UMD Athletics

AS A BULLDOG:
2020-21: Was named UMD's captain in the summer of 2020... saw a much more prominent role as the first line center... took a slight hit in the points department, finishing the year with 19 points... scored five goals (three of which came on the man advantage)... dished out 14 assists on the season... took 51 shots (.098 shooting percentage)... finihsed the year with seven penalties for 25 minutes... was a +4 on the season... netted two game winners... was named to the All-NCHC Preseason team... named to the NCHC All-Conference Academic team for his third year (was also named an NCHC Distinguished Scholar Athlete).
2019-20: Bested his first season with UMD by 10 points, scoring 14 goals (four coming on the power play) and dishing out 19 assists for a total of 33 points, all career highs... scored two game winners on the year with one coming against Miami and the other coming against Omaha... Scored two games in a single game twice on the year, one of seven other players to do so on the year... finished the year with a +7 rating... improved upon his shooting percentage from .110 to .154 despite taking more shots (91) than last season (82)... named to the NCHC All-Conference first team.. was one of four Bulldogs to be named as an ACHA All-American (second team).
2018-19: His spirited efforts were appropriately rewarded with a selection to the NCHC All-Rookie Team (and was the leading vote-getter to boot) ... was also voted UMD's Rookie of the Year after topping all Bulldog newcomers in goals (nine) assists (14) and points (23) ... was one of a NCAA-leading three Bulldogs to skate for the silver medal-winning Team USA at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championships over the Christmas Holidays ... missed two games (at the Desert Hockey Classic) and an exhibition bout while taking part in that event ... received NCHC Rookie of the Week honors following a three-point weekend against visiting Miami on March 1-2 ... scored twice -- for the first multi-goal night of his young collegiate career -- and help set up another tally in the series opener against the RedHawks ... strutted his stuff at the Philadelphia Flyers Development Camp for the the second consecutive summer ... earned himself a NCHC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete citation.
BEFORE UMD: Closed the books on his first full season of United States Hockey League warfare in 2017-18 by finishing second on the Omaha Lancers point charts ... skated in all 60 regular season games and had 21 goals and 34 assists to show for it ... nearly half of those 21 scores (10) came on the power play ... also went a +21 on the year .... accumulated 41 points (15 goals and 26 assists ) in the final 38 regular season outings 2017-18 ... competed for the Lancers during the offseason of both his junior and senior years at Stillwater High School (some 13 games worth) ... culminated a rewarding prep puck career with a selection to the 2016-17 Associated Press All-State first team following a 65-point season (20 goals and 45 assists in 25 games) ... also was a Minneapolis Star Tribune All-Metro Team honoree and the St. Paul Pioneer Press East Metro Player of the Year that winter ... served as a team captain with the Ponies in 2015-16 (when they placed fourth at the Minnesota State High School Class AA Tournament) and 2016-17 and finished as their top point producer both of those winters ... was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the fifth round (137th pick overall) in the 2017 National Hockey League Draft.
BULLDOG MILESTONES: First Game - vs. Minnesota (Oct. 6, 2018). First Goal - at Minnesota (Oct. 7, 2018). First Assist - at Michigan Tech (Oct. 13, 2018). Most Goals, Game - 2 vs. Miami (March 1, 2019). Most Points, Game - 3 vs. Miami (March 1, 2019). Most Shots, Game - 6 at Western Michigan (Dec. 8, 2018). Longest Scoring Streak - 3 Games (Jan. 18-25, 2019 and Feb. 1-15, 2019).
PERSONAL: Born Noah Allen Cates in Stillwater, Minn. ... is the son of Jeff (a University of Wisconsin-River Falls hockey alumnus) and Jenny Cates ... has one older brother (Jackson Cates, a sophomore forward with the 2019-20 Bulldogs)  ... his uncle, Jay Cates, played for three seasons at the University of Minnesota (1985-88) ...  is majoring in business at UMD.