Northern Michigan
2018-19 Record: 21-16-2 (18-8-2, 2nd in WCHA)
Head Coach: Grant Potulny, 3rd Year
Top returning scorer: Philip Beaulieu (6G-29A)
Top returning goaltender: Nolan Kent (So.)
Let's title this one "Grant Potulny Shows You How to Take Northern Michigan Into A Contender."
Potulny's Marquette tenure featured the first back-to-back above-.500 finishes since 2008-09 and 2009-10. The Wildcats, returning several core pieces from a team that made the WCHA conference championship game, ended up second again. Northern Michigan was taken to the "Danger Zone" by Troy Loggins. Atte Tolvanen even had a goalie goal.
We asked, you (and Atte) delivered!— NMU Athletics (@NMU_Wildcats) August 6, 2019
Take a look back at the Top Moment for @NMU_Hockey in 2018-19 as voted by our fans — the first goalie goal in NMU history, courtesy of Atte Tolvanen. #NMUwildcats #ShareNMU pic.twitter.com/QCX60MAUZI
These things are like unicorns. You never expect to see one in the wild. When it happens you can't help but stop and stare.
One surprise given who returned was a slow start for NMU to the point where Dalton Craighead and Phil Beaulieu were healthy scratches in late November. While the Wildcats faced a tough non-conference schedule of mostly road games, going 1-6 outside the WCHA made it difficult to move up in the Pairwise.
What's New: The Danger Zone is headin' into twilight (or the AHL). So is the unicorn.
Picking between whether graduating a 23 goal scorer or four-year starting goalie is the bigger loss ends up being a fool's errand. Tolvanen holds several Northern Michigan goaltending records (career shutouts, all-time saves, most saves in a game, most appearances). He played all except 13 minutes last season. Loggins was an All-American and WCHA Player of the Year who led the nation in shots on goal.
Among 12 newcomers include a few of Potulny's big recruits. NMU welcomes Jett Jungels to take up the easy reference mantle from Loggins and be a goal-scoring playmaker. The 5'9", 161 lbs forward helped lead Edina to the 2019 Class AA Minnesota State HS championship. A year earlier, Jungels played on a line with Sammy Walker.
The Wildcats also get Ben Newhouse on defense after the former Union player sat out 2018-19. Newhouse did make the most of his transfer time, representing the US in the World University Games.
As far as non-conference goes, the Spartans are on the highway to Marquette for the first time since 2011 while NMU heads to Boston for the first time since 1985 to play BU.
Closing Thoughts: Much like the Upper Peninsula in a map Mountain Dew makes, Northern Michigan's recent success has been slightly overlooked. Bowling Green making the NCAA Tournament and NMU's poor non-conference record makes it easy to forget the Wildcats were the second-best WCHA team in the regular season.
The job Potulny has done should be applauded, however, it might be good for Northern Michigan to be under the radar. 2019-20 aims to be the biggest challenge of his head coaching tenure. Presumed starter Nolan Kent and/or John Hawthorne have big skates to fill in goal. Three of NMU's top four scorers from last season all graduated, but Craighead could be a bounce-back candidate.
To be a contender once again, NMU's defense and goaltending need to continue being a hallmark after losing Tolvanen and three defenders. (Beaulieu returns and will captain.) The Wildcats were in the top-20 of both team defense and penalty kill. If that continues, Northern Michigan, who lost one game to teams other than Minnesota State or Bowling Green after mid-December, has the group to be in the top half of the WCHA once again.
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