2022–23 Northern Michigan Wildcats men's ice hockey season

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The 2022–23 Northern Michigan Wildcats men's ice hockey season was the 47th season of play for the program and 25th season in the CCHA. The Wildcats represented Northern Michigan University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season. They were coached by Grant Potulny, in his 6th season, and played their home games at Berry Events Center.

Season

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Perspective

After a solid season the year before, Northern Michigan came into the season ranked for the first time in years and had some decent results early. The Wildcats slipped at the end of October, however, losing 4 out of 5 games which included a loss to Alaska Anchorage who were playing their first games in almost 3 years. NMU arrested their slide in November in part by sticking with freshman netminder Béni Halász in goal. The other issue for the club was trying to reform the offense after the loss of Hank Crone, their leading scorer from the year before. Slowly, the team got used to one another and the new additions were assimilated into coach Potulny's system.

Northern Michigan finished out the first half of their season with a decent record which included splits against both Minnesota State and Michigan Tech. Unfortunately, after returning from the winter break, both the offense and defense struggled. The Wildcats lost 6 out of 7 and tumbled down the standings. By the time February rolled around, the team was in the bottom half of the CCHA standings and had no chance for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. Luckily, the Wildcats ended the season with a fairly easy slate of opponents and were able to take full advantage.

After settling down on the back end, the NMU offense exploded against Ferris State, scoring 17 goals in one weekend. Entering the final week of the season, the suddenly-hot Wildcats had a long-shot chance at a homestand in the postseason. First, they needed to take as many points as they could from Bowling Green. The team had to overcome early deficits in both matches but were able to come away with a pair of 4–2 victories. In the meantime, Bemidji State was only able to earn a split and the two teams ended the regular season with 39 points. Luckily for NMU, the Wildcats possessed the tiebreaker and would host the Beavers for the quarterfinal round.

Northern Michigan's inspired play continued into the postseason and, after trading goals with BSU, the Wildcats scored the final 4 with goals from Joey Larson, Mikey Colella, Andre Ghantous, and Michael Van Unen to walk away with a win in game 1. Bemidji State responded with a strong effort in the rematch but Halász was equal to the task and allowed just one goal on 36 shots. Regulation ended with a 1–1 tie and immediately after the start of overtime the Wildcats were in attack mode. NMU fired three shots on goal in 67 seconds with David Keefer finding the twine.[1] Northern Michigan advanced to the semifinal where they met long-time rival, Michigan Tech. NMU entered the match having lost the last three to the Huskies but erased that memory by scoring three times in the first thanks to Michael Van Unen, Andre Ghantous, and Rylan Van Unen. After that, Halász had to weather a barrage of shots from Tech but he was up to the task and turned everything aside. A late goal by New York Rangers prospect Simon Kjellberg extended their lead but by then the game was well in hand and Northern Michigan skated away with a 4–0 victory.

The Wilcdats reached a conference championship game for the third time under Potulny but were still searching for their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2010.[2] Halász continued his shutout streak and held Minnesota State scoreless through most of the game. Alex Frye scored a pair of goals to stake the Wildcats to a 2–0 lead and all signs were pointing to their winning the title. With less than 3 minutes remaining, everything began to unravel when Ondrej Pavel and the Mavericks cut the lead in half while their goaltender was pulled. MSU Forward Christian Fitzgerald completed the comeback with their second extra-attacker goal with less than a minute left in regulation. Now, with all of the momentum having swung towards the Mavericks, NMU could only watch as Minnesota State went on the attack in overtime and Zach Krajnik ended the Wildcats season after just 68 seconds.[3]

Departures

More information Player, Position ...
Player Position Nationality Cause
Mack ByersForward United StatesTransferred to St. Thomas
Trevor CosgroveDefenseman United StatesGraduation (signed with Bridgeport Islanders)
Hank CroneForward United StatesGraduation (signed with Allen Americans)
Hampus ErikssonForward SwedenGraduation (signed with Pioneers Vorarlberg)
Tim ErkkilaDefenseman United StatesLeft program (retired)
Oscar GeschwindForward SwedenTransferred to American International
Bo HansonDefenseman United StatesGraduation (signed with Wheeling Nailers)
Nolan KentGoaltender CanadaGraduate transfer to Alaska Anchorage
Garrett KleeForward United StatesGraduation (signed with Kansas City Mavericks)
Ian MalcolmsonForward United StatesLeft program (retired)
Connor MarrittForward CanadaTransferred to Alaska Anchorage
Joseph NardiForward CanadaGraduation (signed with Manitoba Moose)
Ben NewhouseDefenseman United StatesGraduation (signed with HC Pustertal Wölfe)
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Recruiting

