2020–21 Northern Michigan Wildcats men's ice hockey season

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2020–21 Northern Michigan Wildcats
men's ice hockey season
ConferenceT–5th WCHA
Home iceBerry Events Center
Rankings
USCHONR
USA TodayNR
Record
Overall11–17–1
Conference6–7–1–2–2–1
Home4–9–1
Road7–7–0
Neutral0–1–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachGrant Potulny
Assistant coachesByron Pool
Rob Lehtinen
Captain(s)Joseph Nardi
Alternate captain(s)Ben Newhouse
Northern Michigan Wildcats men's ice hockey seasons
« 2019–20 2021–22 »

The 2020–21 Northern Michigan Wildcats men's ice hockey season was the 45th season of play for the program and the 21st in the WCHA conference. The Wildcats represented Northern Michigan University and were coached by Grant Potulny, in his 4th season.

Season[edit]

As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the entire college ice hockey season was delayed. Because the NCAA had previously announced that all winter sports athletes would retain whatever eligibility they possessed through at least the following year, none of Northern Michigan's players would lose a season of play.[1] However, the NCAA also approved a change in its transfer regulations that would allow players to transfer and play immediately rather than having to sit out a season, as the rules previously required.[2]

Northern Michigan began the season poorly. In their first 14 games the team's only wins were against Ferris State, the worst team in the nation. Their 4–10 record included an 8-game losing streak and made it all but impossible for the Wildcats to make the NCAA Tournament without winning their conference championship. The team went through a great deal of changes, including Grant Loven transferring to St. Thomas mid-season and bringing in Rico DiMatteo after the new year.[3] It was more than a month before DiMatteo made his first appearance for NMU but, once he did, the Wildcats' season completely turned around. DiMatteo helped Northern Michigan get the first win of the year that wasn't against FSU and then sweep a ranked Bemidji State team the very next weekend.

The team sagged at the end of the regular season, finishing 6th in the conference, and entered the WCHA Tournament with little hope of advancing. NMU gave #13 Bowling Green a surprise in the first game, winning 4–3, but when the Falcons roared back for a 5–0 victory in game two the series looked ready to be over. DiMatteo was shelled in the third game, facing a total of 40 shots in regulation, but he only allowed one by him while the Wildcat offense pumped 5 goals into the net and the team earned a surprising trip to the semifinals. The Wildcats were set against #3 Minnesota State and again pulled off a miraculous upset. The Wildcats fired 4 goals past the top goaltender in the nation and scored 5 in all before the Mavericks could even respond. The next day NMU was looking for the first championship in 29 years and only had Lake Superior State standing in their way. In the first ever postseason meeting between the two upper peninsula teams, Northern Michigan's magic ran out and they surrendered two goals in each period, losing the title game 3–6.

James Miller and John Roberts sat out the season.

Departures[edit]

Player Position Nationality Cause
Josh Arnold Forward  Canada Left program
Philip Beaulieu Defenseman  United States Graduation (Signed with Iowa Wild)
Darien Craighead Forward  Canada Graduation (Signed with South Carolina Stingrays)
Jarrett Lee Forward  United States Transferred to Minnesota Duluth
Adam Roeder Defenseman  United States Left program
Caleb Schroer Forward  United States Left program
Mitch Slattery Forward  United States Left program
Luke Voltin Forward  United States Graduation
Rylan Yaremko Defenseman/Forward  Canada Transferred to Mount Royal

Recruiting[edit]

Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Tyrell Boucher Defenseman  Canada 21 Grande Prairie, AB
Mack Byers Forward  United States 21 Long Lake, MN
Mikey Colella Forward  United States 21 Turnersville, NJ
Rico DiMatteo Goaltender  United States 19 Brasher Falls, NY
Colby Enns Defenseman  United States 21 Minot, ND; transfer from Omaha
Tim Erkkila Defenseman  United States 19 Brighton, MI
Alex Frye Defenseman  United States 21 Clarkston, MI; transfer from Alaska Anchorage
Noah Ganske Defenseman  United States 21 Bloomington, MN
Grant Johnson Goaltender  United States 21 Grand Forks, ND
David Keefer Forward  United States 22 Howell, MI; transfer from Michigan State
Ian Malcolmson Forward  United States 21 Waukesha, WI
Connor Marritt Forward  Canada 21 Kelowna, BC
James Miller Defenseman  Canada 21 Spruce Grove, AB
Rylan Van Unen Forward  Canada 21 Kamloops, BC
Brett Willits Forward  United States 21 London, ON

