NMU’s Payne named WCHA offensive player of the week after big weekend

By @MichaelCaples –

Robbie Payne had quite a weekend for the Northern Michigan Wildcats, and today, he was honored by his college conference.

The Gaylord native posted three goals and six points as NMU split a pair of games with Wisconsin at the Resch Center in Green Bay.

Payne, a junior, helped his Wildcats to a 3-2 victory in their season-opener with a second-period power-play goal that snapped a 1-1 tie.

On Saturday, he became the first Northern Michigan player to record a five-point game in 10 years, racking up two goals and three assists. Both of his goals were unassisted.

While Northern couldn’t pull off the second victory – they ended up losing 6-5 – it certainly wasn’t the fault of Payne, who finished the night with a +4 rating.

Talk about an impressive showing to start the season for the Wildcats forward.