Bulldogs dominate No. 1 ranked Miami

By Tom Morelli/Ferris State Beat Writer

Ferris State put together two strong performances at home against No. 1 ranked Miami over the weekend to grab five of a possible six CCHA points.

Friday night, the Bulldogs pulled off a 3-2 upset thanks to a power-play goal by sophomore Matthew Kirzinger late in the second period. With a five-on-three opportunity, defenseman Zach Redmond moved up-ice before sending the puck over to forward Justin Menke on the left wing. After circling toward the net, Menke made a cross-ice pass to an open Kirzinger in front of the crease. From there, Kirzinger's shot trickled off the glove of goaltender Cody Reichard and into the net for his second goal of the campaign.

The Redhawks went up 1-0 at 3:06 in the opening period after Andy Miele knocked in a rebound past netminder Pat Nagle.

Later in the first, Ferris State would answer back by scoring a pair of goals within five minutes. Senior winger Mike Fillinger put the Bulldogs on the board with a short-handed marker at 13:20, as center Jordie Johnston and defenseman Scott Wietecha picked-up assists on the play.

Ferris State took their first lead of the game with less than two minutes left in the frame when senior Nate Hennig won the faceoff and tipped the puck to sophomore Andy Bonis for a one-timer.

Miele added his second goal of the night at 10:28 of the middle stanza to make it a 2-2 game.

Reichard collected 19 saves in the loss, compared to Nagle's 16.

The Bulldogs got the better of Miami on Saturday with a 3-2 shootout win, following a 1-1 tie after overtime.

Once again, the Redhawks were first to score, with Pat Cannone sneaking in a rebound on Nagle at 8:56 in the opening period.

Ferris State answered back early in the ensuing frame, as freshman Cory Kane finished off Bonis' pass for a one-timer that flew past goaltender Connor Knapp.

In the shootout, defenseman Derek Graham scored on the Bulldogs' first attempt. Nagle and Knapp would each stop their next two shots, leaving Miele as Miami's last hope to force another round. Miele capitalized on the opportunity by firing a shot between the pads of Nagle.

Johnston scored in the next round to give Ferris State a 2-1 advantage, but Cannone answered back with a top-shelf goal.

Bonis helped Ferris State secure their second shotoout win of the season by going stick-side on Knapp.

Nagle finished with 36 saves, half of which came in the second period. Knapp had 18 stops to his credit.

The Bulldogs (5-3-2 overall, 2-2-2-2 CCHA) hit the road for a weekend series against Lake Superior State on November 12-13, with both contests slated to begin at 7:05 pm.