This story, photo courtesy of NMU Sports Information
The Central Collegiate Hockey Association has announced its Players of the Week on Monday and NMU's William Gramme earned the Goaltender of the Week award.
Gramme, earning his first CCHA Goaltender of the Week honor, posted a .947 save percentage over the weekend, stopping 107-of-113 shots for the Wildcats in a season-opening series at No. 15 Massachusetts.
After the first weekend of play: Gramme leads the nation in saves (107), and his .947 SV% is an NCAA best among goalies who have faced 69+ shots.
SATURDAY GAME RECAP
AMHERST, Mass. - The NMU hockey team rounded out opening weekend in Massachusetts, falling 4-1 to the No. 15 UMass Minutemen.
The Minutemen scored the lone goal in the first period, as Daniel Jencko converted on the game's opening power play, giving UMass a 1-0 lead five minutes into the frame. Less than 24 hours after setting program records and sniffing the NCAA record books, William Gramme made 15 saves in the opening 20 minutes of play
The second period featured the first NMU man advantage of the game (which was cancelled out seconds later on a call against the 'Cats), the Minutemen having four power plays, and a late hit on Jakub Altrichter that saw him needing assistance being escorted off the ice. The Minutemen tallied its second goal of the game late in the period, as a shot from Landon Nycz with 36 seconds left found its way through a screen.
After a scoreless 17 minutes of the final frame, Caiden Gault scored his second as a Wildcat to bring the game within one. The Minutemen would score a pair of empty net goals in the final minute, and the game would end 4-1.
Tobias Pitka and Grayden Slipec both picked up assists on the Wildcat goal, the second on the season for both of them.
The Minutemen outshot the 'Cats 46-32 thanks to a wide margin in power play opportunities, as UMass had six man advantages to the Wildcats' two, one of which for the Green and Gold was only 13 seconds long before being whistled for another.
The 'Cats held the advantage in the faceoff dot once again, winning 32 compared to 29, including a 29-18 advantage through the first two periods.
FRIDAY GAME RECAP
AMHERST, Mass. - In the first start of his Wildcat career, transfer netminder William Gramme made NCAA history, making 65 saves on the road in a 5-3 empty net loss to the No. 15 University of Massachusetts Minutemen.
The Minutemen got out of the gates early, opening the scoring three and a half minutes in off a one-timer and outshooting the Wildcats by a wide margin. Gramme made 34 saves in the opening period, setting the NMU single-period saves record. The 'Cats would respond and take the lead before the first intermission, as goals from Joe Schiller and Caiden Gault (PP) gave the 'Cats a 2-1 lead despite being outshot 35-7.
The second period was much more tame, as the two teams combined for 26 shots. The Minutemen tied the game thanks to Lukas Klecka, and the teams skated even after 40 minutes.
It was all NMU to start the third period, and the 'Cats were able to capitalize. Medrick Bolduc finished off a hardworking shift with Jakub Altrichter, and the Wildcats regained the lead. The lead was short-lived, however, as Vaclav Nestrasil got a fortunate bounce off his skate and the redirection tied the game a minute later.
Gramme set the NMU program record for most saves in a game seven and a half minutes into the third period, and his 65 saves would end up being the second most regulation saves by a netminder in the modern NCAA era. UMass scored the eventual game-winner off a fluttery, seeing-eye shot from the point before adding an empty net goal with ten seconds to play.
The Minutemen outshot the Wildcats 95-45, with 70 of those on target to the 'Cats 26. The Wildcats successfully killed all four of the Minutemen's power plays, while the 'Cats went 1/2 on their attempts. NMU was awarded a power play with two minutes remaining in the game, but was unable to convert on the chance.
Altrichter had a standout day in the faceoff circle, pacing all skaters with 15 wins (15/24, 62.5%). Tobias Pitka also had a stellar debut, adding an assist to his ledger while adding 11 faceoff wins of his own (11/16, 68.8%), the second-most in the game. In his Wildcat debut, Warren Clark matched Slipec in shots with six, while Altrichter paced the 'Cats with four on target.