Roster[edit]

As of March 1, 2021.[4]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 Alberta Nolan Kent Junior G 6' 0" (1.83 m) 196 lb (89 kg) 1998-08-12 Chestermere, Alberta Spruce Grove (AJHL) —
2 Michigan Alex Frye Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1998-07-27 Clarkston, Michigan Alaska Anchorage (WCHA) —
2 Alberta James Miller Freshman D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 1998-02-20 Spruce Grove, Alberta Stony Plain (ACHW) —
3 North Dakota Colby Enns Sophomore D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 201 lb (91 kg) 1999-09-16 Minot, North Dakota Lincoln (USHL) —
4 British Columbia Michael Van Unen Sophomore D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-02-26 Kamloops, British Columbia Merritt (BCHL) —
5 Minnesota Mason Palmer Sophomore D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1998-11-20 Plymouth, Minnesota Waterloo (USHL) —
6 Alberta Tyrell Boucher Freshman D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-06-03 Grande Prairie, Alberta Cowichan Valley Capitals (BCHL) —
7 Michigan David Keefer Junior (RS) F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1997-10-21 Brighton, Michigan Michigan State (Big Ten) —
8 Michigan Tim Erkkila Freshman D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-11-16 Brighton, Michigan Fairbanks (NAHL) —
9 Wisconsin Ian Malcolmson Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1999-01-29 Waukesha, Wisconsin Sioux Falls (USHL) —
10 Minnesota Ben Newhouse (A) Senior D 5' 8" (1.73 m) 174 lb (79 kg) 1997-06-16 Edina, Minnesota Union (ECAC) —
11 California Andre Ghantous Sophomore F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1998-12-07 Glendale, California Penticton (BCHL) —
12 British Columbia Connor Marritt Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 174 lb (79 kg) 1999-03-14 Kelowna, British Columbia Vernon (BCHL) —
13 New Jersey Mikey Colella Freshman F 5' 7" (1.7 m) 155 lb (70 kg) 1999-06-12 Wenonah, New Jersey Trail (BCHL) —
14 California Vincent de Mey Junior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1997-11-26 Los Angeles, California Muskegon (USHL) —
15 British Columbia Rylan Van Unen Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-02-26 Kamloops, British Columbia Merritt (BCHL) —
16 New York (state) Griffin Loughran Junior F 5' 7" (1.7 m) 145 lb (66 kg) 1998-11-13 West Seneca, New York Fargo (USHL) —
17 North Dakota Grant Johnson Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1999-04-11 Grand Forks, North Dakota Bismarck (NAHL) —
18 Alberta Joseph Nardi (C) Senior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 178 lb (81 kg) 1997-06-01 Edmonton, Alberta Whitecourt (AJHL) —
19 Colorado A. J. Vanderbeck Sophomore (RS) F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1997-09-23 Monument, Colorado Ohio State (Big Ten) —
20 Colorado Garrett Klee Junior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1998-04-11 Morrison, Colorado Waterloo (USHL) —
21 Florida Brandon Schultz Senior F 5' 7" (1.7 m) 150 lb (68 kg) 1996-06-15 Estero, Florida Northeastern (HEA) —
22 Minnesota Jett Jungels Freshman (RS) F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2000-07-14 Edina, Minnesota Edina (USHS–MN) —
23 Minnesota Hank Sorensen Sophomore D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1998-06-05 Wayzata, Minnesota Waterloo (USHL) —
24 Minnesota Noah Ganske Freshman D 6' 7" (2.01 m) 207 lb (94 kg) 1999-04-21 Bloomington, Minnesota Green Bay (USHL) —
25 Ontario Brett Willits Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 174 lb (79 kg) 1999-03-16 London, Ontario Chilliwack (BCHL) —
26 Alberta Ty Readman Junior F 5' 6" (1.68 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 1998-01-05 Edmonton, Alberta Sherwood Park (AJHL) —
27 Minnesota Mack Byers Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 172 lb (78 kg) 1999-02-08 Long Lake, Minnesota Aberdeen (NAHL) —
28 Minnesota Tanner Vescio Sophomore D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1998-04-14 Blaine, Minnesota Fargo (USHL) —
29 Minnesota Grant Loven † Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 1997-12-21 East Grand Forks, Minnesota Minot (NAHL) —
30 British Columbia John Hawthorne Sophomore G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1998-09-02 Chemainus, British Columbia Alberni Valley (BCHL) —
31 Pennsylvania John Roberts Sophomore G 5' 9" (1.75 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1998-12-02 Lansdale, Pennsylvania Bismarck (NAHL) —
32 Ontario Connor Ryckman Junior (RS) G 6' 0" (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1996-09-18 Minesing, Ontario Wisconsin Stevens Point (WIAC) —
33 New York (state) Rico DiMatteo Freshman G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 161 lb (73 kg) 2001-01-01 Brasher Falls, New York Lone Star Brahmas (NAHL) —

† Grant Loven played 6 games before transferring to St. Thomas.

