Bulldogs conclude 2013 with 15-game unbeaten streak

By Tom Morelli/Ferris State Beat Writer

Testing their talents against schools in the newly-formed Big Ten conference (and former fellow CCHA rivals) Michigan and Michigan State, No. 4 ranked Ferris State escaped unscathed this past weekend, tying the school record for most consecutive games without a loss at 15.

The Bulldogs ventured to Ann Arbor on Wednesday night, where they skated to a 2-2 tie. Freshman forward Kyle Schempp registered his seventh goal in unassisted fashion at 13:06 in the first, before the Wolverines' Andrew Copp netted the equalizer 1:20 later. Earning helpers on that play were Phil DiGiuseepe and Tyler Motte (brother of Ferris State goaltender C.J. Motte).

No. 3 ranked Michigan grabbed their only lead of the net in the opening minute of the second, as Alex Guptill snuck the puck past Motte 38 seconds into the restart.

The 2-1 lead stood until less than six minutes left in regulation, when defenseman Brandon Anselmini fired a shot from the point to force the extra session.

With neither team able to produce the game-winning goal in overtime, the contest officially goes into the NCAA record-books as a tie. However, under Big Ten rules, the home team has to power to declare a shootout, even in a non-conference game.

Garret Thompson of Ferris State and Michigan's Copp both found the back of the net in the second round of the shootout, but it wouldn't be decided until five rounds later, when Alex Kile's shot was determined by officials to have crossed the goal line to give the Wolverines the win.

Zach Nagelvoort had a slight advantage in the saves department over Motte, 29-28.

In Saturday's contest in East Lansing - dubbed the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game - the Bulldogs closed out the 2013 calendar year with a 2-0 triumph over Michigan State.

Freshman Chad McDonald produced the game-winning goal just shy of the midway point of the first period off a feed from linemate Kenny Babinski. The score is McDonald's fourth of the campaign and first since November 22 in a 5-3 win over Alaska.

A five-minute major levied against Michigan State's Matt DeBlouw for boarding in the early moments of the ensuing frame helped spur a scoring opportunity for the Bulldogs on the power-play. Junior forward Justin Buzzeo produced his eighth goal this season, with freshmen Gerald Mayhew and Ryan Lowney each registering assists on that play.

Motte recorded his second shutout of 2013-2014 with a 16 save effort to improve to 14-0-3 as a starter.

Taking the loss in net for the Spartans was Jake Hildebrand, who stopped 20 of 22 shots faced.

Ferris State (14-2-3 overall) is idle until January 3, when they face RPI in the opening round of the Mariucci Classic. Pending the result of that game, the Bulldogs will face either Colgate or host Minnesota the following night.

Up next for both Michigan (10-2-2) and Michigan State (5-9-1) is the Great Lakes Invitational on December 27-28 at Comerica Park in Detroit. The Wolverines draw Western Michigan in the opening round, while the Spartans clash with Michigan Tech. All four games can be seen on either Fox Sports Detroit or Fox Sports Detroit Plus at 3:30 and 7:00 pm both nights.

U-M captures 5 of 6 points from Bulldogs

By Tom Morelli/Ferris State Beat Writer

Ferris State's performance against Michigan in the final week of the CCHA regular season can be looked at two different ways.

On one hand, the Bulldogs dropped a 4-1 decision on Friday and tied the Wolverines 1-1 the following night before being upended in a shootout.

Looking at it from a different perspective, even though Ferris State fell short, they still managed to finish within the top five of the CCHA standings and have earned a first-round bye in the conference tournament.

Michigan came out energized in the series opener, rolling out to a 2-0 lead midway through the first on scores from Zach Hyman and Derek DeBlois.

It wasn't until a power-play opportunity later in the frame that Ferris State would respond, as senior forward Travis Ouellette scored on Wolverines' netminder Steve Racine from the left side of the post at the 16:09 mark. Junior forward Garrett Thompson and sophomore defenseman Jason Binkley were both credited with helpers on that play.

In the ensuing period, momentum shifted back to Michigan's side courtesy one-timer from between the circles by Lee Moffie off a Phil DiGiuseppe pass with less than six minutes remaining.

The icing on the cake for the Wolverines came with 12:13 elapsed in the third, when Lee Moffie fired a shot from the blue line that took a wicked bounce off a Bulldogs' defender before sliding past C.J. Motte.

Motte faced double-digit shots in all three periods to finish with 33 saves, while counterpart Racine had 22 to his credit.

Saturday's tilt was more evenly matched, with Michigan once again grabbing the early lead off of Kevin Lynch's power-play marker nearly eight minutes in.

Ferris State evened-up the score in the following stanza thanks in large part to a breakdown in the Wolverines' defensive zone. Ouellette brought the puck up-ice quickly to create a 2-on-1 situation before dumping it off to linemate Justin DeMartino near the corner. From there, DeMartino found freshman defenseman Zach Dorer open on the left-side of the net, who promptly banged one in for his first collegiate goal.

