Three Michigan teams ranked in USCHO top 20

In the weekly USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll released Monday, Ferris State, Michigan and Michigan Tech were all ranked among the nation's top 20.

Ferris State fell from No. 8 to No. 14, Michigan dropped one place to No. 15 and MTU entered the rankings at No. 17.

USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll - Oct. 27, 2014

MiCHO Week 5 Results

Western Michigan junior Nolan LaPorte tallied three points to lead the Broncos to a 4-2 win over Alaska at Lawson Ice Arena in front of a sold-out crowd of 4,063 Saturday night (GS Photo).

Michigan Tech swept WCHA rival Ferris State in Big Rapids.

Friday - MTU 1, Ferris State 0
Saturday - MTU 2, Ferris State 1


Michigan went on the road and beat Massachusetts-Lowell, before losing to Boston University.

Friday - Michigan 8, UMass Lowell 4
Saturday - Boston University 3, Michigan 2


Northern Michigan took both contests on the road against still-winless Lake Superior State.

Friday - Northern Michigan 4, LSSU 2
Saturday - Northern Michigan 3, LSSU 0


Michigan State also went East, losing to both Boston University and UMass Lowell.

Friday - Boston University 1, Michigan State 0
Saturday - UMass Lowell 2, Michigan State 1


Western Michigan played at home and split with Alaska.

Friday - Alaska 1, Western Michigan 0
Saturday - Western Michigan 4, Alaska 2

Ferris State, Michigan both ranked in USCHO poll

Both Ferris State and Michigan are ranked in this week's USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll.

The Bulldogs fall four spots to sit eighth this week, while the Wolverines also tumble four places to No. 14.

Ferris State split with St. Lawrence last week, while Michigan split with New Hampshire.

USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll - Oct. 20, 2014

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.

Wolverines and Bulldogs Rank 3-4

The Michigan Wolverines were off of game action all week, but hold onto the #3 spot in the USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll for the third week in a row. 

In the in-state battle of ranked teams, Ferris State went on the road to the Taffy Abel Arena in the Sault and swept Lake Superior.

The Bulldogs scored four first period goals on Friday and dropped the Lakers, 5-3.

FSU exploded for another pair in the opening period on Saturday and held off the Lakers, 3-1, to move to 13-2-2 on the year and move up two spots to #4.

LSSU falls three spots to #17 with a record of 9-6-1.  

In the USCHO.com Division III Men's Poll, Adrian went into the week as #3 and grabbed 3 of 4 points on the road at Marian. The Bulldogs are now 10-0-1 overall on the year.

Michigan at No. 3 in latest USCHO Poll

The Michigan Wolverines had a light week, but still hold down the third spot in the latest USCHO.com Division I Men's Poll.

Andrew Copp notched the game-winner for the the Maize and Blue (9-2-1) at 3:38 of OT at Yost on Friday night to defeat the Ohio State Buckeyes in their only game action of the week.

The Ferris State Bulldogs (11-2-2) grabbed three of four points over the weekend from the Northern Michigan Wildcats on the road at the Berry Events Center and hold steady in sixth place.

Lake Superior also cracks the top-20 with an overall record of 9-4-1.

The 14th ranked Lakers celebrated Thanksgiving with a pair of 4-3 victories over the Bowling Green Falcons at the Taffy Abel Arena.

In the USCHO.com Division III Men's Poll, the Adrian Bulldogs are ranked third with a perfect 9-0-0 record.

MiCHO Power Poll 10.29.2013

Happy Halloween, loyal readers!

Below is this week's MiCHO Power Poll.

1. Michigan (win over Boston University, loss to UMass Lowell) 
2. Lake Superior State (idle) 
3. Western Michigan (idle) 
4. Ferris State (idle) 
5. Northern Michigan (split with Michigan Tech) 
6. Michigan Tech (split with Northern Michigan) 
7. Michigan State (loss to UMass Lowell, win over Boston University) 

Each week during the regular season, MichiganCollegeHockey.com staffers will compile the MiCHO Power Poll. Contrary to popular belief, there is no coin flip involved. The poll comprises the seven Division I teams in the state of Michigan.

