| Northern Michigan Wildcats men's ice hockey | |
|---|---|
 Current season | |
 | |
| University | Northern Michigan University |
| Conference | CCHA |
| Head coach | Dave Shyiak 2nd season, 5–27–2 (.176) |
| Assistant coaches |
|
| Arena | Berry Events Center Marquette, Michigan |
| Colors | Green and gold[1] |
| NCAA tournament champions | |
| 1991 | |
| NCAA tournament runner-up | |
| 1980 | |
| NCAA tournament Frozen Four | |
| 1980,1981,1991 | |
| NCAA tournament appearances | |
| 1980,1981,1989,1991,1992,1993,1999,2010 | |
| Conference tournament champions | |
| CCHA:1980,1981 WCHA:1989,1991,1992 | |
| Conference regular season champions | |
| CCHA: 1980, 1981 WCHA: 1991 | |
| Current uniform | |
 | |
TheNorthern Michigan Wildcats men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)Division Icollege ice hockey program that representsNorthern Michigan University (NMU). The Wildcats are a member of theCentral Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). NMU has won one national title and has made threeFrozen Four appearances. They play at theBerry Events Center inMarquette, Michigan.[2]
Under the Direction of NMU's president, John X. Jamrich, the initial ice hockey program was originally initiated by Seniors Gregory Hyde and Christopher Nolan in 1974. The NMU men's ice hockey program began in 1976, competing as an independentNCAA Division I team and probationary member ofCentral Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) for the 1976–77 season. During that season NMU competed against CCHA teams but did not count for league standings. Northern Michigan became a full member of the CCHA the following season.[3]
In the first two season as a full member of the CCHA Northern Michigan finished with back-to-back 19 win seasons before a historic season in program history in 1979–80. During the 1979–80 season the team won its first CCHA regular season championship andCCHA Playoff tournament championship.[2] The Wildcats advanced to their first everNCAA tournament appearance and won their first game 4–3 againstMinnesota. NMU advanced to the National Championship game with a semifinal win overCornell 5–4. Northern Michigan finished as the runner-up toNorth Dakota.[4] In addition to the tournament being the first tournament and National Championship appearance for Northern Michigan, it was also the highest NCAA tournament finish for a CCHA team. NMU head coachRick Comley became the first CCHA coach to receive theSpencer Penrose Award given to the NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Coach of the Year.[3]
The success of the 1979–80 season continued for the 1980–81 season. The Wildcats again won the CCHA regular season and playoff championships and advanced to theNCAA tournament.[5] The Wildcats won the quarterfinal game against Cornell 10–7 but fell in the semifinal toWisconsin 5–1.[5]
On January 5, 1984, Northern Michigan announced the program was leaving the CCHA after seven seasons two league and playoff championships and two NCAA tournament berths for theWestern Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). The following day it was announced that rivalMichigan Tech was also leaving the CCHA for WCHA.[3] The 1988–89 season marked the first time NMU qualified for theNCAA tournament as a member of the WCHA.[2] Unlike previous NCAA appearances Northern Michigan fell in the first round toProvidence 5–4.[6]
Northern Michigan qualified for the1991 NCAA tournament after winning the WCHA regular season championship. Northern Michigan won two games to none in the quarterfinal round againstAlaska-Anchorage, 8–5 and 5–3.[7] NMU advanced and beatMaine 5–3 in the semifinal round. The Wildcats matched up in the National Championship game inSt. Paul, Minnesota on April 1, 1991, againstBoston University and won 8–7 in three overtime periods.[7] The 1990–91 season also set a program best record of 38–5–4 and a winning percentage of .851.[2] It also marked the program's first and only NCAA Championship. The Wildcats returned to the National Tournament in1992 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament as the 4th seed of the West Regional held inDetroit, Michigan. NMU picked up a first round win overClarkson 8–4 before losing in the quarterfinal round 7–6 toMichigan.[8] The 1992–93 season marked the third straight NCAA tournament appearance. NMU won a close game in the opening round of the1993 tournament in the East Regional inWorcester, Massachusetts, againstHarvard. The Wildcats won a close game 3–2 in two overtime periods but fell 4–1 in the second round to Boston University in a rematch of the 1991 National Championship.[9]
During the following seasons NMU remained competitive in the WCHA but by the mid-1990s the program fell into the bottom half of the standings.[2] After six 20-plus win seasons from 1988 to 1989 season through the 1993–94 season, the Wildcats failed to reach 15 wins in their last three seasons in the WCHA. The 1995–96 season marked a program low record of 7–30–2.[2] On August 19, 1996, the CCHA approved Northern Michigan's application to rejoin the league for the 1997–98 season after 13 years in the WCHA.[3] During the years in the WCHA the Wildcats accumulated a record of 263–243–30.[2]
