Bulldogs split with Alaska

By Tom Morelli/Ferris State Beat Writer

No. 18 ranked Ferris State met their equal over the weekend in No. 14 ranked Alaska, as both teams were vying for sole possession of fourth place in the CCHA standings.

For better or worse, both teams remain deadlocked in the same spot following a series split at the Ewigleben Arena over the weekend.

Friday night kicked-off with a Nanooks goal by Andy Taranto at the 13:33 mark of the opening period, but it was answered back less than three minutes later by senior Nate Hennig's team-high sixth goal of the campaign.

The Bulldogs took their first lead of the contest in the ensuing frame, thanks to a turnover in Alaska's defensive zone. After picking up a loose puck along the leftside board, senior Mike Embach then skated toward the left circle, where he banged in a wrist shot off the far post.

While on the man-advantage, defenseman Zach Redmond scored the game-winning goal at 17:05. Sophomore Travis Ouellette brought the puck up ice before dishing off to freshman Justin DeMartino, who positioned himself behind the net. From there, DeMartino centered a pass to an open Redmond for the finish.

A cross-checking penalty against Ferris State late in the game allowed the Nanooks to make it a one-goal game on Jarrett Granberg's power-play marker, but an empty-netter by junior forward Jordie Johnston with 21 seconds left preserved the 4-2 victory.

Senior goaltender Pat Nagle earned first-star honors by turning away 30 shots. At the other end of the ice, Scott Greenham collected 23 saves.

The Bulldogs weren't so fortunate the following night, as Taranto prevented the sweep by scoring on the power-play with 1:23 left in overtime to earn Alaska a 4-3 decision.

In a game of cat-and-mouse, the Nanooks held the advantage early, as Nik Yaremchuk and Derek Klassen each lit the lamp in the opening period.

Ferris State answered back in the second, beginning with junior Aaron Schmit picking-up his first goal of the season on a one-timer from Hennig.

The Bulldogs would then even-up the score while on the power-play at 16:13, when senior Mike Fillinger fed the puck to Ouellete in the slot for the finish.

Embach gave Ferris State their first lead of the game at 13:45 in the third, thanks to a nifty set-up pass by sophomore Matthew Kirzinger.

Less than three minutes later, Yaremchuk tallied his second goal of the evening to give Alaska the equalizer.

Greenham shied away 25 shots to Nagle's 17.

The Bulldogs (9-7-3 overall, 6-6-3-2 CCHA) return to action on New Year's Eve, where they will face Bemidji State in their first game of the 20th annual Dodge Holiday Classic in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The following night, Ferris State wraps up the weekend with a contest against series host University of Minnesota.