The NMU men’s hockey team hit the ice last weekend as they took on the Miami University Redhawks, welcoming returning students with an undefeated weekend at the Berry.
The Wildcats earned four Central Collegiate Hockey Association points after they defeated the No. 6-ranked Redhawks on Friday, Jan. 11 with a score of 2-1 and remained undefeated on Saturday, Jan. 12 with a 3-3 tie at the Berry Events Center.
Miami earned an extra conference point after they won a shootout following overtime on Saturday night.
NMU head coach Walt Kyle said the weekend’s series showed improvements that the ’Cats have been looking for.
“I was really proud of our guys,” Kyle said. “I really liked our patience and our poise both nights. We were resilient when it came to killing penalties, and our defensive play on the second night was much better.”
On Saturday night, the Wildcats lead the game early with a 2-0 lead as they entered the second period.
Senior forward Kory Kaunisto opened the game’s scoring when he shot in his third goal of the season with 4:47 left in the first period. Assisting on Kaunisto’s goal was senior forward Matt Thurber. Junior forward Erik Higby kept the momentum constant, scoring his third goal of the season.
The Redhawks came back during the last half of the second and the third periods, scoring three goals to bring the score to 3-2. Sophomore forward Ryan Daugherty shot the puck past Miami goaltender Ryan McKay to earn a shorthanded breakaway goal, tying the game 3-3 with 2:25 left in the game.
The Wildcats fell to the Redhawks after overtime during the shootout after five attempts at scoring a.
Daugherty said the team picked up the pace leading up to his breakaway shot.
“I was playing a little more aggressive leading up to it,” Daugherty said. “There were three minutes left in the game and we were down by a goal on the kill. We couldn’t really sit back.”
The Wildcats experienced eight minor penalties and were 0-for-6 on the man advantage, while the Redhawks were 1-for-5 after eight nine minor penalties and one major.
Junior goaltender Jared Coreau saved 29 shots, while McKay saved 22.
On Friday, the ’Cats won their first night at home 2-1 after sweeping St. Cloud State on Friday, Jan. 4 and Saturday, Jan. 5. Miami opened the game’s scoring, bringing the match to 1-0 in the second.
The ’Cats came back 7:55 into the second when junior Stephan Vigier earned his fourth of the season on a powerplay. Daugherty and freshman forward Justin Rose assisted the shot. Freshman Darren Nowick earned the ’Cats’ game-winning goal in the third period, with Coreau earning his first career assist for the goal.
Senior captain and defenseman Scott Macaulay said the defensive effort during the second night was good but there were a few things that could have happened differently.
“I thought we played pretty good,” Macaulay said. “As a group, we moved the puck efficiently and kept the chances-against down. In the game, it comes down to a few mistakes and those mistakes are the ones that ended up costing us.”
Coreau earned a season-high of 43 saves during Friday night’s game. After the weekend, NMU is now 3-9-4-1 in the CCHA and 9-10-3 overall.
Prior to Friday night’s game, a moment of silence was held within the stadium in memory of Roger Lewis. Lewis was a member of the NMU hockey team from 1994-97 and passed away on Friday, Jan. 4 at the age of 41.
Fans of the Green and Gold can catch the Wildcats once more as they return to the Berry Events Center next weekend to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes. The puck drops at 7:30 pm on Friday, Jan. 18 and Saturday, Jan. 19.
