MARQUETTE, Mich. - For the first time in the new calendar year, the NMU hockey team will hit the road for a CCHA weekend series, traveling to Bemidji, Minnesota, to take on the Bemidji State Beavers.
Puck drop between the Wildcats (2-19-1, 1-12-1 CCHA) and the Beavers (8-10-4, 5-6-3 CCHA) from the
Sanford Center is set for 8:07 p.m. ET Friday and 7:07 p.m. ET Saturday, with streaming on
MidcoSports Plus and radio coverage from
100.3 The Point.
The 'Cats are coming off of a weekend split against No. 12 and top of the conference Minnesota State Mavericks, highlighted by
Ryan Duguay's first career hat-trick and four-goal weekend. The 'Cats have played well since coming back from the holiday break, holding the No. 1 team in the nation to just a pair of goals, forcing overtime against Michigan Tech, and then snapping Mankato's 11-game unbeaten streak.
Bemidji enters the weekend on a bit of a skid: 0-2-1 since the holiday break, winless the past six games, and 1-4-3 in the past eight. The Beavers are 4-4-2 on home ice this season, but are 0-2-1 at home in its last three.
Dave Shyiak Weekly Press Conference
Cat Nips
- Freshman forward Ryan Duguay earned CCHA Freshman of the Week honors after breaking out for four goals this weekend, leading the 'Cats to a home split with No. 12 Minnesota State. Duguay had two power play goals and the game-winner in a hat trick effort to lead the 'Cats to a 3-2 victory on Friday night before adding a fourth goal on Saturday night.
- This marked the first Wildcat hat trick since Artem Shlaine on November 10, 2023, and the first time a Maverick opponent has notched three since Jimmy Snuggerud on October 7, 2022.
- With the win against nationally ranked Minnesota State on Friday, the 'Cats snapped an eight-game losing streak and 17-game winless streak, picking up its first conference points since defeating the Mavericks in a shootout in Mankato, and the first win against a ranked opponent since the 4-0 win over Michigan Tech on March 11, 2023.
Category Leaders
- With his four goal weekend, Ryan Duguay (5-1--6) now holds the team lead in goals, while Grayden Slipec (3-5--8), Jakub Altrichter (0-8--8), and Tynan Ewart (1-7--8) hold the team lead in points.
- Behind Duguay, there are five 'Cats tied for second on the team in goals: Slipec, Aidyn Hutchinson (3-3--6), Matthew Romer (3-3--6), Tanner Latsch (3-1--4), and Anthony Cliche (3-0--3).
- Duguay is T2 among conference freshmen in goals, T3 in GWGs (1), and T5 in PPGs (2)
- Slipec is T2 among conference freshmen in PPGs (3) and second in shots (47)
- Altrichter leads CCHA freshmen in assists and faceoff wins (166), and is third in faceoff percentage (53.0%) and shots (46). Among all conference skaters, his FOWs rank 11th and FO% is seventh.
- Billy Renfrew is third in faceoff wins (124) among CCHA freshmen and fifth in faceoff percentage (50.0%)
- Rasmus Larsson (45) is first, Anthony Cliche (36) is second, Renfrew (25) is fourth, Altrichter (18) is sixth, and Slipec (14) is eighth among CCHA freshmen in blocked shots.
- Jesse Tucker is second in the conference in faceoff wins (210) and 10th in faceoff win percentage (51.9%)
- Tynan Ewart (50) is third in the conference in blocks, followed by Larsson in fourth and Cliche in eighth.
- Netminder Ryan Ouellette is fourth in the nation and second in the conference in saves (592), and third in SV% (.918) among conference goalies that have played nine or more games played. Ouellette's save percentage is second nationally among goalies with 625 or more shots faced and 575 or more saves.
- NMU leads the nation in blocked shots (400) with 20 more blocks and 159 fewer shots faced faced to second-place Mercyhurst
Scouting Bemidji
- This will be the first time under head coach Dave Shyiak the 'Cats will face the Beavers. NMU has only played in Bemidji twice the past eight games, last coming on January 20 and 21, 2023.
- The Beavers are winless in its last six with three or more goals in four of those games, including taking the Bowling Green Falcons to overtime in back to back games last weekend, dropping game one 4-3 before winning in a shootout after a 4-4 tie.
- Junior Kirklan Irey (9-10--19) leads the team in goals, assists, points, and GWGs (3). Behind Irey is Eric Martin (6-8--14), Jere Vaisanen (6-7--13), Reilly Funk (5-7--12), Jackson Jutting (6-5--11), and Isa Parekh (3-8--11). One of the better offensive players in the conference, Irey's goal total is just two goals off the lead and his point total is fifth.
- Jackson Jutting leads the conference in faceoff wins (268) and is tenth in faceoff percentage (51.3)
- The Bevaers are second among CCHA schools in blocks (300), and Will Magnuson is second in the conference in blocks with 50.
- Mattias Sholl has been the guy for the Beavers, starting and finishing all but one game this season. Sholl has allowed the second-most goals against in the conference, holds a 2.84 GAA, and the worst save percentage among conference starting netminders (,899).
- The Beavers find themselves in high-scoring affairs, having allowed the third-most goals against (66) in the conference while scoring the third-most goals (59)
- A disciplined team, the Beavers have accumulated the fewest PIMs (140) among conference teams and have allowed the second-fewest PPGs against
