Ferris State, MSU split weekend series

By Tom Morelli/Ferris State Beat Writer

In their home-and-home series over the weekend, it was anything but home sweet home for Ferris State and Michigan State, as both teams ended up winning on the road.

Friday's matchup in Big Rapids was a game of cat and mouse, with the the Spartans' Brett Perlini striking first just 36 seconds into the contest.

The Bulldogs would even up the score at 4:19, when Nate Hennig redirected Kyle Bonis's shot from the top of the crease for his fifth marker of the campaign.

Ferris State then took a 2-1 lead in the middle stanza, thanks to a bit of trickery by freshman forward Garrett Thompson. After receiving a pass from fellow classmate Cory Kane, Thompson blasted the puck from the side of the net, where it bounced out the back pad of Michigan State goaltender Drew Palmisano before trickling past the goal line.

With just over a minute left in the period, the Spartans mounted a comeback as Derek Grant and Daulton Levielle helped set-up Perlini's second goal of the night.

Near the halfway point of the third, Dean Chelios tallied the game-winning goal by knocking the puck past Bulldogs' netminder Pat Nagle amidst a scramble in front of the net.

Palmisano held a significant edge in saves over Nagle, 32-19.

The following night in East Lansing, both teams played an ever more tighlty contested game, with Ferris State garnering a 1-0 decision in overtime to avoid being swept.

Junior defenseman Chad Billins put the game away with 1:06 remaining in the extra frame when his shot from behind the left circle bounced off defenseman Tim Buttery and out of Palmisano's reach. Tallying assists on that play were forwards Jordie Johnston and Matthew Kirzinger.

Palmisano finished with 30 saves, compared to Nagle's 28.

Ferris State (8-6-3 overall, 5-5-3-2 CCHA) hosts Alaska on December 10-11, with puck drop scheduled for 7:05 pm for both games.

Michigan State (6-8-3 overall, 3-6-1-0 CCHA) travels to Ann Arbor for Saturday's "Big Chill at the Big House" against Michigan, which is slated to begin at 3 pm. The outdoor game can be seen regionally on Fox Sports Detroit and elsewhere on the Big Ten Network.