Marquette, MI – January 20th, 2026 – This week, we were fortunate to be joined by Northern Michigan University head hockey coach, Dave Shyiak. Shyiak discussed his opportunity to continue playing at the next level and why he chose Northern Michigan University, a decision that ultimately had a lasting impact on both his hockey career and his life.
During the 1991 season, when he proudly wore the captain’s “C,” Shyiak helped lead the Wildcats to a national championship. After his collegiate career, he briefly played professionally before beginning his coaching journey. He shared a great story about how that journey officially got started.
Over the course of his career, Shyiak has been involved with programs and organizations including Western Michigan, Alaska Anchorage, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and NMU. He brings over 25 years of coaching experience, with more than 1,000 games behind the bench, and has helped teams reach multiple NCAA Tournament appearances, including a national championship game.
The main focus of our conversation was this weekend’s highly anticipated rivalry series: Michigan Tech vs. Northern Michigan. Click this link to find the show!
Next week, we continue highlighting the Wildcat family as we welcome Ben Johnson, who joined Northern Michigan University’s men’s and women’s golf programs as an assistant coach. A former Wildcat golfer, Johnson spent four years competing with the program before returning to NMU as a member of the coaching staff.
In September 2024, he was promoted to head coach, marking a full-circle moment in his Wildcat journey. We’re looking forward to diving deeper into his path and hope you’ll join us.
The Big Local Sports Show will be live from Slabz Bar and Grill next Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. If you can’t make it in person, you can listen on Fox Sports Marquette 105.1 and 99.9, catch the replay at 6:00 p.m. on 97.5 GTO, or watch the show streamed live on the mediaBrew Communications Facebook page.