More information Player, Position ...
Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Isack BanduDefenseman Canada21Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot, QC
Nathan ButlerForward United States20Wylie, TX
Connor EddyForward Canada20Victoria, BC
Aiden GallacherDefenseman United States22Rochester Hills, MI; transfer from Michigan State
Luke GramerDefenseman United States20Moorhead, MN
Béni HalászGoaltender Hungary21Budapest, HUN
Simon KjellbergDefenseman Sweden22Nashville, TN; transfer from Rensselaer; selected 163rd overall in 2018
Joey LarsonForward United States21Brighton, MI
Tanner LatschForward United States20Muskegon, MI
Zach MichaelisForward United States20Elk River, MN
Kristóf PappForward Hungary21Budapest, HUN; transfer from Michigan State
Artem ShlaineForward Russia20Moscow, RUS; transfer from Connecticut
Josh ZingerDefenseman Canada21Red Deer, AB
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Roster

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Perspective

As of September 8, 2022.[4]

More information No., Nat. ...
No. Nat. Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
2 Simon Kjellberg Senior D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 2000-02-17 Stockholm, Sweden RPI (ECAC) NYR, 163rd overall 2018
4 Michael Van Unen Senior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-02-26 Kamloops, British Columbia Merritt (BCHL)
5 Colby Enns Senior D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 201 lb (91 kg) 1999-09-16 Minot, North Dakota Lincoln (USHL)
6 Tyrell Boucher Junior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-06-03 Nampa, Alberta Cowichan Valley (BCHL)
7 David Keefer (A) Senior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1997-10-21 Brighton, Michigan Michigan State (Big Ten)
8 Artem Shlaine Junior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 2002-03-07 Moscow, Russia UConn (HEA) NJD, 130th overall 2020
9 Joey Larson Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 198 lb (90 kg) 2001-03-27 Brighton, Michigan Muskegon (USHL)
10 Aiden Gallacher Junior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2000-03-20 Rochester Hills, Michigan Michigan State (Big Ten)
11 André Ghantous (A) Senior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1998-12-07 Glendale, California Penticton (BCHL)
12 Tanner Latsch Freshman F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2002-01-02 Muskegon, Michigan Des Moines (USHL)
13 Mikey Colella Junior F 5' 7" (1.7 m) 155 lb (70 kg) 1999-06-12 Wenonah, New Jersey Trail (BCHL)
14 Vincent de Mey Senior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1997-11-26 Los Angeles, California Muskegon (USHL)
15 Rylan Van Unen Junior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-02-26 Kamloops, British Columbia Merritt (BCHL)
16 Kristóf Papp Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 176 lb (80 kg) 2001-06-27 Budapest, Hungary Michigan State (Big Ten)
17 Luke Gramer Freshman D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2002-07-02 Moorhead, Minnesota Fargo (USHL)
18 Nathan Butler Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2002-01-16 Wylie, Texas Corpus Christi (NAHL)
19 A. J. Vanderbeck Senior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1997-09-23 Monument, Colorado Ohio State (Big Ten)
20 Josh Zinger Freshman D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2001-08-05 Red Deer, Alberta Brooks (AJHL)
21 Connor Eddy Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2002-04-18 Victoria, British Columbia Victoria (BCHL)
22 Jett Jungels Junior F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2000-07-14 Edina, Minnesota Edina (USHS–MN)
23 Jakob Peterson Sophomore D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 172 lb (78 kg) 2002-04-18 Marquette, Michigan Amarillo (NAHL)
24 Isack Bandu Freshman D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2001-05-03 Montreal, Quebec Victoria (BCHL)
25 Brett Willits Junior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 174 lb (79 kg) 1999-03-16 London, Ontario Chilliwack (BCHL)
26 Tanner Vescio (C) Senior D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1998-04-14 Blaine, Minnesota Fargo (USHL)
27 Zach Michaelis Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 203 lb (92 kg) 2002-05-30 Elk River, Minnesota Trail (BCHL)
28 Alex Frye Senior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1998-07-27 Clarkston, Michigan Alaska Anchorage (WCHA)
29 Reilly Funk Freshman (RS) F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 2000-12-23 Portage, Manitoba Youngstown (USHL)
30 Béni Halász Freshman G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 184 lb (83 kg) 2001-08-13 Budapest, Hungary New Mexico (NAHL)
31 Charlie Glockner Sophomore G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2000-06-27 Minnetonka, Minnesota Waterloo (USHL)
33 Rico DiMatteo Junior G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 161 lb (73 kg) 2001-01-01 Brasher Falls, New York Lone Star (NAHL)
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Standings

