MARQUETTE, Mich. â€Â“The Northern MichiganUniversity hockey teamâ€Â™s 2006-07schedule is highlighted with a series against the defending NCAA I NationalChampions, the University of Wisconsin Badgers.  The Wildcats and Badgers will drop the puckthe first weekend of the regular season in Green Bay,Wis. at the Resch Center on Oct. 6-7.  NMU is coming off a 22-16-2 record for the2005-06 season. NMU will face the University ofToronto in an exhibition game in Marquette on Saturday,Sept. 30. 

Other non-conference games include a home-and-home slatewith Michigan Tech.  The â€Â˜Cats will playin Houghton on Friday night Oct. 13 before shifting to Marquette on Saturday.  NMU, NiagaraUniversity, UMass-Lowelland the University of Nebraska-Omaha will tangle in the Mutual of OmahaStampede Tournament in Omaha, Neb. the weekend of Oct.20-21.  The â€Â˜Cats will face anotherWestern Collegiate Hockey Association foe, the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, for two games.  The first game will be in Marquetteon Wednesday, Nov. 15 and the return game will be in Duluth on Wednesday, Jan. 24.

NMU will play a second exhibition game in Marquette against the United States NationalTeam Development Program U-18 squad on Friday, Dec. 15.

NMU is paired with Lake Superior State, Miami and Ohio Statefor a Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) cluster, which means theâ€Â˜Cats will face these teams in a two-game series both at home and on the road.

Also visiting the BerryEvents Centerwill be Michigan State(Dec. 8-9), Ferris State (Jan. 5-6) and Bowling Green (Jan. 19-20). 

NMU will play Notre Dame in Ft. Wayne, Ind.on Saturday, Dec. 30 before moving to South Bend, Ind. on Sunday.

The CCHA will again have a two-round playoff system atcampus sites.  The CCHA Final FourChampionship Tournament will be at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit the weekend of March 16-17.

The complete schedule is below:

All times Eastern