Just Cat Get Enough

Northern Michigan’s Second Half Sets Up Big Opportunity

by Christopher Boulay/CHN Writer (@chrismboulay)

Early in the year, there seemed to be a consensus of what would happen in the WCHA, with Minnesota State leading the pack, and everyone else trailing behind. The race for home ice was considered to be wide open, and a host of teams had the ability to take charge.

There was some hesitation that Northern Michigan would be one of the more likely competitors toward the top of the conference standings.

With so many departures from last season, it was easy to think that Northern Michigan (14-8-4, 12-5-1) might struggle this season. Not that the players weren’t capable of stepping up, but that there was just too many holes to fill. Combined with a difficult schedule, the Wildcats had an uphill battle ahead of them.

Getting an offense to produce at a higher rate than last year was key. In 2018-19, Northern averaged 2.67 goals per game, just 34th in the nation. However, this year, the Wildcats are one of the highest-powered offenses in the country, scoring 3.38 goals per game, tied for eighth nationally.

Sophomore forward Griffin Loughran is a significant part of this offensive renaissance in Marquette. This year, Loughran has 19 goals and 12 assists through 25 games, leading the nation in goals scored and tied for fifth in points.

Loughran been a force for the Wildcat offense, but he’s one of five players with at least 20 point on the team. Fellow sophomore Vincent de Mey has 13 goals and 10 assists, while senior forward Darien Craighead, senior defenseman Philip Beaulieu and junior forward Joseph Nardi have combined for 44 assists.

“It was obviously a major concern going into the year, when you lose the player of the year, the forward of the year and you had a line that carried you offensively for the better part of two seasons, and those guys are gone,” NMU coach Grant Potulny said. “We knew we had to do it a little bit by committee, but to have that happen, we were probably going to score a little differently. We’ve generated more second-chance opportunities. We’ve generated more deflection opportunities. We scored more goals by just fatiguing people than straight execution.

“In my opinion, you can score one of two ways: fatiguing or execution. Last year, we scored what were gorgeous-looking goals. But at the end of the day, we fell short in that category. We had to find a way to get more pucks past the goalie, and it didn’t matter how. That’s probably been the biggest jump in our output."

Potulny explained earlier this year that in order for sustained success, it’s imperative that every class steps up and fills the holes left by the guys that left the previous year. It’s simple when you think about it, but the on-ice application can be extremely difficult.

So far, Northern’s players are doing their job to make it all work.

The Wildcats’ goaltending situation has mostly been a split between sophomore Nolan Kent and freshman John Hawthorne. Kent has a .912 save percentage through 18 appearances, while Hawthorne has an .892 in 13 games. Despite the shared time, It likely will be Kent’s job to lose.

“Going forward, I do think that Nolan is going to see more of the net than John has,” Potulny said. “It’s not out of lack of performance by John. Nolan has had a chance in some of those bigger moments. ... He’s had opportunities in those games, and he’s played well in them. Sometimes it’s more of the confidence in the group than it is the performance of the play.”

Northern’s success this year has it in a strong position with 10 games to go in the regular season. The Wildcats sit 15th in the Pairwise and third in the WCHA. Home ice is within their grasp, with fifth-place Michigan Tech and sixth-place Bowling Green nine and 10 points behind, respectively. The team has wins against Minnesota State, Michigan State, Boston University, and ties against Cornell and St. Cloud State out of conference.

While the team had an inconsistent first half, the win against Minnesota State before break provided a necessary morale boost. The Wildcats are 6-1-2 since Dec. 14.

“Going into that series, you felt that whatever the outcome of the series was, it would affect the second half of your year,” Potulny said. “As an athlete, you go home and the last thing you remember is ‘how did your first half finish.’ ... Since we’ve come back, I feel like we’ve had a different outlook on the season and a different mindset within the group. We’ve had a very productive second half of the year to date.”

The favorable Pairwise position puts the Wildcats in charge of their own destiny for an at-large spot, and a chance to make the WCHA a two-bid league again this year. While Northern Michigan hosts Ferris State this weekend, the following four games will be key, heading to Minnesota State Feb. 7-8 and Bemidji State Feb. 14-15. The Beavers are 20th in the Pairwise, and are also pushing for positioning for home ice in the WCHA and a chance at an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

“We’ve made some movement during the second half of the year,” Potulny. “We’ve got a challenging schedule to finish out. The way the league is set up, finishing as high as you can is very valuable. Look no further than having a chance to host the WCHA Championship game a couple years ago when you finish second and the team that finished first ended up getting knocked off. Trying to finish first or second is really important. That keeps you home through two rounds of playoffs, should you advance past the first round.”

There’s a lot left to decide, but heading into the final month of hockey, there’s not much more Northern fans could ask for. The Wildcats have a chance to ensure their postseason could go further than just the WCHA Tournament, and at this point, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if they make a run deep in that tournament.

The next month will be both telling, and potentially exciting for those in Marquette.