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LATE NIGHT THRILLER: 'Cats Go OT In Colorado
 This story was written by NMU Sports Indormation (NMU Photo) COLORADO SPRINGS, Col. - Matthew Romer and the Northern Michigan University hockey Wildcats forced overtime and earned a standings point late Friday night, before ultimately falling, 4-3, to 12th-ranked Colorado College. Romer scored his first career collegiate goal on the power play to give the Wildcats its first regular season goal of the 2024/25 campaign. The Tigers tied the game off a deflection with just over six minutes to play in the first, and the teams would skate to the locker room in a 1-1 tie. The Tigers scored 40 seconds into the second period, but that would be it for scoring in the middle frame. Goaltender Ryan Ouellette was a key factor for the Wildcats in the second and all throughout the game, as he made 20 of his 45 saves in the second period alone. Ouellette's 45 save mark is the most saves in a single game for the 'Cats since Atte Tolvanen on March 1, 2019 (58 saves, 4-2 win vs Michigan Tech). The Wildcats would then equalize twice in the third period, the first coming off the stick of Tanner Latsch who scored on an odd-man rush to make it two-two. With the net empty, Romer would bank one off a CC defender and send the game to overtime. Ultimately, the Tigers would earn the extra point, scoring the game-winner 21 seconds into the 3-on-3 overtime. Matthew Romer scored his first and second career Wildcat goals,l and the first goal of the Wildcats 2024/25 season
The Tigers would go on and tie the game with just over six minutes left, as a Hail Mary shot from the point was deflected at the right faceoff dot. The shot came in at shoulder height, deflected down, and bounced up over the shoulder of Ouellette. The Tigers capitalized on the first shot coming out of the break, as a CC forward drove down the left side. A drop pass found the stick of Gleb Veremyev, who found the perfect spot up over the glove-hand shoulder of a screened Ouellette. A loose puck found its way to center ice, and Latsch walked in down the left-wing side on a two-on-one with Slipec. Latsch got to the hash marks and let a wicked wrister fly that beat Mbereko low to the glove side, tying the game at two a piece just under halfway through the third period. A broken play for the Tigers, Zaccharya Wilson from the goalline flipped the puck to Owen Beckner who was crashing the net. Out of the air, Beckner was able to get composite on the puck, and it found a way through the legs of Ouellette to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead with just under four minutes to play. Romer found the scoresheet for the second time of the evening, tying the game with 45 seconds left and sending the game to overtime. Noah Laba found a burst of speed in the open ice of 3-on-3 hockey, broke down the left wing side, cut across the crease, and beat Ouellette on the short side just 21 seconds in. |
