• NMU vs. Michigan State, semifinals, 7 p.m. Sunday

• NMU vs. Michigan Tech or Western Michigan, Monday at 3:30 p.m (consolation game) or 7 p.m. (championship)

• TV: Fox-U.P. (joined in progress for Sunday’s game after Packers-Vikings NFL contest finishes)

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Northern Michigan University’s Anthony Cliche, left, celebrates with teammates on the Wildcats’ bench after tying the score 1-1 in the first period of a game played against Arizona State at the Berry Events Center in Marquette on Oct. 25. (Journal photo by Caden Sierra)

MARQUETTE — The payoff would be tremendous even as the challenge is just as great for the Northern Michigan University hockey team downstate this weekend.

The struggling Wildcats, who are just 1-16-1, play in the oldest and one of college hockey’s premier holiday events starting Sunday evening, the 58th annual Great Lakes Invitational in Grand Rapids.

The tournament moved to Van Andel Arena on the western side of the Lower Peninsula in 2022 after spending nearly every one

of its first 55 editions in downtown Detroit.

The Red Wings’ homes of Olympia Stadium, Joe Louis Arena and Little Caesars Arena annually hosted the event, except in 2013 when it was played at the Detroit Tigers’ Comerica Park and in 2021 at the University of Michigan’s Yost Ice Arena and Michigan State University’s Munn Ice Arena near the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This will be Van Andel’s third year hosting, with all four tournament games to be telecast locally on either WLUC-TV6 or Fox-U.P.

Spectators — both in person and on TV — would see one of the major upsets ever in the collegiate sport if the Wildcats can pull off a victory in their semifinal at 7 p.m. Sunday, since NMU is facing national No. 1 MSU (13-2-1) of the Big 10.

It follows the day’s early semifinal pitting Michigan Tech (9-5-2) and No. 6 Western Michigan (10-3-1) at 3:30 p.m.

Sunday’s losers play in the third-place game at 3:30 p.m. Monday and the winners in the championship game at 7 p.m. Monday, all back at Van Andel.

TV coverage will be split between the two local stations on Sunday. The NBC affiliate WLUC-TV6 will have the MTU-WMU afternoon game, then Fox-U.P. will pick up the Wildcats-Spartans game that night in progress, as the end of the Green Bay Packers’ game at Minnesota will overlap it.

Both of Monday’s games are set to be televised on Fox-U.P.

Each NMU game will also be broadcast on the radio home of the Wildcats, WUPT 100.3 FM The Point.

One feature of the TV coverage has already been scheduled — a player interview with Northern captain Tanner Latsch between the second and third periods Sunday night.

This is the 18th time the GLI will have four Michigan schools, with MTU as the permanent host and MSU also a fixture in this event. The University of Michigan was previously a cohost, too, but backed out around the time of COVID and hasn’t played in it since.

This is Northern’s first appearance in this event since 2015, when the Wildcats lost 3-2 to the Wolverines before beating MSU 2-1.

NMU has faced Tech three times in tourney history, most recently an 8-1 win in 1998, and have faced the Spartans four times, including wins in 1992 and 2015.

The Huskies and MSU have each won the GLI a dozen times, while Michigan leads the way with 17 titles.

This is WMU’s seventh appearance after winning the title at the first Van Andel-hosted event in 2022.

For the Wildcats, this has been a challenging season. Fourteen players entered the NCAA transfer portal in the early spring before seven-year head coach Grant Potulny resigned in mid-June to pursue coaching in the professional ranks.

Then more Northern players — including some of Potulny’s recruited freshmen and transfers, like current Western Michigan freshman goalie phenom Hampton Slukynsky — left the program as the transfer portal reopened specifically for a program that lost its head coach.

Even though 1991 NMU national champion player Dave Shyiak was hired as the new head coach within 2 1/2 weeks of Potulny’s departure, Shyiak ended up with just four players back on a roster that numbers 28 this season.

The Wildcats were often not competitive — at least statistically — in the early going when they were being outshot more than 2-to-1 over their first 10 or 12 games.

They stayed respectable on the scoreboard due to the efforts of new goalie — but one with past college experience — Ryan Ouellette, who had a nifty .934 saves percentage a month into the season.

Lately, however, NMU has been able to upgrade its offense, though the results aren’t there as its skaters now have trouble turning chances into goals.

In Northern’s most recent game, a 4-3 loss at Bowling Green State on Dec. 14, it snapped a nine-game streak where the Wildcats hadn’t score more than one goal.

On that more offense-friendly night, Jesse Tucker, Aidyn Hutchinson and Anthony Cliche scored goals for NMU, the first two tying the score 2-2 after the Falcons jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the game’s first 2 1/2 minutes. Cliche’s goal in the final minute pulled Northern within a single goal.

Hutchinson and teammate Jakub Lewandowski both finished with two-point nights, with Hutchinson assisting on Tucker’s first goal for NMU and Lewandowski on the final two for the Wildcats.

Despite that lack of offense, NMU recorded its only CCHA points of the season during that string in a shootout victory at Minnesota State-Mankato. After regulation and overtime ended 1-1, Northern’s Jakub Altrichter scored the only goal by either team in the shootout to earn the Wildcats two points that night.

Overall, however, NMU is being outscored 63-22, and while improving the 2-to-1 ratio of being outshot, still has nearly 200 fewer shots on goal than its opponents, 626-427.

Newcomers lead the way in scoring, with Grayden Slipec registering seven points, including two goals (both on power plays), while Matthew Romer has the most goals with three to go with five points. Also with five points are Tynan Ewart, who has one goal, and Altricher, who has no goals as the shootout one doesn’t count in the stats.

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Almuni meetup

Wildcat alumni and friends attending the games in Grand Rapids are invited to join a pair of NMU graduates, Angela and Andrew Thompson, at Buffalo Wild Wings in the downstate city for a gathering from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Sunday before Northern’s game that night.

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Tickets

Tickets are available at Ticketmaster or in person at the DeVos Place Grand Gallery Box Office. Student and alumni presale codes are available for exclusive section access, with NMU having Section 120 as a student section and Section 220 as the band section.

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More media

The games will also be streamed free on uppermichiganssource.com and the TV6 & Fox-U.P. Roku app. Both Michigan State games will be available on BTN-Plus, and all games involving Tech and NMU will be available on Midco Sports Plus.

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Van Andel location

The arena is located at 130 W. Fulton St. in Grand Rapids, with parking facilities near the arena managed by the City of Grand Rapids. Metered parking is also available on surrounding streets.

NMU Sports Information encourages visitors to use the Downtown Visitors Mobility and Parking Guide to help discover the city’s many options.

Parking lots have van-accessible spaces for those displaying an up-to-date, state-issued disability placard or license plate. Accessible spaces are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

For up-to-date traffic information, you can also visit the Michigan Department of Transportation’s Mi Drive Interactive Map.

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