MARQUETTE, Mich. â€Â“ Nathan Oystrick has beennamed the captain while Geoff Waugh, Pat Bateman and Andrew Contois have beenselected as the assistant captains of the 2005-06 Northern Michigan University hockey team according to head coach Walt Kyle.  Oystrick is a repeatselection as captain from last year as is Waugh as an assistant captain. 

â€ÂœThis team has a chance to be a very good team,â€Â Kyle said. Ã¢Ã‚€Ã‚ÂœTo a large degree that will depend on the leadership that we get. So theselection of the captains is a critical component to what we hope will be asuccessful season. â€Â

Oystrick, a 6-0, 200, senior defenseman from Regina, Saskatchewan, was the named the CCHAâ€Â™s Best Defensive Defenseman last year.  He wasalso a first-team selection to the all-conference team as he had seven goals,13 assists for 20 points.  Oystrick led a penalty-kill unit that was second inthe conference in CCHA games with a .866 percent efficiency.  He has appearedin 113 career games with 17 goals, 43 assists for 60 points.  â€ÂœClearly theon-ice leader for this team,â€Â Kyle added.  â€ÂœWe need him to continue hisleadership.â€ÂÃƒÃ‚‚ 

Waugh, a native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, enters his seniorcampaign with the â€Â˜Cats.  The 6-4, 215, defenseman tallied 10 points for the2004-05 season on two goals and eight assists.  â€ÂœA guy who proved last year hewas one of the guys in locker room that was looked to lead the team,â€Â Kylesaid.  â€ÂœA quality player a quality leader.â€Â For his career he has 32 points onfour goals and 28 assists in 119 games.

Bateman, a junior from Calgary, Alberta, is the lonenon-senior in the group.  The 6-1, 200 forward had 12 goals during the 2004-05season to go along with his 17 assists for 29 points.  Bateman has skated in 71games for the â€Â˜Cats as he has scored 19 goals, 24 assists for 43 points. 

The Marquette native, Contois, led the â€Â˜Cats last year with19 goals.  The 6-1, 186 Contois a forward, also had 17 assists and was secondon the team in 2004-05 with 36 points. Contois has played in 94 career games andearned 27 goals, 39 assists for 66 points.

The two new guys who will be wearing a letter on theirjersey, Contois and Bateman, have proved that they are worthy. 

â€ÂœThey have proven over time that they have the respect ofpeople in the room,â€Â Kyle said.  â€ÂœThey understand what I expect from theplayers on the team.â€Â

NMU will open the 2005-06 season the weekend of Oct. 7-8with two exhibition games.  Friday (Oct. 7) the â€Â˜Cats will take on the UnitedStates National Team Development Program U-18 team before taking on York University Saturday.