With neither squad able to finish the job in overtime, the game was decided in shootout, where Michigan's A.J. Treais was the only participant to light the lamp.

Despite the loss, Motte once again topped Racine in the saves department, 35-24.

The Wolverines (13-18-3 overall, 10-15-3-3 CCHA), who finished seventh in the CCHA standings, will host Northern Michigan this weekend in a best-of-three series to kick-off the first round of the conference tournament.

The Bulldogs (15-14-5,13-12-3-1) return to the ice on March 15-17, where they'll play host Ohio State in the CCHA quarterfinals. Both teams split against each other in their only regular season series back in January.

Bulldogs play rough with Western Michigan

By Tom Morelli/Ferris State Beat Writer

Playing the No. 6-ranked team in the country is no easy task, as Ferris State found out themselves this past weekend.

The Bulldogs dropped a 3-1 decision to Western Michigan on Friday night before pulling off a shootout win in a penalty-laden series finale.

Though the Broncos earned four of six points this past weekend, losing Saturday's shootout cost them their spot atop the CCHA standings, where they currently sit a mere point behind Miami.

Western Michigan had a much easier time in the series opener, with Colton Hargrove and Trevor Elias scoring in the first 20 minutes to take a 2-1 lead.

Sandwiched between the Broncos' scores was a power-play marker by Ferris State's Garrett Thompson, whose shot ricocheted off the crossbar before landing inside the net.

It wasn't until 13:51 into the second period that Western Michigan would put the game away, this time with a goal by Dane Walters while on the man-advantage. The duo of Shane Berschbach and Chase Balisy each earned helpers on that play.

Bulldogs' netminder C.J. Motte had 25 saves in the losing effort, while Frank Slubowski finished with 15 stops.

Emotions spilled over into the following night, as 33 penalties were assessed for 115 minutes amongst the two teams, with 16 calls coming in the third period alone.

Senior forward Matthew Kirzinger put Ferris State on the board first with a slap shot from the blue line at the 14:47 mark of the opening frame.

After a scoreless second period, action picked-up in the third, but not before a scrum between both sides occurred with 3:28 elapsed.

Four Bulldogs and three Broncos were pulled aside by officials, with Ferris State freshman Dakota Kletcha earning a game disqualification for contact to the head during the melee.

When play resumed, Western Michigan was able to turn the tides shortly thereafter by netting a pair of goals within a 23-second span, courtesy of Dennis Brown and Mike Leone.

In the final minute of regulation, Ferris State pulled Motte in favor of an extra attacker, resulting in senior forward and captain Kyle Bonis' game-tying goal from the left circle to force the extra session.

With neither squad able to light the lamp in overtime, it went to a shootout where the Bulldogs outscored their counterparts 2-1.

Cory Kane and Bonis were the scorers for Ferris State, while Leone had the Broncos' lone tally.

Slubowski held a narrow edge over Motte in the saves department, 25-23.

Western Michigan (17-6-5 overall, 13-4-3-1 CCHA) plays host to Miami this weekend in a fight for first place amongst the CCHA standings, while Ferris State (13-11-4 overall, 11-9-2-1 CCHA) heads to the Upper Peninsula for a two-game slate against Northern Michigan.

Bulldogs seize four of six points against U-M

By Tom Morelli/Ferris State Beat Writer

Two weeks after pulling off a sweep against Bowling Green, the No. 17 ranked Ferris State Bulldogs returned to the ice in top form this past weekend to earn a 5-0 decision and a 3-3 tie against the likes of Michigan.

Following a quiet first 20 minutes of play in Friday's match-up, the Bulldogs found their offensive spark in the second period by rattling off three goals within a 12-minute span.

Sophomore Simon Denis led the charge on a power-play marker at the 6:23 mark, with helpers being credited to forwards T.J. Schlueter and Justin DeMartino.

In his first game back from injury, senior winger Eric Alexander registered his third goal of the campaign, which came while on the man-advantage.

Just before the end of the frame, freshman Matt Robertson tallied his first collegiate goal, courtesy of classmates Kenny Babinski and Brandon Anselmini.

Freshman Dakota Klecha finished off a pass by fellow first-year player Sean O' Rourke nearly six minutes into the final period to put Ferris State ahead by four goals.

The Bulldogs' final score came at 17:52 when junior forward Garrett Thompson blasted the puck past Woleverines goaltender Jordan Rutledge while on the penalty kill.

Sophomore netminder C.J. Motte finished with 27 saves, compared to Rutledge's 22.

In the series finale, sophomore Jason Binkley put Ferris State ahead 1-0 just 42 seconds into the contest, but Michigan quickly countered with scores by A.J. Treais, Cristoval Nieves and Lindsay Sparks to nab a 3-1 lead by period's end.

