Even though the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Championship game did not end the way most Northern Michigan University fans had hoped for, the 2017-2018 season overall turned out to be a big success. The Wildcats finished with a home record of 17 wins and 4 losses. It is the first 25-win season the Wildcats have seen since the 2001-02 season.

Some of the players at the press conference appeared to feel like they let the huge crowd at the Berry Events Center down by not winning the game. It is true fans were disappointed at the outcome of the game Saturday, but they were not at all disappointed with the season the Wildcats had.

With a new coach and a new style of hockey, the Wildcats brought joy and enthusiasm back to the NMU hockey program. Each week throughout the season, the fan base continued to grow along with the interest in the team. As the home record grew to 17-4 leading into the WCHA Championship, the Berry sold out quickly. The excitement in the events center was at a level that may never have been seen since the Berry opened.

Throughout the year we ran several editorials asking fans to get behind their team and show just how supportive “Hockeyville” is toward NMU hockey. The pinnacle of that support was evident at the WCHA Championship game. The attendance was great, the noise from the fans has never been louder and the pride that all NMU fans had in their hockey team was overwhelming.

So, the year did not end the way we hoped, but the joy was back in the building for the 2017-2018 season like we have not seen since the national championship back in 1991. For the seniors who helped rebuild our program this past year to such a successful level, thank you. You should all be very proud of your accomplishments. For the underclassmen on the team, you saw that hard work and dedication pays off with huge dividends in the form of games won and fan support rebuilt. We are confident that you will take that knowledge and use it with a goal of playing in the WCHA Championship game again next year and moving on to the national tournament. We believe you can do it. With the WCHA coach of the year behind the bench and the best goalie in the WCHA in front of the net, along with an extremely talented supporting cast, the future for NMU hockey is extremely bright.

There is no need at this point to second guess what might have been. We believe it is time to celebrate the great year we all just experienced and look forward to next year with great enthusiasm. Congratulations to the entire NMU hockey team and all NMU fans for bringing championship hockey back to Marquette.

— The Mining Journal (Marquette)