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SATURDAY'S GAME RECAP
SIOUX FALLS, SD -- The NMU hockey team rounded out opening weekend of CCHA play Saturday night against the #11 Augustana Vikings.
The Wildcats (2-6-0, 0-2-0 CCHA - 0 pts) got the second career Wildcat goal from Colorado College transfer Merril Steenari, finishing off a play from Branden Piku and Mathew Ward on the power play.
After the two teams were tied 1-1 through two periods, the Vikings (7-0-1, 2-0-0 CCHA - 6 pts) found two goals and an empty-netter in the third, continuing its exceptional run of form and remaining undefeated through its first eight contests of the season.
Sophomore netminder Max Weilandt got his second consecutive start, making 35 saves for a .921 save percentage. Jason Davenport, Ian Engel, Peter Cisar, and Piku all blocked two shots apiece.
The Wildcats went 1-3 on the power play, 3-4 on the penalty kill, and allowed a short-handed goal to open the scoring.
Coster Dunn was exceptional in the faceoff circle, winning 11 of his 15 draws and leading all skaters in faceoff wins. Reilley Kotai (5-3), Mathew Ward (4-1), Owen Pitters (4-3), and Medrick Bolduc (2-0) all won their respective faceoff battles.
The Wildcats responded to last night's defeat well in the opening frame, firing 10 shots on target to the Vikings 11 and generating a few quality chances in the first 20 minutes of play. The Wildcats were successful in killing its only infraction in the period and generated looks on its own man-advantage, highlighted by some heavy one-timers from Darik Olson.
The Vikings struck first, as DelGreco snuck behind Cisar to pick off a drop pass on an NMU power play. Two-on-one with Burtch, DelGreco slid a pass to Burtch on the back door, who scored the second short-handed tally for Augustana on the season.
On the same man-advantage, the Wildcats drew level just a minute later. Piku made a power move at the side of the net and threw a shot on target from in tight. Steenari was on top of the crease and found the rebound, burying his second of the season in his fourth appearance for the Green and Gold.
Perhaps the biggest play in the second period was the successful penalty kill late in the frame, as Weilandt came up with some massive saves and Engle made a desperation block on a wide-open net to keep the game level.
The Vikings capitalized on a power play to open the third period and regain its lead. Bischoff received a cross-ice pass on the right wing and burst down on Weilandt, making a forehand-backhand move in tight to beat the goaltender.
Fandel extended the lead just a minute later, as a shot from the point found its way through the wickets of the Wildcat netminder through traffic.
Head coach Dave Shyiak pulled his netminder with just under three minutes remaining, and Bulgakov found the back of the net with two minutes to go.
The Wildcats return home for two consecutive weekends, starting with a meeting against Minnesota State on November 6 and 7, 2026, at the Berry Events CentIDAY GAME RECAP
FRIDAY'S GAME RECAP
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- The NMU hockey team fell to the Augustana Vikings in Friday night's opening CCHA game.
The Wildcats (2-5-0, 0-1-0 CCHA) fell 12-0 to the Vikings (6-0-1, 1-0-0 CCHA), who remain undefeated through its first seven contests of the season. Heath Nelson (2-3--5) and Leonid Bulgakov (1-3--4) led the Vikings, and Mathis Langevin made a 19-save shutout for the first of his career.
The Vikings' 12 tallies marked the program's single-game high, breaking the previous record of seven (7–4 victory against Omaha on December 19, 2025, at Midco Arena).
Goaltender Oliver Auyeung-Ashton was unavailable, and Max Weilandt made his first start of the campaign. Netminder Jack Fuller relieved Weilandt in the second period; the netminder's first career collegiate game.
Branden Piku, Mathew Ward, Michael Burchill, and Evan Depatie all posted four shot attempts; Peter Cisar led the 'Cats with three blocks, and Owen Pitters won 11 of his 18 faceoffs.
A deflection in the slot off a shot from the point, a third-chance opportunity after Weilandt made two excellent saves, and a Bulgakov breakaway that trickled over the line gave the Vikings a 3-0 lead after the first period.
A back-door power-play goal and a nifty breakaway goal saw the end of Weilandt's night, and Fuller was called in relief. The Vikings scored on its first shot against the new netminder, and Burch and Marshchanok added two more tallies to close the period.
Baumgartner added his second point of the evening to open scoring in the final frame before adding an assist on Meerman's goal at 6:58 of the third. Tallies from Frandel and Langus at 11:34 and 13:16 brought the final to 12-0.