Standings[edit]

2020–21 Western Collegiate Hockey Association Standings
Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL 3/SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#4 Minnesota State † 14 13 1 0 1 1 0 39 56 15 27 22 5 1 100 46
#14 Lake Superior State * 14 9 5 0 2 2 0 27 39 34 29 19 7 3 86 63
#18 Bowling Green 14 8 5 1 0 2 0 27 46 34 31 20 10 1 108 67
#10 Bemidji State 14 8 5 1 3 2 0 24 42 34 29 16 10 3 82 70
Michigan Tech 14 7 7 0 1 0 0 20 38 35 30 17 12 1 78 63
Northern Michigan 14 6 7 1 2 2 1 20 40 47 29 11 17 1 79 103
Alabama–Huntsville 14 3 11 0 1 0 0 8 18 49 22 3 18 1 31 80
Ferris State 14 0 13 1 0 1 1 3 28 59 25 1 23 1 55 103
Alaska 0 - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - - -
Alaska Anchorage 0 - - - - - - - - - 0 - - - - -
Championship: March 20, 2021
† indicates conference regular season champion
* indicates conference tournament champion
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll

Schedule and Results[edit]

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Decision Result Attendance Record
Regular Season
December 16 6:00 PM vs. Ferris State* Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan   Ryckman W 5–4  0 1–0–0
December 18 7:07 PM at Michigan Tech* MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, Michigan   Kent L 3–4 OT 0 1–1–0
December 18 6:07 PM at Michigan Tech* MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, Michigan   Ryckman L 1–3  0 1–2–0
December 30 3:07 PM at Ferris State* Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan   Ryckman W 6–5 OT 68 2–2–0
January 2 6:07 PM vs. #5 Minnesota State Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan   Ryckman L 0–5  0 2–3–0 (0–1–0)
January 3 4:07 PM vs. #5 Minnesota State Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan   Kent L 0–4  0 2–4–0 (0–2–0)
January 8 7:07 PM vs. Lake Superior State* Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan   Kent L 1–4  0 2–5–0
January 9 6:07 PM vs. Lake Superior State* Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan   Kent L 2–3 OT 0 2–6–0
January 15 7:07 PM at #8 Bowling Green* Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio   Ryckman L 1–5  300 2–7–0
January 16 7:07 PM at #8 Bowling Green* Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio   Hawthorne L 2–6  300 2–8–0
January 23 4:07 PM at Michigan Tech* MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, Michigan   Kent L 0–2  200 2–9–0
January 25 5:07 PM vs. #18 Michigan Tech* Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan   Kent L 1–4  0 2–10–0
January 29 7:07 PM vs. Ferris State Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan   Kent W 5–4  0 3–10–0 (1–2–0)
January 30 6:07 PM vs. Ferris State Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan   Kent W 5–3  0 4–10–0 (2–2–0)
February 6 5:00 PM vs. Lake Superior State Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan   Kent L 4–5 OT 0 4–11–0 (2–3–0)
February 7 3:00 PM vs. Lake Superior State Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan   DiMatteo W 4–3  0 5–11–0 (3–3–0)
February 12 8:07 PM at #17 Bemidji State Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota   DiMatteo W 5–1  90 6–11–0 (4–3–0)
February 13 7:00 PM at #17 Bemidji State Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota   DiMatteo W 3–2 OT 90 7–11–0 (5–3–0)
February 16 4:37 PM vs. Alabama–Huntsville Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan   DiMatteo L 1–3  0 7–12–0 (5–4–0)
February 17 7:07 PM vs. Alabama–Huntsville Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan   DiMatteo W 8–2  0 8–12–0 (6–4–0)
February 20 6:07 PM vs. #14 Bowling Green Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan   DiMatteo T 0–0 SOW 250 8–12–1 (6–4–1)
February 21 4:07 PM vs. #14 Bowling Green Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan   DiMatteo L 2–6  250 8–13–1 (6–5–1)
February 26 7:07 PM at #20 Michigan Tech MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, Michigan   DiMatteo L 1–6  300 8–14–1 (6–6–1)
February 27 6:07 PM vs. #20 Michigan Tech* Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan   DiMatteo L 2–3 OT 250 8–15–1 (6–7–1)
WCHA Tournament
March 12 7:07 PM at #13 Bowling Green* Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio (WCHA Quarterfinals Game 1)   DiMatteo W 4–3  630 9–15–1
March 13 7:07 PM at #13 Bowling Green* Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio (WCHA Quarterfinals Game 1)   DiMatteo L 0–5  630 9–16–1
March 14 5:07 PM at #13 Bowling Green* Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio (WCHA Quarterfinals Game 1)   DiMatteo W 5–1  630 10–16–1
Northern Michigan Won Series 2–1
March 19 3:07 PM at #3 Minnesota State* Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota (WCHA Semifinals)   DiMatteo W 5–1  250 11–16–1
March 20 8:07 PM vs. #17 Lake Superior State* Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota (WCHA Championship)   DiMatteo L 3–6  250 11–17–1
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time.

