Skip To Main Content

Northern Michigan University

The Official Website of the Northern Michigan Wildcats Northern Michigan Wildcats
Oliver Auyeung-Ashton
Photo credit: Peyton Bartsch

Hockey Braden Golisek - Assistant Director of Sports Information

PREVIEW: Hockey Hosts #17/18 Augustana

The weekend series with the Vikings features the last Blue Line Luncheon of the season, Marquette Junior Hockey Night on Friday, and a Faculty & Staff Appreciation game on Saturday

MARQUETTE, Mich. -- The NMU hockey team welcomes the #17/18 Augustana Vikings to the Berry Events Center.

After the holiday break, the Wildcats (1-21-0, 1-13-0 CCHA) fought hard in a pair of tightly-contested 2-1 losses in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, last weekend. The 'Cats also got a handful of key players back from injury, including captain Nicolas Ardanaz, defenseman Joe Schiller, and goaltender Oliver Auyeung-Ashton, to go along with center Tobias Pitka returning from the 2026 World Junior Championships and the mid-season additions of defenseman Olivier Beaulieu and goaltender Max Weilandt. 

The Wildcats clash with the Vikings (12-6-3, 6-4-2 CCHA) on Friday, January 9, and Saturday, January 10, at 7:07 p.m. and 6:07 p.m., respectively. The matches are available for streaming on Midco Sports Plus, and fans can also tune into the Radio Results Network (100.3 The Point) to listen on the airwaves.  There are a trio of special events happening around the hockey team this weekend. The last Blue Line Luncheon of the season is this Friday, hosted by Slabz, and will feature Caiden Gault along with coaching staff. Fans are encouraged to buy tickets in advance, as seating is limited. Marquette Junior Hockey Night will take over the Berry Events Center on Friday night, while Saturday features an NMU Faculty & Staff Appreciation night, featuring ticket discounts, concessions specials, and a faculty & staff giveaway.
The Vikings enter the weekend as the 17th and 18th ranked team in the D1 landscape, according to USCHO.com and USA Hockey/The Rink Live. Augustana has been on a good run of form as of late, most recently sweeping Colorado College last weekend and are 6-1-2 in its last nine games. Brett Meerman and Jacob Jastrzebski were recently recognized by the CCHA as Players of the Month for December. Meerman, CCHA Forward of the Month, led all CCHA skaters in goals (5) and points (9) in December. Jastrzebski, CCHA Rookie of the Month, led CCHA freshmen in assists (5), points (7), and plus-minus (+4) in December. 

The Wildcats and Vikings met early in the season in Sioux Falls, with the Vikings escaping with 2-1 and 3-1 wins, with the Wildcat comeback falling just short on Friday. NMU held a 1-0 lead going into the third period on Saturday, including firing 24 shots in the second period, the second-most single-period shots for NMU since 2004, before the Vikings score three unanswered in the third period. Tobias Pitka scored goals in back-to-back games against the Vikings this weekend.
   
In the brief history between the two sides, the Wildcats are 0-5-1 against the Vikings. This weekend will mark just the second time the Vikings have faced the Wildcats in Marquette, with the first coming in the 2023/24 season, the first year the Vikings were a program. 





 
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Nicolas Ardanaz

#3 Nicolas Ardanaz

D
5' 10"
Senior
Joe Schiller

#2 Joe Schiller

D
6' 0"
Sophomore
Grayden Slipec

#15 Grayden Slipec

F
5' 10"
Sophomore
Caiden Gault

#16 Caiden Gault

F
6' 0"
Senior
Tobias Pitka

#19 Tobias Pitka

F
6' 4"
Freshman
Oliver Auyeung-Ashton

#30 Oliver Auyeung-Ashton

G
5' 10"
Freshman
Max Weilandt

#32 Max Weilandt

G
6' 0"
Freshman
Olivier Beaulieu

#8 Olivier Beaulieu

D
5' 11"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Nicolas Ardanaz

#3 Nicolas Ardanaz

5' 10"
Senior
D
Joe Schiller

#2 Joe Schiller

6' 0"
Sophomore
D
Grayden Slipec

#15 Grayden Slipec

5' 10"
Sophomore
F
Caiden Gault

#16 Caiden Gault

6' 0"
Senior
F
Tobias Pitka

#19 Tobias Pitka

6' 4"
Freshman
F
Oliver Auyeung-Ashton

#30 Oliver Auyeung-Ashton

5' 10"
Freshman
G
Max Weilandt

#32 Max Weilandt

6' 0"
Freshman
G
Olivier Beaulieu

#8 Olivier Beaulieu

5' 11"
Freshman
D