Complete History of the MTU/NMU Hockey Rivalry
Since 1979, there have been 174 hockey games played between Michigan Tech University and Northern Michigan University, making it one of the most storied rivalries in college hockey.
For much of their history, Tech and Northern were in different conferences. Tech has long been in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). Northern on the other hand has predominantly played in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA).
During these years the teams would play during the regular season and did not have the opportunity to play each other in the playoffs. After the 2012-13 season, the CCHA disbanded and the Big Ten hockey conference was created and for the first time since 1997 Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan were playing in the same conference.
However, there have been a few notable exceptions to regular season play. The teams have met three times in the annual Great Lakes Invitational (GLI), in 1989, 1995, and 1998. Michigan Tech won two of the three meetings, none of which were played for the GLI Championship. On four occasions they met in early rounds of the WCHA Tournament, and twice in the CCHA Tournament.
In order of importance, this leads us to the 1981 NCAA Frozen Four tournament. This was the first and only time the Huskies and Wildcats met in the NCAA tournament, where they each reached the semifinals. Had they won, they would have competed against each other for the national championship. However, they were each dealt hefty losses. Wisconsin beat NMU 5-1, while Minnesota beat MTU 7-2.
The highest profile game the two have played to date, was Mar 28, 1981, for the 3rd place game in the NCAA tournament. Playing in Duluth, the Huskies went on to win that game by a score of 5-2.
Complete Series History
As the record stands today, the Wildcats hold the slimmest of margins with 77 wins to the Huskies’ 76 wins.
Total meetings | 174 |
Total goals scored | 1,149 |
Total goals for NMU | 594 |
Total goals for MTU | 555 |
Average goals per game | 6.60 |
All-time series | MTU leads, 81-79-14 |
First meeting | MTU 3, NMU 2 – Nov 23, 1979 |
Last meeting | NMU 4, MTU 0 – Mar 11, 2023 |
Largest victory | NMU 9, MTU 0 – Oct 8, 1999 |
Highest scoring game | NMU 10, MTU 7 – Jan 26, 1990 |
Longest win streak | MTU, 8 games (2020-21) |
Longest unbeaten streak | NMU, 10 games (1998-2000) |
Last 10 games | MTU Leads 7-3 |
Current win streak | NMU, 1 game (2023) |
No. | Date | Location | Winner | Score | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Nov 23, 1979 | Houghton | Huskies | 3-2 | |
2 | Nov 24, 1979 | Houghton | Wildcats | 6-2 | |
3 | Nov 7, 1980 | Houghton | Huskies | 3-1 | |
4 | Nov 8, 1980 | Houghton | Tie | 1-1 | OT |
5 | Jan 2, 1981 | Marquette | Wildcats | 3-2 | |
6 | Jan 3, 1981 | Marquette | Wildcats | 5-2 | |
7 | Mar 28, 1981* | Duluth, Minn. | Huskies | 5-2 | |
8 | Jan 15, 1982 | Houghton | Huskies | 6-2 | |
9 | Jan 16, 1982 | Marquette | Huskies | 6-4 | |
