The Northern Michigan University hockey team lost a pair of hard-fought games this weekend, falling to St. Thomas, 2-0, Friday night (with an empty-netter), and then coughed up a late 3-1 lead Saturday night to lose a heartbreaker, 4-3. The following stories are courtesy of NMU Sports Information.
SATURDAY GAME RECAP
MARQUETTE, Mich. -- After the Wildcats were leading 3-1 early in the third period, the St. Thomas Tommies scored three unanswered goals, escaping Marquette with a 4-3 win.
The Wildcats (1-19-0, 1-11-0 CCHA) got two goals from Caiden Gault and a tally from Michael Burchill, giving NMU a 3-1 lead in the third. Netminder William Gramme made 33 saves on the evening, his sixth-straight game with 33+ saves.
Caige Sterzer for St Thomas (9-7-3, 6-3-2 CCHA) scored in the second period, and three straight from Hayes Hundley, Alex Gaffney, and capped off by a buzzer-beater from Lucas Wahlin lifted the Tommies over the Wildcats. Carsen Musser made 13 saves in his back-to-back start.
It was a slow start to the first, as both teams combined for just one shot on goal in the first five minutes. The game got going after that, starting with the go ahead goal from senior alternate captain Gault, who scored his team-leading ninth goal of the season after finishing off a great net-front drive from junior Girts Silkalns. The period ended with a trio of back-to-back-to-back power plays. The Wildcats smothered both of St. Thomas' man advantages, limiting the Tommies to just one shot on target from both power plays.
St. Thomas came out of the first period break and evened the game, as Caige Sterzer scored his first of the year and first in 22 games, capitalizing on an NMU turnover. Both teams had a chance on the power play that weren't successful, and then freshman Michael Burchill took advantage of a UST turnover, scoring his fourth of the season to give the 'Cats a one-goal lead heading into the final period.
The 'Cats took a two-goal lead thanks to Gault's second of the night two and a half minutes into the third period, and the Wildcats were on their way to earning a weekend split.
But St. Thomas wasn't going down without a fight, as Hundley scored at four-on-four to bring the Tommies within one. A handful of minutes later, after three unsuccessful attempts on the man-advantage, Gaffney scored his only goal - and the Tommies only power play goal - of the weekend, and the game was tied with seven minutes remaining.
The Wildcats got an opportunity on a man-advantage of its own shortly after, and Gault nearly gave the 'Cats another lead and completed his hat-trick, as he fired a shot past the screened Musser, but it rang off the crossbar and out.
Time dwindled down after the man advantage and it looked like this game was headed to overtime. The Tommies crashed the net with only a handful of seconds remaining, and after Gramme made three consecutive saves in a mad scramble, the loose puck somehow kicked out to Wahlin, who walked down the slot and scored with one second remaining.
FRIDAY GANE RECAP
MARQUETTE, Mich. -- The NMU hockey team dropped Friday's contest by a score of 2-0 to the St. Thomas Tommies.
The Wildcats (1-18-0, 1-10-0 CCHA) played the Tommies (8-7-3, 5-3-2 CCHA) to a scoreless first two periods before Lucas Wahlin broke the deadlock three minutes into the third period. Wahlin would add his second of the night into the empty net with two seconds remaining. Quinton Pepper and Chase Cheslock both registered a pair of assists.
Reigning CCHA Goalie of the Week, Carsen Musser, pitched a 29-save shutout, the first of his career. Wildcat goaltender William Gramme had a phenomenal night as well, making 33 saves for a .971 SV%.
Both offenses and defenses were strong and held their own, with NMU having 30 shots on goal compared to the Tommies' 35. Both teams penalty-killing units were clicking, as NMU went 3/3 on the PK and UST went 2/2.