Senior forward and team captain Kyle Bonis though would breathe some life back into the Bulldogs' side over the final 40 minutes, contributing a pair of goals to force an extra session.

With neither team able to light the lamp in overtime, the game went to a shootout, where Luke Moffatt scored the decisive goal to earn the Wolverines an extra point in the CCHA Standings.

Motte held a narrow edge in the saves department over counterpart Steve Racine, 39-36.

Ferris State (7-4-3 overall, 6-3-1-0 CCHA) venture to Kalamazoo this weekend for a two-game slate against Western Michigan, while Michigan (5-8-2 overall, 3-6-2-2) remains idle.

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).

FSU squeezes out four points against Alaska

By Tom Morelli/Ferris State Beat Writer

When Ferris State and Alaska square-off, they seem to bring out the best in one another.

This weekend was no different for both teams, as the Bulldogs skated to a 4-4 tie with the Nanooks before pulling off a 4-3 decision in the series finale.

Ferris State played catch-up for the better part of Friday's game, answering back goals throughout the first 40 minutes of play, with the score tied 3-3 heading into the third period.

With 7:20 elapsed, junior forward Kyle Bonis notched his 10th goal of the campaign to give the Bulldogs their first lead of the game.

Unfortunately for Ferris State, their lead was short-lived as Alaska's Adam Henderson scored the game-tying goal while on the power-play a mere two minutes later.

Following a scoreless overtime, Henderson would display his talents once again by being the only player to light the lamp from either side during the shootout.

Bulldogs' netiminder Talyor Nelson faced 15 shots in the opening period to finish with 36 saves, while Scott Greenham tallied 31 stops.

As wild as the series opener was, the game of 'cat-and-mouse' between Ferris State and the Nanooks would carry over into Saturday's contest.

Though Alaska managed to grab a 1-0 lead less than two minutes in, the Bulldogs quickly halted their opponent's momentum with markers by seniors Jordie Johnston and Chad Billins to make it a 2-1 affair with two periods in the books.

Down but not out, Andy Taranto evened-up the score 34 seconds into the final stanza, before teammate Ron Myers put the Nanooks back on top by a 3-2 margin.

Ferris State would respond shortly thereafter, beginning with a game-tying goal by Matthew Kirzinger at 9:31, courtesy of Garrett Thompson and Brett Wysopal.

The Bulldogs found themselves on the man-advantage just minutes later, as Thompson snuck the puck past Greenham for the game-winner, with helpers being credited to Scott Czarnowczan and Kirzinger.

Nelson, who edged out Greeham 28-20 in saves, improves his record to 10-4-1 as a starter this season.

In what might be their biggest test of the season, Ferris State (14-8-2 overall, 8-6-2-0 CCHA) heads to Columbus, Ohio this weekend for a two-game series against Ohio State, whom currently sits at the top of the CCHA standings.

Michigan State gets five of six points from NMU

Compiled by MiCHO Staff

Michigan State and Northern Michigan played two tight games this weekend in East Lansing, but it was the Spartans who came out on the winning side both nights.

Ten different players scored a goal, seven had multiple points and Tyler Gron scored an extra-attacker goal with 26 seconds left in the game to give the Wildcats a 5-5 tie on Friday night.

NMU scored a goal in the final minute of each period, but the Spartans won the shootout on Matt Berry’s goal to earn the extra point.

Brian Nugent and Justin Florek opened the scoring for NMU, followed by four straight MSU goals from Chris Forfar, Anthony Hayes, Kevin Walrod and Mike Merrifield.

NMU's Matt Thurber added a goal late in the opening frame.

The teams exchanged goals in the second period, with Michigan State's Tim Buttery and Northern Michigan's Scott Macaulay each scoring.

Spartans' goaltender Drew Palmisano stopped 28 shots and Northern Michigan's Reid Ellingson and Jared Coreau combined for 30 saves on the night.

Saturday night, Brock Shelgren broke a 1-1 tie with a second-period tally and Michigan State held on to defeat Northern Michigan, 2-1, and take five of a possible six points on the weekend.

Berry scored the Spartans' first goal, while Thurber scored for the Wildcats.

Will Yanakeff made 23 saves in the win and Coreau finished with 28 saves for in the loss.

MSU (12-19-3, 7-7-2-2 CCHA) is just three points behind third-place Lake Superior State, the team MSU hosts next weekend at Munn Ice Arena.

The Wildcats (10-8-5, 6-7-5-0 CCHA) host Michigan Tech next Saturday night.

Broncos top Irish in shootout Tuesday night

By Bob Miller/Western Michigan Beat Writer

Playoff level hockey in November - that's what Western Michigan and Notre Dame provided Tuesday night at Lawson Arena in Kalamazoo.

Officially, the Broncos won a shootout to break what will go down as a 2-2 tie for the extra point in the CCHA standings.

