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The Northern Michigan University Wildcats dropped their first game of the season to the Wisconsin Badgers on Friday night. Stephan Vigier and CJ Ludwig found the back of the net for the 'Cats, but the NMU defense couldn't hold up against the no. 3 ranked team in the country's offense, who scored five goals on 38 shots.

The no. 3 ranked Wisconsin Badgers scored just five minutes into the game, when Joseph Labate got the puck past diving NMU goaltender Mathias Dahlstrom at 5:07. The Badgers would score again two minutes later on the Wildcats first power play of the game, when Jake McCabe scored a shorthanded goal cutting through the NMU defense at 7:39.

"We did not have a lot of our guys play well," coach Walt Kyle said. "I thought we were nervous when (Wisconsin) started scoring. Our upperclassman have to have better composure than to let it go away like that."

Stephan Vigier had a goal waved off shortly after McCabe's goal in the second, in a controversial call where the officials ruled that Ryan Daugherty interfered with the goaltender crease.

"That was a big point in the game," Kyle said. "We could have maybe put our finger in the dike if that goal goes in."

Michael Mersch would score with two minutes left in the first period to give the Badgers a 3-0 lead heading into the second period. In the second, CJ Ludwig scored the first goal of the season for the 'Cats at 17:41, but the Badgers matched that with a goal of their own a minute later when Tyler Barnes scored on a delayed penalty with a minute left in the period.

"I think we could have slowed the game down a bit," Ludwig said. "Too much panic on our team, we've just got to settle it down and get it going."

Both teams would score in the third period as Grant Besse scored for the Badgers 1:43 into the period, and Stephan Vigier got one past with one minute remaining in the game.

Northern Michigan goaltender Mathias Dahlstrom saved 33 of 38 shots on goal, while Wisconsin goaltender stopped 18 of 20 shots. The Wildcats were 2 for 9 on the powerplay, while the Badgers were 1 for 7.

The Wildcats will look to take a series split tomorrow when they play the Badgers again on Saturday, October 12 at 9:00 pm est. The game can be watched on Americanonesports.com or listened to on 100.3 FM The Point.