[5]

Scoring statistics[edit]

Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Joseph Nardi LW 29 12 21 33 0
André Ghantous RW 25 10 18 28 16
A. J. Vanderbeck F 29 14 13 27 22
Griffin Loughran F 16 5 10 15 38
Michael Van Unen D 29 3 11 14 47
Vincent de Mey F 26 7 5 12 16
Brandon Schultz C/LW 25 5 7 12 14
Alex Frye C 25 5 6 11 14
David Keefer RW 28 2 9 11 8
Mikey Colella F 24 4 3 7 13
Ben Newhouse D 29 2 5 7 6
Tim Erkkila D 27 1 5 6 8
Colby Enns D 26 3 2 5 23
Connor Marritt F 29 0 4 4 8
Garrett Klee F 26 3 0 3 10
Hank Sorensen D 15 0 3 3 53
Ty Readman C 23 1 1 2 4
Tanner Vescio D 5 0 2 2 2
Mack Byers LW 10 0 2 2 2
Noah Ganske D 15 0 2 2 14
Jett Jungels F 12 1 0 1 2
Rylan Van Unen F 19 1 0 1 8
Mason Palmer D 23 0 1 1 8
Grant Johnson F 1 0 0 0 0
John Hawthorne G 4 0 0 0 0
Brett Willits C 4 0 0 0 0
Connor Ryckman G 5 0 0 0 0
Grant Loven C 6 0 0 0 29
Nolan Kent G 10 0 0 0 0
Tyrell Boucher D 10 0 0 0 2
Rico DiMatteo G 14 0 0 0 0
Ian Malcolmson F 15 0 0 0 0
Bench - - - - - 8
Total 79 130 209 377

[6]

Goaltending statistics[edit]

Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Rico DiMatteo 14 823 7 6 1 39 391 1 .909 2.84
Nolan Kent 10 589 2 7 0 32 248 0 .886 3.26
John Hawthorne 4 130 0 1 0 10 68 0 .872 4.59
Connor Ryckman 5 207 2 3 0 18 99 0 .846 5.21
Empty Net - 16 - - - 4 - - - -
Total 29 1767 11 17 1 103 806 1 .887 3.50

Rankings[edit]

Main article: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey rankings
Poll Week
Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 (Final)
USCHO.com NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR - NR
USA Today NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR

USCHO did not release a poll in week 20.[7]

Awards and honors[edit]

Player Award Ref
André Ghantous WCHA Scoring Champion
Joseph Nardi WCHA Second Team [8]
André Ghantous WCHA Third Team [8]
Rico DiMatteo WCHA Rookie Team [8]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "NCAA approves blanket waiver for 2020 fall sports athletes to retain year of eligibility". CBS Sports. August 21, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  2. ^ "DI Council grants waiver to allow transfer student-athletes to compete immediately". NCAA. December 16, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  3. ^ "College Commitment: DiMatteo to play at Northern Michigan University". Lone Star Brahmas. January 4, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  4. ^ "2020–21 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Northern Michigan University Wildcats. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  5. ^ "Northern Michigan Wildcats (Men) 2020-2021 Schedule and Results". College Hockey Stats. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  6. ^ "Northern Michigan Univ. 2020-2021 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  7. ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  8. ^ a b c "WCHA Announces 2020-21 All-League Teams". WCHA.com. March 10, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
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