But the intensity and high skill level of the game was as much of a story as the final score. Both clubs served notice that they fully intend to be around when March and April's conference and NCAA playoffs are contested.

“Heck of a hockey game,” repeated Western Michigan head coach Andy Murray to his questioner. “That's an understatement. It was a tremendous hockey game. Notre Dame, I don't know how they're not the best team in the country, I'd like to see who's number one. I never look at the rankings and I know someone said they're two. I don't know who's one. The only time rankings matter is in March. Our team works hard and I think you get what you deserve. I thought we were deserving tonight.”

Trailing 1-0 after the first period, the Broncos fought back from the slim deficit, outplaying Notre Dame in the middle period and took the lead on goals by Dennis Brown and J.J. Crew.

Western Michigan held that lead until late in the third period when Bryan Rust scored for Notre Dame with a diving effort swiping the puck into the empty corner of the Bronco net.

Western Michigan goaltender Frank Slubowski made several spectacular saves late in the third period to preserve the tie in regulation time.

“Notre Dame with the offensive firepower that they have, they're gonna get some chances,” pointed out Murray. “What we had to do was we had to manage things, and when we needed him (Slubowski), he was very good for us. You need that type of goaltender to be successful.”

After a five minute overtime settled nothing, Brown and Chase Balisy connected on shootout attempts as Slubowski held Notre Dame off the board completely to ice the shootout victory for the Broncos.

Western Michigan earned an off weekend over the Thanksgiving holiday before they hop back into battle December 2-3 with a home-and-home series with Ferris State.

Michigan stifled on road at Miami

By Bob Miller/Michigan Beat Writer

Michigan headed into traditionally dangerous territory this weekend, traveling to Oxford, Ohio, to face the struggling Miami RedHawks.

Following the script that has played out for the Wolverines in the recent past on trips to Miami, the RedHawks dominated, taking five of six points in the standing that were at stake in the weekend series.

Miami edged Michigan, 2-1, in Friday's opening game and then won the shootout following overtime Saturday to top the Wolverines after a 3-3 tie in regulation.

Michigan goaltender Shawn Hunwick did all he could to keep Michigan in the game Friday night, stopping 27 of 29 Miami shots. Only Luke Glendening's goal at 7:39 in the third period kept the Wolverines from the shutout and set up a close finish.

Close finishes were the order of the weekend.

On Saturday night, Michigan vaulted to an early 2-0 lead on goals by Chris Brownand Phil Di Giuseppe.

Miami relentlessly chipped away at the lead, tying the game and then taking the lead in a two-minute period early in the third period.

Wolverine freshman forward Zach Hyman pulled Michigan even at 16:06 of the third period before the teams played a scoreless five-minute overtime period. It took four rounds of the shootout tries for a goal to be scored with Miami turning the trick to win the extra point in the standing with the shootout win.

Of Saturday's tie, Michigan head coach Red Berensonsaid, "I thought our team played really well in the first period. It was probably our best period of the weekend and then we couldn't sustain that. We got outplayed, outshot, outchanced in the second period. And then we were fortunate to get back in the game."

Michigan returns home for a weekend matchup with surging Ohio State at Yost Ice Arena Friday and Saturday.

Bulldogs fall just shy of series sweep

By Tom Morelli/Ferris State Beat Writer

In a showcase featuring two of the CCHA's best teams over the weekend, Ferris State finished with a win and a shootout loss against Lake Superior State to nab four of a possible six points.

The No. 11 ranked Lakers controlled the tempo early on in Friday's game, rolling off a 1-0 advantage after the first 20 minutes of play, courtesy of a Nick McParland goal at the 5:33 mark.

Over the next two periods, the No. 8 ranked Bulldogs went on a rampage, scoring five unanswered goals to close out the contest.

Sophomore Cory Kane evened-up the score to begin the middle stanza, finishing off a pass from junior Kyle Bonis that fell just out of reach for LSSU goaltender Kevin Kapalka.

Just over a minute later, Ferris State pulled ahead on the scoreboard while on the penalty kill, thanks to a breakaway goal by senior forward Jordie Johnston that would later turn out to be the game-winner.

Junior forward Travis Ouellette provided the Bulldogs with a bit of breathing room with 6:33 left in the frame to notch his seventh goal of the campaign. Tallying helpers on the play were freshman Nate Milam and Jason Brinkley.

Senior Scott Czarnowczan and Bonis completed the scoring binge for Ferris State by lighting the lamp midway through the third.

Bonis finished the night with a goal and two assists to his credit, and was one of four Bulldogs to finish with a +3 rating.

Senior netminder Taylor Nelson earned his sixth win of the season with a 32 saves effort, while Kapalka had 30 stops at the other end of the ice.

The bulk of the action came during the opening period on Saturday night, as both teams scored within 18 seconds of each other en route to finishing with a 1-1 tie after 60 minutes of play.

