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

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

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. 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.
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. 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

| 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

| 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

As of March 1, 2021.
† Grant Loven played 6 games before transferring to St. Thomas.

## Standings

2020–21 Western Collegiate Hockey Association Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall 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

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Site | 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. ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| 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 |

## Goaltending statistics

| 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

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | 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.

## Awards and honors

| Player | Award |
| André Ghantous | WCHA Scoring Champion |
| Joseph Nardi | WCHA Second Team |
| André Ghantous | WCHA Third Team |
| Rico DiMatteo | WCHA Rookie Team |