The return to the CCHA reinvigorated the program after several underachieving seasons and rebuilding years. In the 1996–97 season, the first back in the CCHA, the Wildcats finished with a record of 19–15–4. The season was the first winning record since the 1993–94 season.[2] And in the following season NMU reached theNCAA National tournament for the seventh time in program history. Northern Michigan entered the tournament as the 5th seed in the West Regional. Northern Michigan's playoff run was ended early byBoston College in a low scoring game 1–2.[10]
On June 13, 2002, it was announced thatWalt Kyle would take over as head coach for the Wildcats to become the second coach in program history.Rick Comley left to take over the head coaching position atMichigan State after 26 seasons behind the bench of the Wildcats.[11][12] Kyle won his first game as head coach of Northern Michigan on October 5, 2002, againstUpper Michigan rival Michigan Tech, 4–1.[13][14] Kyle's first CCHA victory came on October 18, 2002, 10–4 against Rick Comley and his Michigan State team.[14][15] Kyle led the Wildcats to four straight 20+ win seasons from 2002 to 2006 and six of his first eight seasons behind the NMU bench.[2]
One of the most successful seasons in recent history came in the 2009–10 season. Northern Michigan finished the regular season ranked fourth in the CCHA and ranked 16th in the nation. The Wildcats received a first round bye in the CCHA tournament and matched up againstAlaska Fairbanks, coming off first round sweep ofWestern Michigan. Northern Michigan swept the Nanooks two games to none with 4–3 and 5–1 victories,[16] advancing NMU to the semifinal round. Northern Michigan took onFerris State looking to overcome the semifinal losses the previous two seasons.[2] The Wildcats came out on top of their seventh appearance in the CCHA Semifinals in the last eight seasons with an overtime goal byGreger Hanson to give Northern Michigan the 5–4 OT win.[17] The win was the first time Northern Michigan advanced to the CCHA Championship game since 1999, under Rick Comley.[17] The Wildcats run in the CCHA playoffs ended in the Championship game, when Northern Michigan fell short in a close game to Michigan.[18] The Wildcats' 2–1 loss to the Wolverines did not end their season as NMU received an at-large bid to the2010 NCAA tournament, their first tournament appearance since 1999 and first under Walt Kyle.[2][16] Northern Michigan's first NCAA tournament berth in 11 seasons took them to the West Regional at theXcel Energy Center inSt. Paul, Minnesota, and first round match-up againstSt. Cloud State.[19] The Wildcats battled hard in front of a pro-SCSU crowd.[19] Northern Michigan found themselves down early 2–0 in the first period but picked up a late goal by sophomore forwardJustin Florek.[20] St. Cloud answered in the second period on the power play but Northern Michigan kept within one goal when senior forwardRay Kaunisto scored late in the period.[20] St. Cloud was held scoreless in the third while Northern Michigan tied the game with an even strength goal under four minutes left in the third period by junior defensemanErik Spady.[20] The Two team battled hard through the first overtime before St. Cloud State'sTony Mosey scored 23 seconds into the second overtime.[19] Senior goaltender Brian Stewart stopped 50 SCSU shots in the tough loss.[20]
In the summer of 2011, theBig Ten Conference announced intentions to begin sponsoring men's ice hockey in 2013,[21] followed byMiami (OH) announcing the formation of theNational Collegiate Hockey Conference for 2013 with and five other schools breaking from the WCHA.[22] The realignment continued on July 20, 2011, when Northern Michigan was approved for membership in the WCHA beginning with the 2013–14 season.[23]
In June 2019, it was announced that Northern Michigan was one of seven WCHA men's members that would leave to form a new conference after the 2020–21 season.[24] Those schools later announced that they would reestablish the CCHA effective in 2021–22.[25]
Source:[26]
As of the completion of the 2020–21 season[26]
| School | Team | Away Arena | Overall record | Win % | Home | Away | Last Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bemidji State University | Beavers | Sanford Center | 9–18–6 | .364 | 2–10–2 | 7–8–4 | 5–3 L |
| Bowling Green State University | Falcons | Slater Family Ice Arena | 57–57–10 | .483 | 31–26–7 | 26–30–3 | 4–2 W |
| Ferris State University | Bulldogs | Ewigleben Arena | 71–31–6 | .685 | 41–17–2 | 28–13–4 | 4–2 L |
| Lake Superior State University | Lakers | Taffy Abel Arena | 78–52–13 | .591 | 49–19–5 | 29–33–8 | 5–4 W |
| Michigan Technological University | Huskies | MacInnes Student Ice Arena | 77–76–14 | .503 | 42–33–6 | 34–39–8 | 8–1 L |
| Minnesota State University | Mavericks | Mankato Civic Center | 6–21–3 | .250 | 4–9–3 | 3–13–0 | 8–1 L |
| University of St. Thomas | Tommies | St. Thomas Ice Arena | 2–0–0 | 1.000 | 2–0–0 | 0–0–0 | 8–3 W |
The Wildcats are currently coached by former team captainDave Shyiak, who assumed coaching duties afterGrant Potulny stepped down to become the head coach of theHartford Wolf Pack in 2024.