With neither squad able to secure a victory in overtime, it took a shootout to decide a winner. The Lakers' Ben Power was the only player to light the lamp, blasting a shot over the shoulder of goaltender C.J. Motte in the first round.

Kapalka was credited with 32 saves, compared to Motte's 16.

Ferris State (9-2-1 overall, 5-2-1 CCHA) ventures west this weekend to Fairbanks, Alaska for a two-game series against the Nanooks, while LSSU (8-3-1 overall, 5-2-1-1 CCHA) hits the road to face Canisius.

LSSU earns two points against Buckeyes

By Bob Miller/Lake Superior State Beat Writer

Kevin Kapalka's 35-save performance on Friday night single-handedly led to a pair of points in the CCHA standings for Lake Superior State in a shootout win over Ohio State, but the Buckeyes gained a measure of revenge with a dominating 5-2 Saturday night decision.

Kyle Jean scored the only goal of Friday night's shootout to secure the win saving Kapalka's dominant performance in goal.

After Lake Superior jumped out to a 2-0 lead Saturday night on goals by Colin Campbell and Rick Schofield, the Buckeyes roared from behind with five unanswered tallies for the victory.

“He played well,” Lake Superior coach Jim Roque told USCHO after Kapalka's opening night performance. “He was put in a really tough situation, losing Brian (Mahoney-Wilson) at Christmastime. He's held up really well. He has really good composure.”

Broncos gain win, SOL against OSU

By Karl Henkel/Western Michigan Beat Writer

No. 18 Western Michigan continued its tear against Ohio State over the weekend, posting a 4-2 victory over the Buckeyes in the opener before it fell in a shootout following a 2-2 tie in the finale Saturday night in Kalamazoo.

“This is a hard league for sure, and becoming a really good hockey team is a hard thing,” WMU coach Jeff Blashill said. “The steps to becoming good are easier than the steps to becoming really good. Execution can always get better. We need to pay attention to detail on every single play, because that can have an effect on outcome.”

In the first game, the Broncos scored goals early in the first and second periods and jumped out to a 2-0 lead. Ian Slater and Shane Berschbach both scored even-strength goals. OSU’s Alex Szczechura momentarily broke Western Michigan’s momentum with a power-play marker, but the Broncos responded 1:38 later when Chase Balisy scored his sixth of the season.

Ohio State’s John Albert made things interesting with a third-period shorthanded goal that brought the Buckeyes within 3-2, but Balisy finished off the Western Michigan victory, which also snapped OSU’s six-game winning streak, with an empty-net goal in the waning moments.

Cal Heeter stopped 24 shots for OSU; Jerry Kuhn turned aside 32 for WMU.

In the second game, Western Michigan once again scored first as Max Campbell notched his 12th goal of the season near the end of the opening period. But with a mere two seconds before intermission, Ohio State’s Cory Schneider evened the score with an unassisted tally, his second of the year.

Balisy scored his third in two nights early in the second, but the Buckeyes responded once again when Jeff McNeil scored midway through the third.

Ohio State won the shootout, 2-1.

A crowd of more than 4,000 saw the back end of the weekend series after nearly 3,700 attended the opener.

“It was a great crowd, it certainly energizes our guys,” Blashill said. “I’ve said it before, it’s one of the best places in the country; it’s certainly as good as any. Unfortunately we couldn’t get past that 1-0 mark and they scored the late one.”

Heeter stopped 31 shots for the Buckeyes and Kuhn 32 for the Broncos (12-6-6, 6-5-5-3 CCHA).

Western Michigan goes on the road this weekend to face Lake Superior State. Both games start at 7:05 p.m.

LSSU tops Falcons in two shootouts

By Bob Miller/Lake Superior State Beat Writer

Lake Superior State fans couldn't be blamed if they blinked twice this weekend, thinking they may have been in some sort of strange CCHA time warp.

On both Friday and Saturday nights, visiting Bowling Green opened the scoring with a second period goal, only to be tied by the Lakers in the third period. Each of the two games would endure a scoreless overtime and finish with a shoot out win for Lake Superior.

Naturally, the Lakers won both shootouts with an indentical 2-1 score.

Rick Schofield bagged the tying goal in regulation time for the Lakers at 6:19 of the third period on Friday night. Kyle Haines had the equalizer for Lake Superior at 4:19 of the final stanza on Saturday.

Freshman goaltender Kevin Kapalka backstopped both shoot out victories in the Laker net, turning aside 36 shots on Friday and another 32 on Saturday.

Lake Superior take their search for more offense, especially in clutch situations, to Kalamazoo for a weekend two-game series with Western Michigan, a team tied with the Lakers for seventh spot in the CCHA standings.

CCHA to continue shootouts in '10-11

CCHA Press Release

The Central Collegiate Hockey Association will continue to use shootouts and a three-point system in league play, as determined by a vote at the CCHA Council Meeting in Dearborn, Aug. 16-17.

