Bulldogs knock mighty Buckeyes off their perch

By Tom Morelli/Ferris State Beat Writer

There was plenty of fight inside the 'Dogs this weekend, as ranked Ferris State grabbed five of a possible six CCHA points over No. 5 ranked Ohio State by virtue of a 4-3 win on Friday and a 3-3 shootout win in the series finale.

The No. 13 ranked Bulldogs relied on their power-play to get them through the series opener, scoring on three of six opportunities.

Down by a 4-0 margin midway into the second period, it wasn't until the 13:20 mark that the Buckeyes were able to end their scoring drought, with Tanner Fritz finding the back of the net against Taylor Nelson.

Chris Crane and Darik Angeli added to Ohio State's total in the final stanza by scoring within 2:37 of each other, but the Bulldogs held steady down the stretch to prevent any sort of comeback.

Junior forwards Kyle Bonis and Eric Alexander each tallied a goal and assist for Ferris State, while freshman defenseman Simon Denis was credited with a pair of helpers.

Nelson stopped 30 shots en route to improving to 11-4-1 as a starter.

The Buckeyes' Brady Hjelle surrendured four goals on 21 shots before being replaced by Cal Heeter (11 saves) in the middle frame.

Saturday's contest also proved to be a nail-biter, with the majority of the action picking-up in the third.

Tied 1-1 entering the final 20 minutes of play, Ferris State pulled ahead on a marker from Bonis at the 1:10 mark, only to have Ohio State's Danny Dries score the equalizer nine minutes later.

Momentum shifted back to the Bulldogs temporarily on Matthew Kirzinger's power-play goal with seven minutes left in regulation, but the Buckeyes responded once again, this time on a tally by Max McCormick.

With neither team able to secure put the game away in the extra session, a three-round shootout was needed to declare a winner. After a miss by Jordie Johnston to begin the shootout, Bonis and Derek Graham converted on their opportunities, giving the Bulldogs a 2-0 advantage over their counterparts.

In what will be their only meeting during the regular season, Ferris State (15-8-3 overall, 9-6-2-1 CCHA) returns home for a two-game set against Michigan State (13-9-4 overall, 8-7-3-2 CCHA).