Northern Michigan University’s Jakub Altritcher, left, and Lake Superior State’s John Herrington wait for a faceoff in the third period of their CCHA game played at the Berry Events Center in Marquette on Nov. 9. (Journal photo by Caden Sierra)

MANKATO, Minn. — The Northern Michigan University hockey team may very well have played the toughest part of its CCHA schedule already.

And it could be part of the reason why the Wildcats are residing at the bottom of the league standings even after they earned their first points of the season on Saturday night in Mankato, Minnesota.

NMU played Minnesota State-Mankato to a 1-1 overtime tie before winning a shootout to gain their first two points in CCHA play this fall. On Friday, the Mavericks posted a 3-0 shutout.

The three teams the Wildcats have played in league games reside in first, second and third place in the standings. The Mavericks they just finished with have 12 points with a 3-1-2 conference record, while opening CCHA opponent Michigan Tech is a perfect 4-0 and also has 12 points to share the top spot in the conference.

Lake Superior State, Northern’s opponent last weekend, is in third place alone with nine points and a 3-1 league mark.

Technically, a percentage of the possible points earned decides the standings this season, since it was too late to change Augustana’s schedule after the Vikings were made a full league member over the summer. Augustana will play fewer games than everyone else, so percentages had to be invoked to even out that difference.

Meanwhile, NMU has just two points at 0-5-1 in the CCHA and 1-10-1 overall. And after taking this weekend off to enjoy a pre-Thanksgiving feast, the Wildcats travel to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the following weekend, Nov. 29-30, to face Augustana for the only time this season. The Vikings are 2-2 in the league and 5-5 overall.

Here are details from each game at Mankato:

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Minnesota St.-Mankato 3, NMU 0

On Friday, the Northern defense put up its best showing yet, limiting the Mavericks to just 23 shots on goal, the fewest an NMU opponent has had this season.

But Northern itself only managed 21 shots and every one of them was stopped by Mankato netminder Alex Tracy. NMU goalie Ryan Ouellette made 20 stops.

One reason for a low score was special teams play, or the lack of it, as the teams combined to be whistled for just three minors, one on the Wildcats.

Grayden Slipec took seven total shots and Jakub Altrichter six to lead NMU in that category, while Altrichter had four shots on goal, double of what any of his teammates had.

Leading Northern’s 23-19 advantage in faceoff wins was Jesse Tucker taking 10 of 14 (71.4%) and Altrichter winning 7 of 10 (70%).

And with each team blocking 16 shots, NMU was led in that category with Rasmus Larsson making four as Billy Renfrew had three.

The Mavs scored an even-strength goal in each period, including an empty-netter by Jakob Stender with 18 seconds left.

Will Hillman opened the scoring not quite nine minutes in with his first this season, walking in down the left faceoff dot before firing a wicked wrister past Ouellette on his short side, according to a game account from NMU Sports Information.

Mankato made it 2-0 with a little more than four minutes left in the second when Ralfs Bergmanis, after his team sustained offensive pressure, fired a seeing-eye shot through a crowd that beat a screened Ouellette.

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NMU 1, Minn. St.-Mankato 1 (OT)

On Saturday, Altrichter was able to convert his biggest scoring chance after leading the Wildcats’ offense on Friday but not able to get one past Tracy.

He was the only scorer for either team in the shootout that was held after the teams couldn’t decide a winner following 60 minutes of regulation and five minutes of overtime.

Ouellette stoned all three Mankato skaters in his part of the shootout, clinching Northern’s win when he kept Brian Carrabes out of the net on the Mavs’ final try.

Ouellette was also superb before that, stopping 26 shots, including 10 in the second period and four in OT. Tracy was almost as good, making 21 saves that included nine in the first period and two in OT.

Minnesota State, now 8-4-2 overall, opened the scoring the same way it did the night before — with a Hillman goal not long before the midpoint of the first period.

On this night, a jumping puck in the neutral zone was picked up by Hillman, who carried it over the blueline down the middle, according to this game account from NMU SI. With a Northern defender stepping in to poke-check the puck, Hillman fired it before the check occurred, instead using the defenseman as a screen on Ouellette over his glove.

The game remained that way for just over two periods. Twenty-seven seconds past the midpoint of the third, Northern’s Brendan Poshak streaked down the right wing and to the faceoff dot, according to NMU SI. After Poshak fired a shot off Tracy’s far pad, teammate Will Diamond was on the doorstep and shoveled the rebound into the yawning cage to tie it.

In the second and OT periods, despite no goals being scored, there were multiple chances that went for naught.

This was Diamond’s first collegiate goal, just like it was Altrichter’s first collegiate shootout goal.

Poshak got his first career point with his assist on Diamond’s goal with Danny Ciccarello also being credited with an assist on it.

Slipec, who nearly scored twice in OT, led NMU with his 10 total shots and four shots on goal.

Northern held the national top-20 Mavericks to the fewest shots by any NMU opponent this season over two games, just 50 overall.

Northern also blocked 17 shots after already leading the nation in that category entering the weekend. Zach Michaelis and Anthony Cliche led the Wildcats with three each as 10 NMU players had at least one.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.