MARQUETTE, Mich. â€Â“ The Northern Michigan University hockey team will makes its fifth straight trip to Joe Louis Arena for theCCHA Championship thanks to a 3-2 win over the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks on Saturday night.  This is the Wildcats fourth trip under Walt Kyle. The â€Â˜Cats are currently 22-14-2 on the season.  The Mavericks fall to 20-14-6. Ã¢Ã‚€Ã‚œThey have an opportunity to earn a spot to play for a championship right now,they deserve that,â€Â Walt Kyle said.  â€ÂœThey understand they have not doneanything special yet. We hope there are bigger and better things to come.â€Â Theseniors have now advanced to The Joe all four years. Ã‚ 

After playing a scoreless 20 minutes of hockey NMU scoredthree goals in the second frame and held on to down the Mavericks.  The secondperiod has been the most successful period for the â€Â˜Cats this season.  NMU hasnow scored 48 of its 114 goals in the second frame.  NMU has now won six gamesin a row going into the CCHA Championship.

Pat Bateman gave the â€Â˜Cats the 1-0 lead with his ninth goalof the season at 1:41 of the period.  Mike Santorelli and Darin Olver assistedon the goal.  Jamie Milam made the count 2-0 on a power-play goal for hiseighth of the season at 5:22.  Nathan Oystrick and Dirk Southern assisted.  Theâ€Â˜Cats third goal of the frame came from Andrew Contois on a short-handed markerat 12:03 for his 15^th of the season.  â€ÂœLucky goal and that time ofthe game it gave us a three-goal lead,â€Â Contois said.  Southern assisted.  â€ÂœWegot up by three and we just laid back.  That is something that we do not liketo do,â€Â Kyle said.

UNO tried to make the game interesting with two power-playgoals in the third period.  Kaleb Betts scored at 12:05 to cut the NMU lead to3-1.  Alex Nikiforuk made the scored 3-2 with his 13^th goal of theseason at 15:21.  UNO pulled its goaltender with a little over a minute left inthe game, but the â€Â˜Cats held on.

The Mavericks had seven power play opportunities for thegame.  NMU just had three.  UNO outshot NMU 15-3 in the third period and 30-18for the game.   Bill Zaniboni turned away 28 of UNOâ€Â™s shots.  Jerad Kaufmannhad 15 saves for the game.

NMU will play on Friday, March 17 at Joe Louis Arena.  Theopponent and time has yet to be determined.