In addition, the council voted for the CCHA to begin using standardized media timeouts in all league games and non-conference games hosted by CCHA teams.

In 2008, the CCHA became the first Division I men’s ice hockey conference to institute the shootout in league play. For the 2009-10 season, the CCHA adopted a standings format for league play where a team that wins in regulation or overtime receives three points, a team that wins a shootout is awarded two points, a team that loses a shootout gets one point, and a team that loses in regulation or overtime earns no points. This past season, 25 CCHA games went to a shootout, with Alaska being the most frequent participant at eight shootouts.

The new standardized media timeout policy states that there will be three timeouts in each period of play. Timeouts will be at the first stoppage with under 14:00, 10:00 and 6:00 minutes on the clock for each period in all games. Teams must be at even strength. A timeout cannot be taken following an icing call following, following a call for shooting the puck out of play, following a goal or during a power-play situation. A timeout can be taken going into a power-play situation.

MSU has rough go in Fairbanks

By Matt Mackinder/Michigan State Beat Writer

Michigan State ventured to Alaska this past weekend and came away with just a shootout win to show for their efforts.

The host Nanooks blanked the Spartans, 2-0, in the series opener Friday night, but MSU rebounded for a 1-1 tie the next night, winning the shootout after a scoreless overtime.

Bobby Jarosz finished with 22 saves between the pipes for the Spartans, who were shutout for the first time this season.

Saturday night, Jeff Petry scored the lone goal in regulation and Drew Palmisano made 28 saves and then two more in the shootout to help MSU grab two of three points on the night.

Andrew Rowe and Corey Tropp tallied in the shootout for Michigan State (17-10-5, 12-7-5-2 CCHA).

MSU is idle next weekend before playing a home-and-home series with Ferris State Feb. 19-20.

'Cats enjoy successful weekend over FSU

By Tom Morelli/Ferris State Beat Writer

It wasn’t a sweep, but Northern Michigan came awfully close with a shootout win on Friday, followed by 4-0 thumping the next night to grab five of a possible six CCHA points over No. 11 ranked Ferris State.

The Bulldogs used their home-crowd advantage to take the lead late in the first period, when freshman winger Matt Kirzinger knocked-in a rebound on Wildcats’ netminder Brian Stewart. Gaining helpers on the play were juniors Justin Menke and Zach Redmond.

With 52 seconds remaining in the frame, Mike Maltese circled with the puck from behind the Ferris State net to score an equalizer for the Wildcats on Taylor Nelson.

Forward Nate Hennig put the Bulldogs back on the scoreboard at the 6:32 mark of the second to tally his first goal of the season. Hennig used a bit of trickery on the play, blasting a shot from behind the net, where it hit the back leg of Stewart before trickling in past the goal line.

Special teams were a crucial part of the final stanza for Northern, as they scored goals on both the power-play and penalty kill to take their first lead of the game. Ray Kaunisto’s lighter on the man-advantage came from a powerful shot atop the left circle, while Mark Olver recorded his on a breakaway.

Senior Casey Haines breathed life back into Ferris State with just under four minutes in regulation by finishing off a pass from linemate Derek Graham.

Following an uneventful overtime, it came down to a three-round shootout to determine a winner. After some unsuccessful tries on both sides, the Wildcats’ Erik Gustaffson converted in the final round to give Northern the nod.

Stewart held the advantage in saves over Nelson, 43-30.

Despite their 51 shots on net, Ferris State was unable to get any of them to fall in their loss to the Wildcats on Saturday.

Momentum was on the side of Northern from the get-go, as they sprinted out of the gates to take a 2-0 lead just before the midway point of the first period. Once again, the Wildcats managed to convert on special teams, with Justin Florek scoring on both the power-play and penalty kill.

Olver increased the margin on the scoreboard at 10:04 in the second with a back-handed shot that ricocheted off the pads of off Ferris State goaltender Pat Nagle.

Northern padded their score early in the third, as Kaunisto finished off a pass from Tyler Gron and Greger Hanson.

With a 51-save performance in the shutout, Stewart was named first-star of the game.

In a losing effort, Nagle racked-up 17 saves.

Up next for the Wildcats (12-10-8 overall, 8-8-6 CCHA) is a weekend series at home against second-to-last-place Western Michigan.

The Bulldogs (17-9-4 overall, 11-7-4-3 CCHA) look to improve their standing when they travel to Sault Ste. Marie this weekend for a two-game set against Lake Superior State.

Ohio State beats, ties Ferris State

By Tom Morelli/Ferris State Beat Writer

Vengeance was on the minds of the Buckeyes this weekend as Ferris State was unable to match their success from the previous series back in November.

Ohio State wasted no time making a statement against the Bulldogs on Friday night, scoring their first of five goals just 3:55 into the opening frame.

