Following two games in a row last weekend, the men’s club hockey team is holding an undefeated record of 4-0.With an overall 2.30 goals against average and a .915 save percentage for the 2012-13 season, the Wildcats finished the season first in the men’s Division II Central Bracket with a record of 33-4-2.

The men played two games against the University of Iowa this past weekend. The Hawkeyes finished the 2012-13 season with a 14-20 record.Sophomore defenseman Ben Wheeler said the Wildcats did not necessarily play their best, but they still managed to get two wins.“We just need to keep working hard,” Wheeler said. “If we stick to our systems we should be fine.”The first game of the weekend was at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20 in the Berry Events Center. The Wildcats won the game 3-0.

In the first period, junior forward Wolff Belanger scored the first goal of the game for the Wildcats.Senior center Neeco Belanger scored the second goal for NMU off a power play during the second period. The play was followed by Wheeler who scored the third, unassisted goal.The second period ended with the ’Cats up 3-0, and there was no scoring for either team in the third period.Despite a few close shots, junior goalie Jeff Ryan kept the Hawkeyes from scoring for the entirety of the game. Ryan led the Wildcats defensively.Head coach Carl Trosien, who is in his third year with the Wildcats, said he credits the win to Ryan.

“We got the win thanks to our goaltender Jeff Ryan and our power play,” Trosien said. “They both stood out Friday night. We struggled with some things, but we managed to get a win.”

Sophomore defenseman Karsten Heppler, who is currently on injured reserve after a knee surgery, has been running the box scores for the Wildcats.“The first game we came out very strong, but we let off and started to play down to our opponents level,” Heppler said. “[The Wildcats] did not end up scoring any more goals. I believe we were even out-shot.”

The teams played the following night at 6 p.m. in the Berry Events Center, resulting in a 7-4 victory for the Wildcats. Sophomore forward Anders Carlson scored the first goal of the game for NMU, followed shortly after by a goal from Neeco Belanger.

The Hawkeyes scored next, putting the game at 2-1, in favor of the ’Cats. However, the Wildcats followed quickly with a third  goal. Senior forward Kellen Michalak scored the goal before leaving the ice for the remainder of the game.

The Hawkeyes scored two goals in a row after Michalak’s goal to tie the game at 3-3.

With ten seconds left in the first quarter, senior defenseman Evan Weber scored a goal for the Wildcats, making the quarter end 4-3.The second quarter got off to a quick start thanks to Wildcat Neeco Belanger, who scored goal number five for the ’Cats.Keeping the game close, the Hawkeyes scored just after Neeco Belanger, putting the game at 5-4.

Wolff Belanger, assisted by Neeco Belanger, scored Wildcat goal number six.Freshman defenseman Dione Potila came in to score goal seven for NMU, the first goal of his collegiate career, and the goal to end the game. The Wildcats finished with a 7-4 victory.

Trosien said he was happy with the amount of effort the Wildcats put forth on Saturday.“They were handed two goals on a major penalty early to tie the game at three after we jumped out to an early 3-1 lead,” Trosien said. “Again, our goaltender Alex Latvala really came up big in the second and third period for us until we could get a couple insurance goals. Alex was huge in getting us this win.”

Heppler said he noticed the intensity of the game, as well.

“We would score then they would score,” Heppler said. “The game started to get very chippy and there were many penalties being called by the ref trying to keep the game under control. It was five to four going into the third period but we held our head high and didn’t let the choppiness get to us, and we scored three more goals to take the sweep for the weekend.

“The Wildcats are now preparing to face Michigan Tech. The games are 10 p.m.  Friday, Sept. 27 and 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28. Both games take place  in the Berry Events Center.