To clarify...
 
Northern Michigan loses Hiller (86 pts. this year, 205 career), Drake
(83/220), Beattie (74/222), Beaufait (81/157), Szabo (41/100),
Soukoroff (29/104), Melone (13/56) and Neururer (7/17).
 
Unfortunately, those numbers account for 68 percent of the points
scored by this past year's team.  The Wildcats will, however, return
four "starting" defensemen, the WCHA's all-freshman team goalie in
Corwin Saurdiff and six forwards (four who were freshmen) who were
playing a regular shift by the end of the season.  Next year's
Wildcats will be young (though relatively experienced considering
their youth); but there are talented players here and, with the
addition of some new faces, NMU should be among the WCHA's upper-
division finishers.
 
Justin Doherty, NMU