Firepower on ice rewarded: NMU hockey’s top scorer Gault nets CCHA weekly award | News, Sports, Jobs

Northern Michigan University’s Caiden Gault waits for a faceoff during a Wildcats’ game at the Berry Events Center in Marquette earlier this season. (Photo courtesy NMU)

MARQUETTE — The offensive firepower for the hockey team at Northern Michigan University has come from senior alternate captain Caiden Gault, who was rewarded for his three-goal output over the weekend as CCHA Forward of the Week.

Following two earlier superb performances in net, he is the Wildcats’ first non-goaltender to win a weekly award from the Central Collegiate Hockey Association this season.

And it also marked NMU’s first victory, a 3-2 win at Bowling Green State on Friday that Gault got his team off on the right foot with a first-period goal and the early lead.

Gault, a 6-foot, 193-pound forward from Oakbank, Manitoba, led all CCHA forwards in goals last weekend with his trio, which also included back-to-back goals about 10 minutes apart in the second game that Northern lost in overtime on Saturday.

Gault, who transferred in the offseason after leading Ferris State in scoring last season, also leads his new team in goals with eight, more than twice as many as any other Wildcat skater. In fact, he accounts for more than 25% of the team’s scoring production — eight of their 30 tallies.

Northern Michigan University’s Caiden Gault takes a shot during the second period against Michigan State at the Berry Events Center in Marquette on Oct. 25. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

He’s also tied for fifth in goals in the CCHA, while at this midpoint of the season, he’s on pace for a career-best 16 goals.

Gault also has a team-leading three power play goals, the most recent one his second goal Saturday that staked NMU to a 2-1 lead in the middle of the second period.

For the weekend, Gault had nine shots for a 33.3% scoring percentage and a plus-1 rating while averaging 17:29 ice time over the games.

This is actually Gault’s second CCHA Forward of the Week award, the first he won in the final weekend of last season while still at Ferris for a three-goal, one-assist weekend, oddly enough against the Wildcats.

Previous CCHA weekly winners this season were netminder William Gramme as Goaltender of the Week on Oct. 6 and freshman goalie Oliver Auyeung-Ashton as Rookie

Northern Michigan University’s Caiden Gault waits for a faceoff during a Wildcats’ game at the Berry Events Center in Marquette earlier this season. (Photo courtesy NMU)

Northern Michigan University’s Caiden Gault takes a shot during the second period against Michigan State at the Berry Events Center in Marquette on Oct. 25. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

of the Week on Oct. 13.

Story contents based on Northern Michigan University Sports Information press release reviewing the honor. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.