MARQUETTE, Mich. - The wait is over. Dave Shyiak and the Wildcats will embark on its first regular season series of the 2024-25 season, taking on Colorado College in Colorado Springs this weekend.

The 'Cats unofficially opened the year with an exhibition match against Michigan Tech, allowing the team to get game-speed reps and real-time scenarios before the regular season.

CC also played an exhibition on Saturday, with this weekend's contests posing as the open to the regular season for the Tigers as well.

Follow Along  
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, October 11 - at #12 Colorado College at 9 PM ET
Live Stats | Watch on NCHC.tv | Live Audio | Game Notes

Saturday, October 12 - at #12 Colorado College at 8 PM ET
Live Stats | Watch on NCHC.tv | Live Audio | Game Notes

Hear From Dave Shyiak

A New Era Begins
The 2024-25 season marks a new era of Northern Michigan hockey, as Dave Shyiak begins his first year as head coach. With Shyiak, assistants Andy Contois, Phil Fox, and Ben Russell all make up a fully revamped coaching staff. Shyiak played four seasons with the Wildcats from 1987-91, where he helped captain the 1991 National Championship team and was a member of both the 1989 and 1991 WCHA Playoff championship teams.

On the ice, NMU will see one of the biggest turnovers in college hockey history. Just four members from last year's squad (Tanner Latsch, Jakob Peterson, Zach Michaelis, Brendan Poshak) return, with 24 of the 28 on this year's team being first-time Wildcats. Along with that, 16 of the 28 are freshmen who will take to collegiate hockey for the first time, and 20 of the 28 (71.4%) are underclassmen.

Wildcats to Watch
Tanner Latsch has taken the reigns on the leadership group, being named captain ahead of the 2024-25 season after his prior season ended prematurely with an injury. Latsch brings a lot of offensive firepower, showcased by when he earned back-to-back CCHA weekly honors, was named CCHA Rookie of the Month, and was runner-up for Hockey Commissioners' Association (HCA) Rookie of the Month honors after tallying seven goals and an assist in those eight games. 

Earning himself an 'A', Jesse Tucker brings the most collegiate experience with 101 career games played. After stints at Michigan State and Clarkson, the left-shot center should bring a plethora of knowledge and stability down the middle of the ice.

Jakob Peterson and Zach Michaelis return the most career games played for the 'Cats, with Marquette, Michigan native Peterson earning an alternate captain nod. Both will be leaned on to be leaders on and off the ice for the wellspring of underclassmen. 

Joining Peterson on the blueline is New York Rangers draft pick Rasmus Larsson. The 6' 3", 205-pound freshman is a Stockholm, Sweden native, and brings both size and skill to the 'Cats back end. 

There are three new faces in the goaltender room ahead of this season, meaning open spots for competition to earn the starting job. Shyiak alluded to senior transfer Ryan Ouellette getting the start come Saturday, the only Wildcat netminder with collegiate games played. 

About the Series
The former WCHA foes last faced off was in December of 1996. The Wildcats hold a 31-22-1 all-time record against CC. The matchup has been notoriously high-scoring, with an average of 8.74 combined goals per game over 54 meetings. NMU is 9-17-0 in Colorado Springs. 

A Look at Colorado College
Colorado College was selected to finish third in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Preseason Media Poll, its highest predicted finish ever in the NCHC. The Tigers are coming off their first 20-win season and Top 20 national ranking in a dozen years.

The Tigers received one first-place vote and 200 points overall in the media poll and were selected to finish behind Denver (263, 24 first-place votes) and North Dakota (241, 4 first-place votes).

Colorado College juniors Noah Laba and Kaidan Mbereko were named to the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Preseason All-Conference Team ahead of the season.

Laba, a forward from Northville, Mich., was selected as a 2023-24 CCM/AHCA second-team All-American by the American Hockey Coaches Association after leading the Tigers with 37 points, scoring a team-high 20 goals and tying for the team lead with 17 assists. The first-team all-NCHC selection finished fourth in the country with seven game-winning goals, including a nation-leading four in overtime.
 
Mbereko, a goaltender from Aspen, Colo., was a first-team All-American in '23-24. He was stellar all season for the Tigers, starting all 37 games and earning the NCHC Goaltender of the Year Award by a unanimous vote. Mbereko finished the season with 21 wins, the most by a CC goalie since 2007-08, and led the NCHC with a 2.40 goals-against average and .915 save percentage. A first-team All-NCHC pick, he was one of three finalists for the Mike Richter Award as the nation's top Division I goalie.