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

2020–21 Northern Michigan Wildcats
men's ice hockey season
2020–21 Northern Michigan Wildcats; men's ice hockey season
Conference	T–5th WCHA
Home ice	Berry Events Center
Rankings
USCHO	NR
USA Today	NR
Record
Overall	11–17–1
Conference	6–7–1–2–2–1
Home	4–9–1
Road	7–7–0
Neutral	0–1–0
Coaches and captains
Head coach	Grant Potulny
Assistant coaches	Byron 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

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

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.^[4]

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

2020–21 Western Collegiate Hockey Association Standings v t e
	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

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.

^[5]

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

^[6]

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
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.^[7]

Awards and honors

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

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

[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.

[team-8] "WCHA Announces 2020-21 All-League Teams". WCHA.com. March 10, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.

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v t e Northern Michigan Wildcats men's ice hockey
Playing venues	Lakeview Arena (1976–1999) Berry Events Center (1999–Present)
Head coaches	Rick Comley (1976–2002) Walt Kyle (2002–2017) Grant Potulny (2017–2024) Dave Shyiak (2024–Present)
Seasons	1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Conference affiliations	CCHA (1977–1984, 1997–2013, 2021–present) WCHA (1984–1997, 2013–2021)
Rivalries	Lake Superior State Michigan Tech
Culture & lore	Puckheads
All-time leaders	Statistical leaders Bill Joyce (255 Points) Gary Emmons (130 Goals) Bill Pye (81 Wins)
National championships	1991
Frozen Four appearances	1980 1981 1991
NCAA Tournament appearances	1980 1981 1989 1991 1992 1993 1999 2010
Conference Tournament titles	CCHA: 1980 1981 WCHA: 1989 1991 1992
Northern Michigan University Marquette, Michigan