NMU Hockey to play at Miami this weekend
Courtesy of NMU Athletics
MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Northern Michigan University hockey team plays its first CCHA road series on Friday and Saturday (Nov. 9-10) at Miami University. The puck drops at 7:35 p.m. on Friday and 7:05 p.m. Saturday at Steve Cady Arena.
NMU is ranked No. 16 in this week’s USCHO.com Top 20 Poll. The ‘Cats were No. 20 last week. NMU is 4-3-1 overall after a tie and win over Michigan last weekend. NMU’s four wins are over Wisconsin on Oct. 12-13, at Nebraska Omaha on Oct. 20 and on No. 3 over the Wolverines. The losses were Friday night at UNO and two losses to Notre Dame on Oct. 26-27.
Senior forward Matt Thurber leads the ‘Cats in points with a goal and 10 assists. He currently leads the nation in assists (10) and the CCHA in points (11). Freshman forward Cohen Adair leads the team with five goals. Sophomore Reed Seckel and junior Stephan Vigier also have six points.
Adair is the CCHA Gongshow Rookie of the Week for the second time this season. He had a power-play goal and his first career assist in a 4-4 tie with Michigan on Friday and added another goal in a 4-3 win over the Wolverines on Saturday.
Miami is 5-2-1 overall and 2-2-0 in the CCHA. The RedHawks are ranked No. 5 in this week’s USCHO.com poll and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll. Miami has conference splits at Michigan and Ferris State during the last two weekends. A series sweep of Colgate opened the season and a win and tie against Providence is also in the October results.
NMUswept Miami on Dec. 2-3, 2011 in Marquette. The ‘Cats won 2-1 on Friday and 5-1 on Saturday. NMU scored four power-play goals on the weekend. On Jan. 27-28, 2012 in Oxford, the two teams split the series. NMU won 2-1 on Friday and was shutout 6-0 on Saturday. The ‘Cats were 3-1 against the RedHawks in 2011-12, outscoring them 9-3 in the wins. Vigier had two goals against Miami last year while sophomore defenseman Jake Baker and Seckel each had a goal. Junior goaltender Jared Coreau was 3-1 between the pipes with a 2.20 goals against average and 93.8 save percentage.
NMU and Michigan skated to a 4-4 tie on Friday. The Wolverines won the shootout for the extra conference point. NMU held on for its first CCHA win of the season on Saturday 4-3. The ‘Cats led 4-1 entering the third period both nights.
Three players had a double-digit game on Saturday against Michigan. Thurber had three assists, Seckel had two goals and Justin Rose had two assists. Erik Higby, Scott Macaulay and Wade Epp scored their first goals of the season against Michigan.
100.3 FM “The Point”, the official radio voice of the NMU Wildcats, broadcasts all hockey games. Wildcat hockey can also be heard on Eagle 107.3 in Escanaba and Eagle 96.7 in Newberry.