Shortly thereafter, senior forward Blair Riley sent the puck over to sophomore defenseman Chad Billins, who evened-up the score with a powerful blast from the blueline.

With less than seven minutes remaining, the Buckeyes struck again, this time with Sergio Somma sneaking one past Bulldogs goaltender Pat Nagle from just outside the crease.

An elbowing call on freshman Travis Ouellette would prove costly at the 5:25 mark of the second, as Ohio State’s Chris Reed would capitalize on the infraction just 19 seconds later to make it a two-goal game.

Toward the halfway mark, Ferris State caught a break, thanks to a mishap in the Buckeyes’ defensive zone. After preventing a scoring opportunity by the Bulldogs, an Ohio State defender went to clear the puck out of the zone, only to have it ricochet off the leg of Ferris State senior defenseman Matt Case. From there, an opportunistic Justin Menke took possession and knocked one in from just outside the left circle.

Matt Bartkowski tallied a power-play marker with a little over two minutes in the third, in what would eventually be the game-winner.

Sophomore defenseman Brett Wysopal brought the Bulldogs within a goal at 12:29, but the Buckeyes’ Peter Boyd sealed the deal two minutes later.

Ohio State’s Carl Heeter stopped 46 shots, compared to Nagle’s 25.

Ferris State was able to make a narrow escape the following night, tying the Buckeyes 3-3 in overtime before grabbing an extra point with a shootout win.

After a Case goal on the power-play in the first, Ferris State upped their lead to two goals with a marker by senior Aaron Lewicki in the middle stanza.

The Buckeyes would make a quick recovery at the five minute mark, scoring two goals within a 40 second span to draw even.

Riley’s team-high 17th goal of the campaign came at 12:02, with fellow seniors Cody Chupp and Casey Haines earning helpers on the play.

The Bulldogs’ lead stood until Ohio State’s Kyle Reed scored with 3:55 remaining to force overtime.

An uneventful extra period led to a three-round shootout, where the Bulldogs’ Chupp and the Buckeyes’ John Alberts were the only players to light the lamp.

Looking to break the tie, Ferris State turned to Billins, who previously had scored a decisive shootout goal against Miami back in November. Billins answered the call once again, skating toward the left before faking out Ohio State netminder Dustin Carlson before pulling back with a five-hole shot.

Taylor Nelson grabbed 30 saves for the Bulldogs, while Carlson tallied 21.

Ferris State (17-8-3 overall, 11-6-3-3 CCHA) returns to Big Rapids this weekend, where they will host Northern Michigan in a two-game set.

Photo courtesy Joe Gorby/Ferris State Atheltics

Wildcats tie No. 12 Alaska twice

By Susannah Nichols/ Northern Michigan Beat Writer

Despite banner weekends from Ray Kaunisto and Gregor Hanson, the Northern Michigan Wildcats couldn't get out of Fairbanks with more than two ties against the Alaska Nanooks - 3-3 on Friday and 4-4 on Saturday. Alaska won the shootout both nights.

The Nanooks' power play proved difficult for the Wildcats to manage. After Kaunisto got the Wildcats on the board in Friday's game (Hanson and Erik Spady earned assists on the play), Alaska responded three minutes later with their first power-play goal of the night.

Hanson and Chad Pietila helped Kaunisto take back the lead, but Alaska retaliated with two more power-play goals. The Nanooks outshot the Wildcats, 16-6, during the second period and didn't let up their offensive energy in the final period.

Brian Stewart turned away the 12 shots Alaska fired at him, and the Wildcats finally earned a power-play goal of their own. Justin Florek and Jared Brown set up Hanson to tie the score at 3-all.

In the shootout, Alaska notched three goals to the Wildcats' one.

Stewart had 38 saves in Friday's game.

Alaska jumped out to a 2-0 lead in Saturday's game before Kaunisto set up Hanson to get the 'Cats on the board. Alaska responded with another goal at 18:02, but Mark Olver took advantage of a late-period penalty on Alaska to light the lamp in the last second of the first period. Hanson and Erik Gustafsson assisted on his goal.

In the second period, Alaska scored an early goal to widen their lead to 4-2, and Reid Ellingson took over for Stewart in Northern's net.

Hanson and Gustafsson combined again in the third period, this time to set up Brown on the power play. The Wildcats killed several penalties before Gustafsson could set up Tyler Gron to tie up the game.

After holding off two more Alaska power plays in the overtime period, Northern headed to the shootout. After eight players failed to convert, Gustafsson succeeded, as did Alaska's Carlo Finucci. But Northern missed their next two chances, and Alaska snuck one past Ellingson.

Stewart had 13 saves in Saturday's game, while Ellingson had 16.

Northern Michigan's record now stands at 5-5-4, 4-3-3-0 in CCHA play. They return home to face Michigan State next weekend.

Bulldogs take Miami to the limit

By Tom Morelli/Ferris State Beat Writer

Over the weekend, Ferris State achieved the impossible – grab two shootout wins over No.1 ranked Miami.

