[5] On January 5, 1984, Northern Michigan announced the program was leaving the CCHA after seven seasons two league and playoff championships and two NCAA tournament berths for the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA).

[6] Northern Michigan qualified for the 1991 NCAA tournament after winning the WCHA regular season championship.

The Wildcats matched up in the National Championship game in St. Paul, Minnesota on April 1, 1991, against Boston University and won 8–7 in three overtime periods.

NMU won a close game in the opening round of the 1993 tournament in the East Regional in Worcester, Massachusetts, against Harvard.

The Wildcats won a close game 3–2 in two overtime periods but fell 4–1 in the second round to Boston University in a rematch of the 1991 National Championship.

[9] During the following seasons NMU remained competitive in the WCHA but by the mid-1990s the program fell into the bottom half of the standings.

[2] On August 19, 1996, the CCHA approved Northern Michigan's application to rejoin the league for the 1997–98 season after 13 years in the WCHA.

[2] And in the following season NMU reached the NCAA National tournament for the seventh time in program history.

Northern Michigan's playoff run was ended early by Boston College in a low scoring game 1–2.

Rick Comley left to take over the head coaching position at Michigan State after 26 seasons behind the bench of the Wildcats.

Northern Michigan swept the Nanooks two games to none with 4–3 and 5–1 victories,[16] advancing NMU to the semifinal round.

[2] The Wildcats came out on top of their seventh appearance in the CCHA Semifinals in the last eight seasons with an overtime goal by Greger Hanson to give Northern Michigan the 5–4 OT win.

[17] The win was the first time Northern Michigan advanced to the CCHA Championship game since 1999, under Rick Comley.

[2][16] Northern Michigan's first NCAA tournament berth in 11 seasons took them to the West Regional at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, and first round match-up against St.

[19] Northern Michigan found themselves down early 2–0 in the first period but picked up a late goal by sophomore forward Justin Florek.

Cloud was held scoreless in the third while Northern Michigan tied the game with an even strength goal under four minutes left in the third period by junior defenseman Erik Spady.

[22] The realignment continued on July 20, 2011, when Northern Michigan was approved for membership in the WCHA beginning with the 2013–14 season.

[23] In June 2019, it was announced that Northern Michigan was one of seven WCHA men's members that would leave to form a new conference after the 2020–21 season.

Source:[31] Dual US/French citizen Eric LeMarque went on to play for Team France at the 1994 Winter Olympics, later losing his feet to frostbite in a mishap chronicled in autobiography and in the 2017 film 6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain.

In the words of a Michigan Daily feature article, "The Puckheads have created an atmosphere that makes the Berry Events Center one of the most entertaining and frustrating road trips for other teams in the CCHA.