Friday, April 06, 2012

'Dawgs dismantle Union, headed to finals

By Tom Morelli/Ferris State Beat Writer

Every dog has his day, and for Ferris State, that day is Saturday as the Bulldogs faceoff against Boston College for the national championship following last night's 3-1 victory over Union.

It wasn't all fun and games for Ferris State (26-11-5 overall) from the get-go however, as the Dutchmen grabbed the initial lead with eight minutes remaining in the first on a five-hole shot by Daniel Carr.

In the ensuing period, the Bulldogs began to march back with a power-play marker by senior forward Aaron Schmit.

Ferris State sealed the deal in the final stanza, producing a pair of goals just four minutes apart. Junior Kyle Bonis, who had assisted on Schmit's earlier tally, scored the game-winner at the 15:17 mark by bouncing in a rebound off defenseman Brett Wysopal's initial shot.

"There was a lot of nerves out there, especially early on in the game," said Wysopal. "Pucks were jumping off everyone’s sticks. On the goal, it just got wrapped around the goal pretty hard, saw him in front the net. It wasn’t a very good shot, just got him in the right spot. I was praying that it wasn’t out of reach for Bonis and luckily it wasn’t and he buried it."

Looking for the equalizer, Union pulled netminder Troy Gosenick late in the game, but Schmit put those plans to rest by lighting the lamp with 55 seconds left in regulation.

Grosenick finished the game with 34 saves, compared to Taylor Nelson's 27.

The national championship game from the Times-Forum in Tampa, Florida can be seen on ESPN2 at 7 pm.

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