G/G to 4.3 GA/G, own a team .868 SV%, win 46.5% of faceoffs, have three PPGs for a 10.7% PP%, and have allowed eight PPGs for a 75.8% PK%. 

Michael Colella (5-2--7) and Andre Ghantous (3-4--7) have been two of the hottest Wildcats the previous 10 games, as both of their seven points lead the team in that frame. Ghantous and Colella are also the top two point leaders in career points against the Mavericks, Ghantous with 11 (6-5--11) and Colella with five (2-3--5). 

This is the first time the Wildcats have seen the Mavericks this season. Over the past two seasons, the 'Cats are 2-8-0 against the Mavericks, have scored 19 goals to MSU's 44, are 18.9% (7/37) on the PP and 67.3% (33/49)  on the PK.

A Look at the Mavericks
The Mavericks are currently 4-1 in their previous five games, and are receiving votes in the USCHO poll after this past weekend. Overall, the Mavericks are 12-9-3 with a 6-5-0 home record, and 8-5-1 record against conference opponents.

At home against conference opponents this season the Mavericks are 4-3-0, they own league bests in goals scored (33) and G/G (3.7), with a 2.4 GA/G and a .909 SV%. Mankato has a CCHA best 27.3% on the power play and are 87.5% on the penalty kill at home.

The Mavericks boast Sam Morton (18-7--25), who is second in the nation in goals scored and fifth in PPGs (7). The graduate student is currently having a career year, passing his previous season high marks in goals (9) and points (25) in 14 less games. The caveat? Morton only has one assist in eight career games against the 'Cats. David Silye (10gp, 4-2--6) and Connor Gregga (8gp, 4-2--6) lead the Mavericks in career points against the 'Cats, followed by Christian Fitzgerald (5gp, 1-3--4) 

Alex Tracy won the crease at the start of the season, but the Mavericks have since shifted to consistently splitting time between Tracy and Keenan Rancier for the past seven weeks. Since starting to split time, Tracy holds a .928 SV% and 1.94 GAA, and Rancier holds a .917 SV% and a 2.41 GAA. Rancier is the only active Mankato netminder to face the 'Cats in his career, where he is 4-1-0 with a .915 SV% and 2.19 GAA.

Cat Nips

• Andre Ghantous leads all active NCAA skaters in points (51-96--147) in 158 games played. Ghantous currently sits 18th in career points, T-35 in career goals, T-12 in career assists, and T13 in career games played in NMU program history. 
• The 'Cats are 8-26-3 all time against the Mavericks, and 4-15-0 on the road. The 'Cats last beat the Mavericks in Mankato on 11/18/2022
• The 'Cats have scored a power play goal in two consecutive games (2/9, 22.2%)
• NMU holds a 56.5 FO% over the past two games
• The Wildcats have a 3-4-0 record when leading after one period and a 7-1-0 record when leading after two periods, along with a 2-2 record in one goal games
• The Wildcats are 7-2-1 when scoring 3 or more goals, as opposed to 1-10-1 when scoring 2 or fewer