More information Conference record, Overall record ...
Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#12 Minnesota State †*261691241528356392513112681
#13 Michigan Tech261574010506854392411410388
Bowling Green26121220214189763615192114114
Northern Michigan26141203003982773821170123103
Bemidji State261211331239736336141759497
Ferris State269143123346291371419492131
St. Thomas2610142110326981361123286117
Lake Superior State26817121125528036925271118
Championship: March 18, 2023
† indicates conference regular season champion (MacNaughton Cup)
* indicates conference tournament champion (Mason Cup)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll
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Schedule and results

More information Date, Time ...
DateTimeOpponent#Rank#SiteTVDecisionResultAttendanceRecord
Regular Season
October 1 6:07 PM Bowling Green Berry Events CenterMarquette, MichiganFloHockey Glockner L 4–6  2,967 0–1–0 (0–1–0)
October 2 6:07 PM Bowling Green Berry Events CenterMarquette, MichiganFloHockey Glockner W 4–3 OT 2,064 1–1–0 (1–1–0)
October 7 7:00 PM at Colgate* Class of 1965 ArenaHamilton, New YorkESPN+ Glockner W 3–2  827 2–1–0
October 8 4:00 PM at Colgate* Class of 1965 ArenaHamilton, New YorkESPN+ Halász W 4–1  518 3–1–0
October 14 7:30 PM at #14 Notre Dame* Compton Family Ice ArenaNotre Dame, IndianaPeacock Halász L 1–3  5,002 3–2–0
October 16 5:00 PM at #14 Notre Dame* Compton Family Ice ArenaNotre Dame, IndianaPeacock Halász L 4–5  3,521 3–3–0
October 21 7:07 PM Alaska Anchorage* Berry Events CenterMarquette, MichiganFloHockey Halász W 9–1  2,481 4–3–0
October 22 6:07 PM Alaska Anchorage* Berry Events CenterMarquette, MichiganFloHockey Halász L 1–3  2,898 4–4–0
October 28 7:07 PM Alaska* Berry Events CenterMarquette, MichiganFloHockey Halász L 1–2  2,338 4–5–0
October 29 6:07 PM Alaska* Berry Events CenterMarquette, MichiganFloHockey Halász W 3–2  2,321 5–5–0
November 4 7:07 PM at Lake Superior State Taffy Abel ArenaSault Ste. Marie, MichiganFloHockey Halász W 3–1  1,958 6–5–0 (2–1–0)
November 5 6:07 PM at Lake Superior State Taffy Abel ArenaSault Ste. Marie, MichiganFloHockey Halász W 5–3  1,978 7–5–0 (3–1–0)
November 11 7:07 PM Bemidji State Berry Events CenterMarquette, MichiganFloHockey Halász W 2–0  2,506 8–5–0 (4–1–0)
November 12 6:07 PM Bemidji State Berry Events CenterMarquette, MichiganFloHockey Halász L 1–4  2,875 8–6–0 (4–2–0)
November 18 8:07 PM at #8 Minnesota State Mayo Clinic Health System Event CenterMankato, MinnesotaKEYC Halász W 3–2  4,344 9–6–0 (5–2–0)
November 19 7:07 PM at #8 Minnesota State Mayo Clinic Health System Event CenterMankato, MinnesotaKEYC Halász L 1–4  4,562 9–7–0 (5–3–0)
December 2 7:07 PM #19 Michigan Tech Berry Events CenterMarquette, Michigan (Rivalry)FloHockey Halász W 4–3 OT 4,263 10–7–0 (6–3–0)
December 3 6:07 PM at #19 Michigan Tech MacInnes Student Ice ArenaHoughton, Michigan (Rivalry)FloHockey Halász L 1–3  4,025 10–8–0 (6–4–0)
December 9 7:07 PM at Ferris State Ewigleben ArenaBig Rapids, MichiganFloHockey DiMatteo L 2–5  1,891 10–9–0 (6–5–0)
December 10 6:07 PM at Ferris State Ewigleben ArenaBig Rapids, MichiganFloHockey Halász W 5–2  2,001 11–9–0 (7–5–0)
January 6 7:07 PM #19 Minnesota State Berry Events CenterMarquette, MichiganFloHockey Halász L 2–5  2,229 11–10–0 (7–6–0)
January 7 6:07 PM #19 Minnesota State Berry Events CenterMarquette, MichiganFloHockey DiMatteo L 3–5  2,766 11–11–0 (7–7–0)
January 20 8:07 PM at Bemidji State Sanford CenterBemidji, MinnesotaFloHockey Halász L 0–4  1,808 11–12–0 (7–8–0)
January 21 7:07 PM at Bemidji State Sanford CenterBemidji, MinnesotaFloHockey, FOX 9+ Halász W 5–2  1,773 12–12–0 (8–8–0)
January 27 7:07 PM at #13 Michigan Tech MacInnes Student Ice ArenaHoughton, Michigan (Rivalry)FloHockey Halász L 0–3  4,179 12–13–0 (8–9–0)
January 28 6:07 PM #13 Michigan Tech Berry Events CenterMarquette, Michigan (Rivalry)FloHockey Halász L 1–4  4,260 12–14–0 (8–10–0)
February 3 7:07 PM Lake Superior State Berry Events CenterMarquette, MichiganFloHockey Halász L 2–4  2,365 12–15–0 (8–11–0)
February 4 6:07 PM Lake Superior State Berry Events CenterMarquette, MichiganFloHockey Halász W 3–1  2,738 13–15–0 (9–11–0)
February 10 8:07 PM at St. Thomas St. Thomas Ice ArenaMendota Heights, MinnesotaFloHockey Halász W 3–0  898 14–15–0 (10–11–0)
February 11 7:07 PM at St. Thomas St. Thomas Ice ArenaMendota Heights, MinnesotaFloHockey Halász L 2–4  870 14–16–0 (10–12–0)
February 17 7:07 PM Ferris State Berry Events CenterMarquette, MichiganFloHockey Halász W 9–2  2,464 15–16–0 (11–12–0)
February 18 6:07 PM Ferris State Berry Events CenterMarquette, MichiganFloHockey Halász W 8–3  3,779 16–16–0 (12–12–0)
February 24 7:07 PM at Bowling Green Slater Family Ice ArenaBowling Green, OhioFloHockey Halász W 4–2  3,103 17–16–0 (13–12–0)
February 25 7:07 PM at Bowling Green Slater Family Ice ArenaBowling Green, OhioFloHockey Halász W 4–2  4,498 18–16–0 (14–12–0)
CCHA Tournament
March 3 7:07 PM Bemidji State* Berry Events CenterMarquette, Michigan (Quarterfinal Game 1)FloHockey Halász W 7–3  3,116 19–16–0
March 4 6:07 PM Bemidji State* Berry Events CenterMarquette, Michigan (Quarterfinal Game 2)FloHockey Halász W 2–1 OT 2,269 20–16–0
March 11 6:07 PM at #10 Michigan Tech* MacInnes Student Ice ArenaHoughton, Michigan (Semifinal, Rivalry)FloHockey Halász W 4–0  3,930 21–16–0
March 18 7:07 PM at #12 Minnesota State* Mayo Clinic Health System Event CenterMankato, Minnesota (Championship)FloHockey Halász L 2–3 OT 4,805 21–17–0
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time.
Source:[5]
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Scoring statistics

