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PREVIEW: Wildcats on the Road to Augustana to Open CCHA Play

"Now we're in league play, it's a fresh start. Let's learn from the games we played, and be excited about playing a league opponent."

MARQUETTE, Mich. - The Wildcats will open its Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) campaign this weekend, traveling to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for a weekend series against the Augustana Vikings. 

Puck drop from Midco Arena is set for 8:07 p.m. ET on Friday, October 31, before turning the calendar and squaring off at 7:07 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 1. Fans can catch broadcast coverage on MidcoSportsPlus and the Radio Results Network (100.3 The Point) for both Friday and Saturday.

The Wildcats (0-8-0, 0-0-0 CCHA) have only met the Vikings (3-3-0, 0-2-0 CCHA) four times since the program's inception two seasons ago, with Augustana claiming victories in all four contests, including a pair of 4-1 wins in Sioux Falls last season in the first season under head coach Dave Shyiak.

Dave Shyiak Media Availability


The Wildcats opened the season with one of the most challenging non-conference schedules in the nation, playing all top-20 teams, and capping it off with the top team in college hockey, the Michigan State Spartans, who retained its #1 ranking after the weekend. 

NMU lost 4-0 in Friday night's contest before bouncing back on Saturday, playing the Spartans to a 2-2 tie heading into the third before the Spartans fired off four unanswered tallies en route to capping off the weekend with a 6-2 win. 

The 'Cats now open conference play with the Augustana Vikings, and head coach Dave Shyiak really likes how "battle tested" his group is after playing "some of the best teams in the country" ahead of opening CCHA play.

"We went through some growing pains, and we discussed that as a team. [The non-conference schedule] did make us better, and some of our growing pains were shown in that course of eight games, but there were a lot of positives. I thought we took growth in every weekend, and I thought our first period on Friday night was the best period of hockey we've played [all season]... If we were to blueprint a game plan for how we have to play and what our identity is, that would be it." 

The Vikings received votes in the D1 hockey preseason poll and would stay in the rankings for four consecutive weeks, climbing as high as No. 21/22 last week after sweeping No. 15/16 Arizona State 4-2 and 5-2. 

The Vikings opened conference play last weekend on the road, dropping a pair of contests to Bemidji State, and have since fallen out of receiving national votes for the first time this season. 

Despite the fall from grace in the national poll, head coach Shyiak knows this weekend will be nothing short of a hard-fought series.

"I think [Augustana] is one of the best teams in our league. Every game is hard, and we have to be at our best to give us a chance to win. They just got swept, and now they're coming back home, so we're walking into a hornet's nest, and we better be on top of our game from the hop."

"Our focus has to be on Friday night, not what we've done in the past. [We will] build on some of the positives to prepare us to get better, and now we get into league play against another very good opponent; it isn't going to be easier. We have to prepare ourselves mentally, get on the road, and play our best game on Friday."



 
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