10 | Feb 19, 1982 | Marquette | Huskies | 5-4 | |
11 | Feb 20, 1982 | Houghton | Huskies | 7-2 | |
12 | Jan 14, 1983 | Marquette | Huskies | 4-3 | OT |
13 | Jan 15, 1983 | Houghton | Wildcats | 9-3 | |
14 | Feb 18, 1983 | Houghton | Huskies | 5-1 | |
15 | Feb 19, 1983 | Marquette | Huskies | 4-1 | |
16 | Mar 5, 1983^ | Houghton | Wildcats | 3-2 | |
17 | Mar 6, 1983^ | Houghton | Tie | 3-3 | |
18 | Oct 14, 1983 | Marquette | Huskies | 5-4 | |
19 | Oct 15, 1983 | Houghton | Huskies | 6-2 | |
20 | Dec 16, 1983 | Houghton | Wildcats | 2-1 | |
21 | Dec 17, 1983 | Marquette | Wildcats | 4-3 | OT |
22 | Feb 10, 1984 | Marquette | Wildcats | 8-5 | |
23 | Feb 11, 1984 | Houghton | Huskies | 4-3 | OT |
24 | Oct 26, 1984 | Marquette | Huskies | 5-4 | OT |
25 | Oct 27, 1984 | Houghton | Wildcats | 6-3 | |
26 | Jan 18, 1985 | Houghton | Huskies | 3-2 | |
27 | Jan 19, 1985 | Marquette | Huskies | 8-6 | |
28 | Oct 11, 1985 | Marquette | Tie | 2-2 | OT |
29 | Oct 12, 1985 | Houghton | Wildcats | 10-2 | |
30 | Dec 13, 1985 | Marquette | Wildcats | 6-5 | OT |
31 | Dec 14, 1985 | Houghton | Wildcats | 8-1 | |
32 | Feb 7, 1986 | Houghton | Wildcats | 6-2 | |
33 | Feb 8, 1986 | Marquette | Huskies | 5-3 | |
34 | Oct 31, 1986 | Marquette | Wildcats | 4-3 | OT |
35 | Nov 1, 1986 | Houghton | Wildcats | 6-1 | |
36 | Jan 30, 1987 | Houghton | Wildcats | 5-1 | |
37 | Jan 31, 1987 | Marquette | Huskies | 4-3 | |
38 | Nov 11, 1987 | Houghton | Huskies | 4-3 | OT |
39 | Nov 21, 1987 | Marquette | Tie | 4-4 | OT |
40 | Jan 14, 1988 | Marquette | Huskies | 4-2 | |
41 | Jan 16, 1988 | Houghton | Huskies | 7-2 | |
42 | Oct 28, 1988 | Marquette | Wildcats | 6-2 | |
43 | Oct 29, 1988 | Houghton | Huskies | 6-4 | |
44 | Jan 6, 1989 | Houghton | Huskies | 6-5 | OT |
45 | Jan 7, 1989 | Marquette | Wildcats | 4-2 | |
46 | Oct 27, 1989 | Marquette | Wildcats | 8-3 | |
47 | Oct 28, 1989 | Houghton | Huskies | 5-4 | OT |
48 | Dec 30, 1989# | Detroit, Mich. | Huskies | 5-1 | |
49 | Jan 26, 1990 | Houghton | Wildcats | 10-7 | Most goals in a single game |
50 | Jan 27, 1990 | Marquette | Wildcats | 3-2 | OT |
51 | Nov 30, 1990 | Marquette | Wildcats | 6-3 | |
52 | Dec 1, 1990 | Houghton | Wildcats | 4-3 | |
53 | Feb 15, 1991 | Houghton | Wildcats | 4-1 | |
54 | Feb 16, 1991 | Marquette | Wildcats | 6-2 | |
55 | Nov 1, 1991 | Marquette | Huskies | 3-2 | |
56 | Nov 2, 1991 | Houghton | Tie | 4-4 | OT |
57 | Feb 14, 1992 | Houghton | Wildcats | 4-3 | |
58 | Feb 15, 1992 | Marquette | Wildcats | 7-3 | |
59 | Mar 13, 1992+ | Marquette | Wildcats | 9-1 | |
60 | Mar 14, 1992+ | Marquette | Wildcats | 6-2 | |
61 | Nov 13, 1992 | Houghton | Wildcats | 4-3 | |
62 | Nov 14, 1992 | Marquette | Huskies | 4-3 | |
63 | Feb 19, 1993 | Marquette | Wildcats | 3-2 | |
64 | Feb 20, 1993 | Houghton | Huskies | 4-3 | |
65 | Mar 18, 1993• | St. Paul, Minn. | Wildcats | 4-2 | |
66 | Oct 29, 1993 | Marquette | Wildcats | 7-3 | |
67 | Oct 30, 1993 | Houghton | Huskies | 6-3 | |
