Bulldogs eliminated by Nebraska-Omaha

By Tom Morelli/Ferris State Beat Writer

The 2008-2009 season came an end for Ferris State after losing a pair of games against Nebraska-Omaha in the opening round of the CCHA Tournament over the weekend.

The Bulldogs managed to keep up with the Mavericks early on, as both teams remained scoreless at the end of the first period Friday night. That was as good as it would get for Ferris State, who collapsed in the middle stanza after allowing two Nebraska-Omaha goals within a five-minute span.

Richard Purslow notched his first of two helpers on the night at 5:28, when teammate Alex Hudson scored the game-winning goal on Bulldogs goaltender Taylor Nelson.

Though a holding penalty by John Kemp left the Mavericks shorthanded at the midway point, they had no trouble making adjustments, as J.J. Koehler and Eddie DelGrosso set-up J.P. Platisha for his first marker of the campaign.

Matt Ambroz scored on Nebraska-Omaha’s only power-play of the game in the early stages of the third, which came courtesy of Mark Brenier and Purslow.

Nelson stopped 29 shots, compared to Jerad Kaufmann’s 24.

Ferris State was unable to muster any miracles the following night, as they came out on the losing end of a 5-2 affair.

The Mavericks continued to build-off their momentum from the previous night by jumping out to a 3-0 lead before the Bulldogs could answer back. Ambroz scored on the power-play in the first period, while Joey Martin and Koehler added theirs just minutes into the second.

Senior Brendan Connolly broke the scoring drought for Ferris State at the 7:16 mark, with help from linemates Aaron Lewicki and Justin Lewandoski.

Martin added his second marker with five minutes remaining in the period to give the Mavericks a 4-1 lead.

A tripping call on Hudson did not discourage Nebraska-Omaha, as DelGrosso helped them convert their second shorthanded goal in as many nights just past the midway point of the third.

Not to be outdone, Connolly finished-off a pass from defenseman Matt Case and Lewicki to score on the man-advantage less than a minute later. Connolly’s goal was his 10th of the season, tying him with Lewicki for the team lead.

Sophomore Pat Nagle finished with 30 saves for the Bulldogs, while Kaufmann had 18.

The Mavericks’ sweep makes it the seventh straight loss for Ferris State, who finish the season with an overall record of 12-19-7.