MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan hockey team fell to the No. 19/20 Colorado College Tigers on Saturday night at the Berry Events Center.
The Wildcats got first career goals from
Mathew Ward and
Tobias Pitka, with Ward also tacking on an assist, but points from 11 different Tigers proved too much to overcome. Northern totaled 31 shots on goal, their second-best output of the season, while Colorado College had 34. The Wildcats were active and physical throughout the night, blocking 17 shots, led by
Michael Burchill with five.
Jakub Altrichter continued to be one of the best passers in the game, adding an assist on Ward's goal for his fourth helper of the season. He now has 20 assists in 36 career games.
Kyle Bettens also added an assist, his first point as a Wildcat.
Both teams were called for four penalties, with NMU converting on one and the Tigers scoring two power-play goals. Colorado College led in the faceoff circle, 35-27. Altrichter was the lone 'Cat above .500 on the dot, going 15-12.
NMU drops to 0-6-0 with the loss, while the Tigers improved to 5-1-0.
How it Happened
Less than a minute into the game, the Tigers nearly struck on a scramble in front of the net, but a review upheld no goal as the puck hovered near the line. Moments later, however, Seth Constance found the net from the blue line, assisted by Tomas Mrsic and Ryan Koering, to give CC a 1-0 lead at 6:36.
Just minutes later, the Wildcats took their first penalty of the night, and Bret Link converted on the power play for Colorado College with helpers from Owen Beckner and Colton Roberts, making it 2-0.
Northern answered quickly on their own man advantage.
Mathew Ward fired a wrist shot inside the faceoff circle for his first career goal, with
Jakub Altrichter adding his fourth assist of the season to cut the deficit to 2-1.
After a competitive opening period in which the Tigers held a slight 9-8 shots edge, Northern entered the first intermission down by just one.
The second period began with CC controlling the pace, recording the first six shots, but NMU had a highlight chance when Ward broke out one-on-one with a defender, only to be denied by Kaidan Mbereko with a nice pad save.
With 8:59 remaining in the second frame, the Tigers extended their lead to 3-1 on a goal from Klavs Veinbergs, assisted by Mrsic and Gavin Lindberg. The score held into the second intermission, with NMU staying competitive in shots, 11-13, throughout the second.
Early in the third, the Wildcats nearly pulled within one on what appeared to be a goal, but the play was not reviewed in time, an unfortunate break for Northern.
Colorado College stretched the lead to 4-1 with 8:56 left, as Riley Stuart scored off an assist from Connor Hvidston. NMU responded immediately, with
Tobias Pitka netting his first career goal after a drop pass from
Kyle Bettens, beating the goaltender stick side with a one-timer as he dropped to one knee.
The Tigers sealed the victory with Owen Becker's goal at 3:20, assisted by Constance and Brandon Lisowsky, giving CC the 5-2 final.
Up Next
The Wildcats will return to the Berry next weekend, hosting the Michigan State Spartans in a Friday-Saturday series.