More information Name, Position ...
Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
André GhantousRW3813253832
A. J. VanderbeckC3513193233
Artem ShlaineC3811213218
Joey LarsonRW3613142714
Kristóf PappC3811152621
David KeeferRW381510258
Michael ColellaF377111825
Alex FryeC386121816
Josh ZingerD383131612
Simon KjellbergD324101424
Connor EddyC35461014
Vincent De MeyF3472922
Mike Van UnenD3635836
Aiden GallacherD3825739
Reilly FunkC2316721
Colby EnnsD3215610
Tanner VescioD232358
Rylan Van UnenF1440417
Jett JungelsF131346
Zach MichaelisC151122
Brett WillitsC1611210
Béni HalászG350220
Tyrell BoucherD2801112
Rico DiMatteoG20000
Jakob PetersonD30002
Nathan ButlerF50007
Charlie GlocknerG50000
Isack BanduD90006
Luke GramerD140004
Total123190313407
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[6]

Goaltending statistics

More information Name, Games ...
Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Béni Halász351941:2419150758553.9192.32
Charlie Glockner8256:01210131110.8953.05
Rico DiMatteo374:130105330.8684.04
Empty Net-22:37---10----
Total382294:15211701039993.8902.69
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Rankings

More information Poll, Week ...
Poll Week
Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 (Final)
USCHO.com NR - NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR - NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR - NR
USA Today 20 20 NR 20 NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR
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Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 1, 13, or 26.[7]

Awards and honors

More information Player, Award ...
Player Award Ref
André Ghantous CCHA Second Team [8]
Béni Halász CCHA Rookie Team [9]
Josh Zinger
Joey Larson
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Players drafted into the NHL

2023 NHL Entry Draft

More information Round, Pick ...
Round Pick Player NHL team
4118Hampton Slukynsky +Los Angeles Kings
5152Rasmus Larsson +New York Rangers
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+ incoming freshman [10]

References

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