Though both games will be recorded as ties in the NCAA record-books, the sudden-death heroics by the Bulldogs earn them four points under the CCHA point system.

Defenseman Zach Redmond helped give Ferris State the lead in the second period of Friday’s game by intercepting the RedHawks' pass inside the neutral zone before sending the puck over to winger Blair Riley for the finish.

The Bulldogs held onto their lead until late in the second period, when Miami’s Joe Hartman blasted a slap shot past goaltender Taylor Nelson from the blueline.

With less than five minutes remaining in regulation, the RedHawks pulled ahead thanks to a Curtis McKenzie goal outside of the crease area.

Needing a miracle in the final minute of the game, Ferris State head coach Bob Daniels pulled Nelson in favor of an extra skater. Riley answered the call with 23 seconds left for his second marker of the contest. Helping set-up the play was captain Cody Chupp, which marked his seventh assist of the campaign.

An uneventful overtime forced a shootout to decide the winner, where Redmond was the only player from either team to light the lamp.

Nelson held the advantage over counterpart Cody Reichard in saves, 30-19.

The final game of the series was also a low-scoring affair, as no points were scored until midway through the second period.

With Miele in the penalty box on a tripping call, freshmen forwards Travis Ouellette and Kyle Bonis helped move the Bulldogs’ power play attack through the Miami defense. Looking for options, Bonis skated behind the net before finding senior Aaron Lewicki just outside the crease for the tip-in.

At the 5:28 mark of the following period, Miele would clear his name by blasting a vicious slap shot past netminder Pat Nagle from the right faceoff circle.

There was plenty of drama to go around in the shootout, as 22 skaters participated in the event, setting a CCHA record.

Brandon Smith scored on the initial try for the RedHawks before Riley found the back of the net on Ferris State’s second attempt.

After a successful effort by Bulldogs’ defenseman Chad Billins, Miami’s bid to stay in the game ended off of a failed opportunity by Chris Wideman.

Nagle finished 39 stops, compared to Connor Knapp’s 32.

Ferris State (7-3-2 overall, 2-2-2-2 CCHA) travels back to Big Rapids this weekend, where they will face Ohio State in a two-game set.

CCHA changes points rules for '09-10

Compiled by MiCHO Staff

The Central Collegiate Hockey Association announced today that, effective at the start of conference play on Oct. 23, a regulation time or overtime victory will be worth three points in the league standings.

“We feel that this is a fairer system,” CCHA commissioner Tom Anastos said. “Now, all teams will have access to the same number of points throughout the regular season and every game is worth three points whether it is decided in regulation time, overtime or a shootout. We also feel this will give teams an added incentive to win a game in regulation time or overtime because they will gain the maximum number of points for doing so.”

This season, a regulation or sudden-death overtime win will earn a team three points in the standings, a shootout victory will garner two points, a shootout loss will be rewarded by one point, and a loss in regulation or overtime will mean no points. So, any game that goes to a shootout will see the victor credited with a tie and a shootout win in the conference standings, while the loser will receive credit for a tie.

This differs from the system utilized in 2008-09, where a regulation/overtime victory and a shootout win meant two points, a shootout loss gave a team one point, and a regulation/overtime loss was awarded no points.

This new system gives greater incentive to earn a victory in regulation or during the five-minute overtime period than winning in a shootout., but teams that perform well in shootouts will still have a clear advantage.

However, like last year, CCHA league games that are decided in a shootout will go down as a tie in the overall national rankings and have no bearing on a team’s Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) come NCAA Tournament time. Additionally, a shootout will again not be used to decide games during the CCHA Tournament, with the exception of the third-place game at Joe Louis Arena.

Last season, the shootout proved to be both exciting for the fans and pivotal in the CCHA standings. Spectators would often rise as one during a shootout, and goals and saves by the home team were often accompanied by the loudest cheers of the evening.

Regular-season champion Notre Dame was the only squad to go undefeated in shootouts, compiling a 3-0 record over the season. Three teams had shootout winning percentages of .750 or higher, with Notre Dame going undefeated and Michigan State and Ohio State both going 3-1 in the tiebreaker. Nebraska-Omaha was the most frequent shootout participant during the season, competing in a total of seven and accumulating a record of 3-4 in the tie-breakers.

The only squad not to go to a shootout during the season was Michigan, which did not even have one overtime game in 2008-09.

Certain players emerged as shootout stars as well. Ryan Hohl of Alaska, Pat Cannone of Miami, Kurt Kivisto and Matt Schepke of Michigan State, John Kemp and Alex Hudson of Nebraska-Omaha, Mark Olver and Erik Gustafsson of Northern Michigan, and Max Campbell of Western Michigan all shared the conference lead in shootout goals with three on the season. Of those players, only Campbell was a perfect 3-for-3 on shootout attempts.