As of the completion of 2024–25 season[26]
| Tenure | Coach | Years | Record | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976–2002 | Rick Comley | 26 | 538–429–68 | .553 |
| 2002–2017 | Walt Kyle | 15 | 265–263–68 | .502 |
| 2017–2024 | Grant Potulny | 7 | 128–113–17 | .529 |
| 2024–Present | Dave Shyiak | 1 | 5–27–2 | .176 |
| Totals | 4 coaches | 49 | 936–832–155 | .527 |
The team statistical leaders are given below.[26]
| Player | Years | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bill Joyce | 1976–1980 | 130 | 112 | 143 | 255 | 234 |
| Gary Emmons | 1983–1987 | 151 | 130 | 113 | 243 | 157 |
| Mike Mielke | 1976–1980 | 138 | 86 | 149 | 235 | 187 |
| Scott Beattie | 1989–1992 | 122 | 106 | 116 | 222 | 170 |
| Dallas Drake | 1988–1992 | 165 | 92 | 128 | 220 | 215 |
| Jim Hiller | 1989–1992 | 123 | 76 | 129 | 205 | 230 |
| Steve Bozek | 1978–1981 | 115 | 76 | 117 | 193 | 99 |
| Jeff Pyle | 1978–1981 | 115 | 76 | 117 | 193 | 36 |
| Don Waddell | 1976–1980 | 120 | 52 | 120 | 172 | 138 |
| Dean Antos | 1987–1991 | 162 | 75 | 95 | 170 | 173 |
GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% =Save percentage; GAA =Goals against average
minimum 1000 minutes played
| Player | Years | GP | Min | W | L | T | GA | SO | SV% | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuomas Tarkki | 2001–2005 | 56 | 2790 | 28 | 12 | 5 | 104 | 3 | .924 | 2.24 |
| Dan Ragusett | 1997–2001 | 88 | 5002 | 43 | 25 | 11 | 195 | 8 | .911 | 2.34 |
| Atte Tolvanen | 2015–2019 | 137 | 7930 | 62 | 58 | 13 | 319 | 13 | .918 | 2.41 |
| Mathias Dahlstrom | 2013–2016 | 70 | 3992 | 30 | 30 | 7 | 164 | 8 | .915 | 2.46 |
| Brian Stewart | 2006–2010 | 117 | 6515 | 50 | 42 | 14 | 275 | 10 | .921 | 2.53 |
Statistics current through the end of the 2023–24 season.
As of August 4, 2025.[27]
| No. | Nat. | Player | Class | Pos | Height | Weight | DoB | Hometown | Previous team | NHL rights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | William Gramme | Junior | G | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 201 lb (91 kg) | 2002-05-24 | Stockholm, Sweden | Wisconsin (Big Ten) | — |
| 2 |  | Joe Schiller | Sophomore | D | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 2004-09-23 | Moorhead, Minnesota | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL) | — |
| 3 |  | Nick Ardanaz | Senior | D | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 2002-05-30 | Surrey, British Columbia | Rensselaer (ECAC) | — |
| 4 | | Warren Clark | Junior | D | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 2004-08-31 | Riverside, Ontario | St. Cloud State (NCHC) | TBL, 179th overall 2023 |
| 5 | | Grayden Daul | Sophomore | D | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 181 lb (82 kg) | 2003-01-31 | Chicago, Illinois | Langley Rivermen (BCHL) | — |
| 6 | | Tynan Ewart | Junior | D | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 188 lb (85 kg) | 2002-02-26 | Duncan, British Columbia | St. Cloud State (NCHC) | — |
| 9 | | Zane Demsey | Senior | D | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 2001-11-04 | Harrison Township, Michigan | Miami (NCHC) | — |
| 10 | | Mathew Ward | Freshman | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 168 lb (76 kg) | 2004-01-24 | Kamloops, British Columbia | Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL) | — |
| 12 |  | Peter Císar | Freshman | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 176 lb (80 kg) | 2005-05-30 | Bratislava, Slovakia | Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) | — |
| 13 | | Médrick Bolduc | Sophomore | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 183 lb (83 kg) | 2003-07-09 | Val-d'Or, Quebec | El Paso Rhinos (NAHL) | — |
| 14 |  | Jakub Altrichter | Sophomore | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 154 lb (70 kg) | 2003-07-26 | Prague, Czech Republic | Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL) | — |
| 15 | | Grayden Slipec | Sophomore | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 2005-03-06 | Surrey, British Columbia | Chicago Steel (USHL) | — |
| 16 | | Caiden Gault | Senior | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 2002-04-16 | Oakbank, Manitoba | Ferris State (CCHA) | — |
| 17 |  | Ģirts Silkalns | Sophomore | F | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 187 lb (85 kg) | 2003-06-30 | Talsi, Latvia | Massachusetts Lowell (HEA) | — |
