Great Lakes Wire

The NMU hockey team was unable to secure a weekend split, falling to the Vikings with a 4-1 loss on Saturday night. The Wildcats, now standing at 1-12-1 overall and 0-7-1 in the CCHA, initially held control over the game for the first half-hour, outshooting their opponents 16-6. However, after an early lead by the Vikings, they managed to score two quick goals midway through the second period.

Brendan Poshak scored his first career collegiate goal for NMU with assistance from Jakob Peterson and Zach Michaelis. Despite this effort, Augustana extended their lead with an empty-net goal in the final minutes of play. Four different players scored for Augustana, including Luke Mobley and Colton Friesen who each had multi-point games.

Augustana's goalie Josh Kotai made 29 saves achieving a .967 save percentage and maintained his streak of allowing only one goal per game over three consecutive matches. NMU's Ryan Ouellette also performed well with 25 saves.

The Wildcats' recent record of not allowing power-play goals was broken as Augustana succeeded in their sole opportunity while NMU failed both their attempts. Although NMU outshot Augustana 30-29, it marked only their second instance of doing so this season.

NMU will return home next weekend to face Ferris State Bulldogs on December 6 and 7 at Rick Comley Rink in Berry Events Center. Friday's game will feature a teddy bear toss promotion while Saturday includes a sock toss and post-game skate with the 'Cats.