Stories, photo courtesy of NMU Sports Information. Click the AUDIO buttons to hear RRN's Austin Graham interviews with Ast. Coaches Chris Kamal (Friday) and Ben Russell (Saturday).
SATURDAY GAME RECAP
MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan hockey team fell 3-0 to the Minnesota State Mavericks on Saturday at the Berry Events Center, resulting in a weekend split after Friday's 2-1 win.
The Mavericks scored a goal in each period.
Sam Kappell struck in the first, Alex Zetterberg added a tally in the second, and Liam Watkins finished it off late in the third with an empty-net goal.
Mankato led in shots on goal 27-23, paced by four from Reid Morich. Grayden Slipec led the Wildcats with five. Oliver Auyeung-Ashton stopped 24 of 26 shots sent his way for a .923 save percentage, while Mankato's Lassi Lehti finished a perfect 23 of 23.
Each team was whistled for five penalties, with two of those coming as offsetting infractions. The Wildcats finished 0-for-3 on the man advantage while the Mavericks were 1-for-3.
Northern Michigan had an early power-play opportunity but was unable to capitalize, with several looks from Merril Steenari.
The Mavericks opened the scoring shortly after, with 8:54 remaining in the first period, as Sam Kappell found the back of the net for his first career goal to give the Mavericks a 1-0 lead. They had a chance to extend the lead 35 seconds later when NMU was hit with its first penalty, but the Wildcats killed it off. Mankato held an 11-5 advantage in shots after one period.
The Mavericks doubled their lead early in the second period, capitalizing on a 4-on-2 rush during an NMU penalty kill. Alex Zetterberg scored just 1:58 into the period to make it 2-0.
Northern had multiple opportunities to get on the board, earning two power plays and generating several quality chances, including looks from Grayden Slipec and Noah Houle. The Wildcats found some rhythm during that stretch, recording 10 consecutive shots on goal and 21 shots overall, but they were unable to find the back of the net.
Oliver Auyeung-Ashton came up with several key saves late in the second to keep the score at 2-0. Mankato led in shots on goal after two, 21-17.
To start the third, Northern killed off a penalty that carried over from the second period, and the third period featured limited whistles and scoring opportunities. The Mavericks added an empty-net goal from Liam Watkins with 1:57 remaining to secure the victory.
FRIDAY GAME RECAP
MARQUETTE, Mich. - The Northern Michigan hockey team (3-6-0, 1-2-0 CCHA) earned their first CCHA win of the season over the visiting Minnesota State (MSU) Mavericks (2-5-2, 0-1-2 CCHA) by a score of 2-1 on Friday in the Berry Events Center.
"When we are on the same page, we can be a tough team to play against," said NMU Assistant Coach Chris Kamal.
Ian Engel opened up the scoring at the 8:16 mark of the opening period after a stolen puck by Reilley Kotai near the Maverick net slid its way over to the left side where he was waiting to capitalize on the opportunity.
The Mavericks tied up the score 14 minutes into the second period with a power-play goal strike by Easton Hewson from just outside the right circle.
Branden Piku would then put the Wildcats back on top for good, scoring in transition just over four minutes into the third period with Coster Dunn and Noah Houle picking up assists on the play.
"I thought that was a really nice play from Dunn to Piku," said Kamal. "That was a highlight-reeler."
Oliver Auyeung-Ashton recorded 35 saves on the night, picking up the win between the pipes in his return to action after missing the prior two games at Augustana.
"The guys did a great job staying together, obviously some timely saves from [Auyeung-Ashton]," said Kamal. "It was great to see our team complete the 60 [minutes] there."
The Mavericks led in shots on goal 36-30, but the Wildcats held a 29-26 edge in the faceoff circle.
How it happened
Both teams battled early in the opening period, with the defenses blocking several shots before either goaltender needed to make a play. Then, as the Mavericks controlled the puck in their own defensive zone, Kotai would not allow them to leave, breaking up the play to steal the puck away. Minnesota State was able to prevent Kotai from getting a shot off, but as the puck slid out to the left side of the net, Engel was there waiting to finish off the play to put the Wildcats on the board first at the 8:16 mark.
Both teams had a chance on the power play midway through the opening frame, but neither side was able to take advantage as the score remained 1-0 going into the first intermission.
The Mavericks managed to knot up the score at 1-1 14 minutes into the second set with a power-play goal as they cycled the puck around to a waiting Easton Hewson at the top of the right circle for the one-timer that just narrowly beat Auyeung-Ashton, hitting the crossbar and falling into the net.
Early in the third period, the Wildcats were able to strike back in transition as Dunn quickly moved the puck up the right side before dumping it back to Piku, who flew in for the one-timer in the slot to put NMU back on top for good. The Mavericks fought back to try and tie up the game, but the Wildcat defense held firm, denying them at every opportunity to hold on for the 2-1 victory.