| 18 | | Mikey Burchill | Freshman | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 163 lb (74 kg) | 2005-04-29 | Mundelein, Illinois | Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL) | — |
| 19 | | Tobias Pitka | Freshman | F | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | 2006-04-28 | Poprad, Slovakia | Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL) | — |
| 20 | | Anthony Cliche | Sophomore | D | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 216 lb (98 kg) | 2003-06-09 | Vallée-Jonction, Quebec | Vernon Vipers (BCHL) | — |
| 21 | | Tyler Stern | Freshman | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 174 lb (79 kg) | 2004-08-12 | Plainview, New York | Maryland Black Bears (NAHL) | — |
| 22 | | Landon MacDonald | Freshman | F | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 192 lb (87 kg) | 2004-08-12 | Brighton, Michigan | Madison Capitols (USHL) | — |
| 23 | | Evan Johnson | Freshman | D | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 2004-11-22 | Trenton, Michigan | North Iowa Bulls (NAHL) | — |
| 24 | | Kyle Bettens | Senior | F | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | 2001-07-04 | Winnipeg, Manitoba | Minnesota Duluth (NCHC) | — |
| 27 | | Danny Ciccarello | Junior | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 2001-03-23 | Kirkland, Quebec | Rensselaer (ECAC) | — |
| 28 | | Matt Argentina | Senior | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 184 lb (83 kg) | 2003-01-16 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Chilliwack Chiefs (BCHL) | — |
| 29 | | Aidyn Hutchinson | Sophomore | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 172 lb (78 kg) | 2003-09-11 | St. Albert, Alberta | Melfort Mustangs (SJHL) | — |
| 30 | | Oliver Auyeung-Ashton | Freshman | G | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 163 lb (74 kg) | 2005-04-11 | Coquitlam, British Columbia | Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL) | — |
| 31 | | Jack Fuller | Freshman | G | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 2004-08-21 | Centerville, Minnesota | New Mexico Ice Wolves (NAHL) | — |
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| Tournament Most Outstanding Player
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AHCA Second Team All-Americans
| Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year
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| Most Valuable Player in tournament
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The following is a list of people associated with the Northern Michigan men's ice hockey program who were elected into the Northern Michigan Wildcats Hall of Fame (induction date in parentheses).[28]
This is a list of Northern Michigan alumni who have played on anOlympic team.[26]
| Name | Position | Northern Michigan Tenure | Team | Year | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Beaufait | Center | 1988–1992 | USA | 1994 | 8th |
| Bruno Campese | Goaltender | 1981–1982 |  ITA | 1994 | 9th |
| Phil DeGaetano | Defenseman | 1981–1985 | ITA | 1994 | 9th |
| Eric LeMarque | Center | 1986–1990 |  FRA | 1994 | 10th |
| Brad Werenka | Defenseman | 1986–1991 | CAN | 1994 |  Silver |
| Erik Gustafsson | Defenseman | 2007–2010 | SWE | 2018 | 5th |
As of July 1, 2025.[29]
| =NHL All-Star team | =NHL All-Star[30] | =NHL All-Star[30] andNHL All-Star team | =Hall of Famers |
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Dual US/French citizenEric LeMarque went on to play forTeam France at the1994 Winter Olympics, later losing his feet to frostbite in a mishap chronicled in autobiography and in the 2017 film6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain.
The Wildcats play at the 3,902-seatBerry Events Center on the NMU campus inMarquette, Michigan.[31] The arena has been the home of the Wildcats since 1999, replacingLakeview Arena which had been the home to NMU hockey since the program began in 1976.[32]
The Puckheads are a group of fans of the Wildcats hockey team, made up of students as well as community residents. In the words of aMichigan Daily feature article, "The Puckheads have created an atmosphere that makes the Berry Events Center one of the most entertaining and frustrating road trips for other teams in the CCHA."[33]
The Puckheads were founded in November 1996 at Lakeview Arena. They travel and follow the team on many occasions, and have established rivalries with other teams' fan groups, notably the "Red Army" supporters of theNebraska–OmahaMavericks.[34][35]