68 | Mar 4, 1994 | Houghton | Huskies | 5-3 | |
69 | Mar 5, 1994 | Marquette | Wildcats | 3-2 | |
70 | Mar 17, 1994• | Milwaukee, Wisc. | Huskies | 5-1 | |
71 | Nov 4, 1994 | Houghton | Huskies | 3-1 | |
72 | Nov 5, 1994 | Marquette | Huskies | 6-2 | |
73 | Feb 17, 1995 | Marquette | Huskies | 5-3 | |
74 | Feb 18, 1995 | Houghton | Wildcats | 8-3 | |
75 | Dec 30, 1995# | Detroit, Mich. | Huskies | 6-2 | |
76 | Jan 12, 1996 | Marquette | Wildcats | 4-3 | |
77 | Jan 13, 1996 | Houghton | Huskies | 4-2 | |
78 | Feb 9, 1996 | Houghton | Huskies | 6-2 | |
79 | Feb 10, 1996 | Marquette | Wildcats | 6-1 | |
80 | Oct 11, 1996 | Houghton | Wildcats | 3-2 | |
81 | Oct 12, 1996 | Marquette | Huskies | 5-2 | |
82 | Feb 21, 1997 | Marquette | Wildcats | 4-3 | |
83 | Feb 22, 1997 | Houghton | Wildcats | 5-3 | |
84 | Oct 17, 1997 | Marquette | Tie | 4-4 | OT |
85 | Oct 18, 1997 | Houghton | Huskies | 8-2 | |
86 | Oct 9, 1998 | Houghton | Wildcats | 8-2 | |
87 | Oct 10, 1998 | Marquette | Wildcats | 3-0 | |
88 | Dec 27, 1998# | Detroit, Mich. | Wildcats | 8-1 | |
89 | Oct 8, 1999 | Marquette | Wildcats | 9-0 | |
90 | Oct 9, 1999 | Houghton | Wildcats | 3-0 | |
91 | Nov 19, 1999 | Houghton | Wildcats | 4-2 | |
92 | Nov 20, 1999 | Marquette | Wildcats | 4-2 | |
93 | Oct 6, 2000 | Houghton | Tie | 3-3 | OT |
94 | Dec 8, 2000 | Houghton | Wildcats | 4-1 | |
95 | Dec 9, 2000 | Marquette | Wildcats | 5-2 | |
96 | Jan 5, 2001 | Marquette | Huskies | 4-2 | |
97 | Dec 14, 2001 | Houghton | Huskies | 5-3 | |
98 | Dec 15, 2001 | Marquette | Wildcats | 6-1 | |
99 | Oct 5, 2002 | Houghton | Wildcats | 4-1 | |
100 | Dec 13, 2002 | Marquette | Huskies | 3-2 | |
101 | Oct 17, 2003 | Marquette | Wildcats | 4-3 | OT |
102 | Oct 18, 2003 | Houghton | Huskies | 7-6 | OT |
103 | Dec 12, 2003 | Houghton | Tie | 3-3 | OT |
104 | Dec 13, 2003 | Marquette | Wildcats | 2-0 | |
105 | Nov 4, 2004 | Houghton | Tie | 6-6 | OT |
106 | Nov 6, 2004 | Marquette | Wildcats | 6-3 | |
107 | Feb 17, 2005 | Marquette | Tie | 3-3 | OT |
108 | Feb 19, 2005 | Houghton | Wildcats | 5-3 | |
109 | Oct 21, 2005 | Marquette | Wildcats | 5-1 | |
110 | Oct 22, 2005 | Houghton | Wildcats | 2-1 | |
111 | Oct 13, 2006 | Houghton | Huskies | 2-1 | |
112 | Oct 14, 2006 | Marquette | Wildcats | 1-0 | |
113 | Oct 12, 2007 | Houghton | Wildcats | 3-2 | |
114 | Dec 14, 2007 | Marquette | Tie | 1-1 | OT |
115 | Dec 15, 2007 | Houghton | Wildcats | 2-0 | |
116 | Oct 10, 2008 | Marquette | Wildcats | 5-2 | |
117 | Dec 19, 2008 | Houghton | Huskies | 2-1 | |
118 | Dec 20, 2008 | Marquette | Huskies | 1-0 | |
119 | Oct 9, 2009 | Houghton | Huskies | 5-3 | |
120 | Dec 18, 2009 | Marquette | Wildcats | 2-1 | |
121 | Jan 12, 2010 | Houghton | Tie | 1-1 | OT |
122 | Oct 8, 2010 | Marquette | Huskies | 4-3 | OT |
123 | Oct 12, 2010 | Houghton | Tie | 4-4 | OT |
124 | Dec 17, 2010 | Marquette | Wildcats | 6-2 | |
125 | Dec 16, 2011 | Marquette | Wildcats | 4-1 | |
126 | Jan 21, 2012 | Houghton | Wildcats | 5-2 | |
