Men’s D-I: Northern Michigan

Michigan State, Michigan Tech, Northern Michigan, Western Michigan make up Great Lakes Invitational field for 2024 event in Grand Rapids, Mich.

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The 58th annual Great Lakes Invitational will take place on Dec. 29-30, 2024 at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich., and there will be four Michigan-based schools for the 18th time in tournament history. Michigan Tech and Western Michigan will meet in the first semifinal on Dec. 29 at 3:30 p.m. followed by Michigan … Read more

CCHA announces pair of all-conference teams, all-rookie team for 2023-24 college hockey season

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The CCHA has announced its two all-conference teams and one all-rookie team for the 2023-24 season. ALL-CCHA FIRST TEAM Forward: Sam Morton, Sr., Minnesota State Forward: Lleyton Roed, So., Bemidji State Forward: Jared Westcott, Sr., Lake Superior State Defenseman: Kyle Looft, 5th, Bemidji State Defenseman: Eric Pohlkamp, Fr., Bemidji State Goaltender: Mattias Sholl, Jr., Bemidji … Read more

2023-24 CCHA Season Preview: With Minnesota State no longer MacNaughton Cup favorite, league looks tight as ever

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It was an unusually active offseason, at least by CCHA standards. A coaching change at Minnesota State kicked off the summer, with Mike Hastings leaving for Wisconsin and taking four players and most of his coaching staff with him. Then the summer ended with the situation in Bowling Green that saw head coach Ty Eigner … Read more

CCHA announces results of coaches, media preseason polls, individual awards ahead of 2023-24 hockey season

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The CCHA has announced the results of the 2023-24 coaches and media polls and preseason awards chosen by the coaches and media. 2023-24 CCHA Preseason Coaches Poll Michigan Tech – 67 (4 first-place votes) Northern Michigan – 66 (3) Bowling Green – 55 Bemidji State – 49 St. Thomas – 45 (1) Minnesota State – … Read more

Former Miami, Bowling Green director of hockey operations Spratt selected new assistant coach at Northern Michigan

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The Northern Michigan hockey team has announced the hiring of Jimmy Spratt as an assistant coach ahead of the 2023-24 season. Spratt spent the 2022-23 season with the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers. Previously, he spent three seasons with Miami and five seasons at Bowling Green, serving as the director of hockey operations with both teams. … Read more

Minnesota State engineers late comeback to win second consecutive CCHA playoff championship

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MANKATO, Minn. – It wouldn’t be a conference title game in Mankato without some drama. At the end of the regular season, Minnesota State and Michigan Tech played an eventful final five minutes for the MacNaughton Cup that featured a penalty shot and a controversial goal review. Minnesota State won that game 3-2 and took … Read more

This Week in CCHA Hockey: Northern Michigan, Minnesota State up for challenge Saturday with winner getting conference title, NCAA tournament autobid

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Since Grant Potulny’s first season in Marquette in 2017-18, Northern Michigan has twice played in a conference championship game. In 2018, the second-place Wildcats hosted Upper Peninsula archrivals Michigan Tech in the WCHA championship game. A sold-out crowd at the Berry Events Center saw the Huskies shut out the Wildcats 2-0. NMU returned to the … Read more

CCHA announces all-conference first, second teams for 2022-23 campaign with Michigan Tech, Minnesota State each boasting three players each

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The CCHA has announced the 2022-23 all-CCHA first and second teams. Six players from four different programs have been recognized on the first team, while six players from six different programs have been recognized in the second team. Forwards Ryland Mosley (Michigan Tech), David Silye (Minnesota State) and Austen Swankler (Bowling Green) are joined by … Read more

Six players from four different schools named to 2022-23 CCHA all-rookie team

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The CCHA has announced the 2022-23 all-rookie team with six players from four different programs recognized. Forwards Kyle Kukkonen (Michigan Tech), Joey Larson (Northern Michigan) and Lleyton Roed (Bemidji State) were joined by defensemen Dalton Norris (Bowling Green) and Josh Zinger (Northern Michigan), as well as goaltender Beni Halasz (Northern Michigan). All year-end awards were … Read more

