After being named the WCHA’s Goaltender of the Month for November, Northern Michigan’s Atte Tolvanen showed he could do even more.

Last season, Tolvanen helped carry the surprising Wildcats to a 25-15-3 overall record, posting a 2.22 GAA, .908 SV% and 23-10-1 personal record. He was crowned the WCHA Goaltending Champion for the 2017-18 season.

The Wildcats have struggled to duplicate last season’s success, posting just a 7-10 record, but that weight doesn’t fall on Tolvanen’s shoulders. The workhorse posted a 1.91 GAA, .930 SV% and two shutouts en route to a 4-5 record as the offense has been barren.

Tolvanen stymied a blistering, then-No. 9-ranked Bowling Green team 2-0; the Falcons entered the game 6-1-1 with 39 total goals for (4.87 GF/gm). It was Tolvanen’s second shutout in four games; he would record his third in six just 13 days later.

? @NMUHockey ?
After a strong November, Atte Tolvanen has been named WCHA Goaltender of the Month! He is tied for the most shutouts and has the third-most saves in the NCAA this season.
STORY: https://t.co/jPejFiXzj7#NMUwildcats #ShareNMU pic.twitter.com/XwvQchAiWU

— NMU Athletics (@NMU_Wildcats) December 5, 2018

As if it wasn’t enough, the 24-year-old senior took his “wow factor” a step further during his first December series and first action in 10 days. The Finland native became the 11th netminder in NCAA history—and second in WCHA history—to score a goal, helping the Wildcats to a 5-3 victory over WCHA foe No. 20 Michigan Tech.

GOAL FOR THE GOALIE! ? ?

Atte Tolvanen goes the length of the ice to put the game away for @NMUHockey and secures his spot in the @SportsCenter #SCTop10! #WeAreWCHA #FloHockey

— FloHockey (@FloHockey) December 8, 2018

Second-year coach Grant Potulny, who joined Tolvanen in receiving WCHA honors last year as the WCHA Coach of the Year, knows the team can’t rely on Tolvanen to bring the offense every game.

The Wildcats featured an electric offense last season, but the loss of several key players has proven more difficult than expected to overcome. The youth from last season, as well as the go-to upperclassmen this year, have grappled with increased expectations. 

After leading the NCAA with 40 assists and finishing eighth in Division I scoring last season, senior Adam Rockwood had just 10 points (2 G, 8 A) in 17 games and sits 116th in assists. Defenseman Philip Beaulieu paced all defensemen last year with 42 points (11 G, 31 A), but has just a single goal and 11 points in 16 games, which places him 37th in defensive scoring.

The Wildcats are averaging a measly 1.94 goals per game with 33 total goals in 17 contests and are failing to match the consistent output of their netminder, who has stolen games for them.

But there’s still hope for the Wildcats, who sat at 8-8-2 this time a year ago. They used a strong second half of the season to propel them to the WCHA Championship Final where they fell to Michigan Tech.

The Wildcats will look to spark a second-half turnaround this weekend when they take on the Ferris State Bulldogs, which you can stream live, right here on FloHockey.

Have a question or a comment for Jacob Messing? You can find him on Twitter @Jacob_Messing.