127 | Dec 4, 2012 | Marquette | Wildcats | 2-1 | |
128 | Feb 12, 2013 | Houghton | Huskies | 8-2 | |
129 | Oct 25, 2013 | Marquette | Wildcats | 2-0 | |
130 | Oct 26, 2013 | Houghton | Huskies | 4-1 | |
131 | Feb 21, 2014 | Houghton | Huskies | 7-4 | |
132 | Feb 22, 2014 | Marquette | Huskies | 3-2 | |
133 | Jan 9, 2015 | Marquette | Tie | 3-3 | OT |
134 | Jan 10, 2015 | Houghton | Wildcats | 5-4 | OT |
135 | Mar 6, 2015 | Houghton | Huskies | 5-1 | |
136 | Mar 7, 2015 | Marquette | Huskies | 3-1 | |
137 | Oct 23, 2015 | Marquette | Wildcats | 4-1 | |
138 | Oct 24, 2015 | Houghton | Huskies | 3-1 | |
139 | Mar 4, 2016 | Houghton | Huskies | 4-0 | |
140 | Mar 5, 2016 | Marquette | Huskies | 5-1 | |
141 | Oct 28, 2016 | Houghton | Huskies | 2-0 | |
142 | Oct 29, 2016 | Marquette | Huskies | 5-1 | |
143 | Feb 24, 2017 | Marquette | Huskies | 3-2 | |
144 | Feb 25, 2017 | Houghton | Wildcats | 5-3 | |
145 | Nov 10, 2017 | Houghton | Huskies | 4-1 | |
146 | Nov 11, 2017 | Marquette | Wildcats | 4-0 | |
147 | Feb 23, 2018 | Marquette | Wildcats | 2-1 | |
148 | Feb 24, 2018 | Houghton | Huskies | 3-2 | |
149 | Mar 17, 2018$ | Marquette | Huskies | 2-0 | WCHA Tournament Championship |
150 | Dec 7, 2018 | Marquette | Wildcats | 5-3 | NMU goalie Atte Tolvanen scores a goal |
151 | Dec 8, 2018 | Houghton | Huskies | 3-1 | |
152 | Mar 1, 2019 | Houghton | Wildcats | 4-2 | NMU goalie Atte Tolvanen set a school record with 58 saves. |
153 | Mar 2, 2019 | Marquette | Wildcats | 3-0 | |
154 | Nov 22, 2019 | Houghton | Huskies | 3-2 | |
155 | Nov 23, 2019 | Marquette | Huskies | 3-2 | |
156 | Feb 28, 2020 | Marquette | Huskies | 8-4 | |
157 | Feb 29, 2020 | Houghton | Wildcats | 3-2 | |
158 | Mar 6, 2020+ | Marquette | Huskies | 4-1 | WCHA Tournament, first round |
159 | Mar 7, 2020+ | Marquette | Huskies | 4-3 | WCHA Tournament, first round, 3OT |
160 | Dec 18, 2020 | Houghton | Huskies | 4-3 | |
161 | Dec 19, 2020 | Marquette | Huskies | 3-1 | |
162 | Jan 23, 2021 | Houghton | Huskies | 2-0 | |
163 | Jan 25, 2021 | Marquette | Huskies | 4-1 | |
164 | Feb 26, 2021 | Houghton | Huskies | 6-1 | |
165 | Feb 27, 2021 | Marquette | Huskies | 3-2 | |
166 | Nov 12, 2021 | Houghton | Wildcats | 3-2 | OT |
167 | Nov 13, 2021 | Marquette | Huskies | 5-2 | |
168 | Feb 1, 2022 | Houghton | Huskies | 5-1 | |
169 | Feb 8, 2022 | Marquette | Huskies | 8-1 | |
170 | Dec 2, 2022 | Marquette | Wildcats | 4-3 | |
171 | Dec 3, 2022 | Houghton | Huskies | 3-1 | |
172 | Jan 27, 2023 | Houghton | Huskies | 3-0 | |
173 | Jan 28, 2023 | Marquette | Huskies | 4-1 | |
174 | Mar 11, 2023 | Houghton | Wildcats | 4-0 | CCHA Semifinals |
This excludes an exhibition game played Oct 2, 2021, which ended in a 4-4 tie.
* NCAA Frozen Four
^ CCHA Tournament Quarterfinal
# Great Lakes Invitational
+ WCHA Playoff First Round
• WCHA Playoff Quarterfinal
$ WCHA Playoff Championship
Records compiled with information from Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan sports information offices.