This Week in CCHA Hockey: With Mason Cup playoffs on tap, teams want conference postseason win to get NCAA tournament bid

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After a CCHA campaign unlike any other came down to, quite literally, the final minute and a half of the regular season, it’s almost hard to believe the playoffs are starting this weekend. Minnesota State ended up winning the MacNaughton Cup – their sixth in a row – with just a tiny bit of drama … Read more

This Week in CCHA Hockey: With most playoff spots still up for grabs, ‘there’s just so much on the line right now’

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It always feels like this. In the 10 years I’ve spent covering the old WCHA, then the new WCHA, and now finally the new CCHA, it can often feel like I’m writing the same story every year at the season’s end: Nothing is decided, and everyone is pretty close. Michigan Tech leads Minnesota State by … Read more

This Week in CCHA Hockey: Dissecting conference’s contenders, pretenders with ’22-23 second half approaching

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It’s that time of year again. I’m not talking about the holidays. I’m talking about the end of the first half of the college hockey season, when my editors generously let me write a thousand or so words where I get to pretend like I’m Nostradamus. And, if you’ve been following the CCHA at all … Read more

This Week in CCHA Hockey: Northern Michigan searching for more consistency as Wildcats ‘have to figure out a way to win’

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The way Northern Michigan has played this season had, until this past weekend at least, baffled Grant Potulny. The Wildcats’ underlying numbers have looked good, even great. They have a top-10 power play, a top-15 offense, one of the best faceoff percentages in the country, a player in AJ Vanderbeck who is among the nation’s … Read more

CCHA Hockey 2022-23 Season Preview: After successful return in 2021-22, conference teams ready to take next step

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The first season of the CCHA’s return to competition was nearly perfect. We’ll stress the word “nearly” there. Minnesota State came within a period of winning its first-ever national title, leading Denver 1-0 going into the third period of the NCAA championship game before ultimately losing 5-1. That, of course, wasn’t the way the Mavericks … Read more

Minnesota State first in 2022-23 CCHA coaches poll; Mavericks’ Furry preseason player of year, NMU’s Larson preseason top rookie

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Minnesota State has been selected by the CCHA head coaches to win the MacNaughton Cup, which is awarded to the regular-season champion, in the 2022-23 preseason coaches poll. The defending champions and Frozen Four finalists also won the 2022 Mason Cup as the league’s tournament winners. The Mavericks collected six first-place votes and totaled 69 … Read more

Former Northern Michigan, Alaska athletic director Karr named to same position at Minnesota Duluth

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Minnesota Duluth has announced the hiring of Forrest Karr as the new director of intercollegiate athletics. Karr brings to UMD more than 20 years of experience working in collegiate athletics (17 as an athletic director). Since 2012, he has served as the director of athletics at Northern Michigan University, overseeing 18 intercollegiate programs, a national … Read more

Former Northern Michigan coach, athletic director Comley returns to Wildcats as interim AD; Rochester promoted to senior athletics adviser

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Former Northern Michigan athletic director and hockey coach Rick Comley will serve as interim AD starting today, Aug. 22, following the recent announcement of current AD Forrest Karr’s resignation. Schuiling made the announcement to the NMU coaches last Friday, Aug. 19. Comley, who brought NCAA Division I national men’s hockey championships to both NMU (1991) … Read more

CCHA names Northern Michigan’s Newhouse 2021-22 student-athlete of year

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The CCHA announced Friday that Northern Michigan senior defenseman Ben Newhouse has been voted the CCHA’s student-athlete of the year. The award is voted on by the league’s eight institution’s faculty athletic representatives and is awarded to one CCHA player that performed consistently as a regular member of their CCHA team, displayed outstanding sportsmanship, made … Read more