Branden Piku scored early in the third period, Oliver Auyeung-Ashton made 35 saves, and Northern Michigan beat Minnesota State 2-1 on Friday night at the Berry Events Center in Marquette for its first CCHA win of the season. The Wildcats are 3-6-0 overall and 1-2-0 in the league. The Mavericks fell to 2-5-2 and 0-1-2.
Auyeung-Ashton was back in net after missing both games at Augustana last weekend, and he was the difference on a night when Minnesota State outshot Northern 36-30, including 16-14 in the second period and 13-9 in the third.
How it happened
Ian Engel opened the scoring at 8:16 of the first period after Reilley Kotai forced a turnover and set him up for his second goal of the season. The lead held until 14:08 of the second, when Minnesota State’s Easton Hewson scored on the power play with a shot that went in off the crossbar.
Piku broke the tie at 4:11 of the third with his second goal of the season, assisted by Noah Houle and Coster Dunn. The Wildcats then held on the rest of the way, even after the Mavericks pulled Lehti for an extra attacker in the final minutes.
By the numbers
Auyeung-Ashton stopped 35 of 36 shots. Lehti made 28 saves for Minnesota State. The Mavericks went 1-for-3 on the power play and Northern went 0-for-3. Attendance was 1,973.
What’s next
The teams finish the series Saturday at 6:07 p.m. ET in Marquette. Northern Michigan hosts Bowling Green on Nov. 13 and 14, then visits Ferris State on Nov. 20 and 21.
Leave a Reply