MiCHO Power Poll 10.22.2013

This season's inaugural MiCHO Power Poll is now posted for your viewing pleasure.

1. Michigan (tie, win against New Hampshire) 
2. Lake Superior State (swept Union) 
3. Ferris State (win over Mercyhurst, split with St. Lawrence) 
4. Western Michigan (win over Alaska-Anchorage, tie against Alaska) 
5. Northern Michigan (split with Nebraska-Omaha) 
6. Michigan Tech (swept by Notre Dame) 
7. Michigan State (swept by UMass) 

Each week during the regular season, MichiganCollegeHockey.com staffers will compile the MiCHO Power Poll. Contrary to popular belief, there is no coin flip involved. The poll comprises the seven Division I teams in the state of Michigan.

Bennett tabbed to wear 'C' for Wolverines

Michigan Press Release

Michigan recently announced that senior-to-be defenseman Mac Bennett was selected captain for the 2013-14 Wolverines, while senior-to-be forward Derek DeBlois and sophomore-to-be forward Andrew Copp were named alternate captains by a vote of their teammates.

Bennett, an alternate captain on this past season's U-M team, will be the 84th captain in the history of the Wolverine hockey squad.

 "If you want a player who can move the puck out of your zone quickly, he's the guy," said Michigan coach Red Berenson. "When he first arrived here, he wasn't in the lineup for every game, but he worked hard. He's putting in extra hours watching video and spending time on the ice. He's one of those kids who takes advantage of being able to play college hockey - he gets it."

From his blue line position this past season, Bennett produced 18 points (6g, 12a), good for 10th place on the team, while playing only 32 of 40 games for U-M. In his 140 career games, he has accumulated 51 points (12g, 39a).

A sprained knee against Bowling Green on Jan. 8 sidelined Bennett for one month. He was not able to get back into the lineup until Feb. 8 at Notre Dame. During that weekend series, he recorded one goal and one assist. Upon his return, the Wolverines finished the season with an 8-3-1 record. Bennett was one of four U-M players who received a CCHA weekly honor during the season. He was named CCHA Defenseman of the Week for the week ending Nov. 4 after earning four points in two games at Northern Michigan. He had two points (1g, 1a) on Friday and tallied two points (1g, 1a) again during the Saturday game.

DeBlois was ninth on the team in scoring with 20 points (11g, 9a) and led the team in shorthanded goals with three, while Copp was seventh in scoring with 21 points (11g, 10a) and second in shorthanded goals behind DeBlois with two.

Both DeBlois and Copp ended the season with plus-4 plus-minus ratings, good for a second-place tie in that team category.

Photo/UM Photo Services

PRO SIGNINGS - 2012-13 OFFSEASON

The following is a list we will continue to update over the spring and summer months as players from Michigan colleges sign professional contracts.

FERRIS STATE
Eric Alexander, Sr., F, South Carolina (ECHL)
Kyle Bonis, Sr., F, Norfolk (AHL)
Matthew Kirzinger, Sr., F, St. John's (AHL)

LAKE SUPERIOR STATE
Kellan Lain, Jr., F, Vancouver (NHL) *
Domenic Monardo, Sr., F, Gwinnett (ECHL)
Nick McParland, Sr., F, Orlando (ECHL)
Buddy Robinson, So., F, Ottawa (NHL) *

MICHIGAN
Jon Merrill, Jr., D, New Jersey (NHL) *
Lindsay Sparks, Sr., F, Fort Wayne (ECHL)
Jacob Trouba, Fr., D, Winnipeg (NHL) *

MICHIGAN STATE
Chris Forfar, Sr., F, Evansville (ECHL)
Matt Grassi, Sr., D, Hamilton (AHL)
Anthony Hayes, Sr., F, Florida (ECHL)
Kevin Walrod, Sr., F, Bakersfield (ECHL)

MICHIGAN TECH
Carl Nielsen, Sr., D, Syracuse (AHL)
Steven Seigo, Sr., D, Abbotsford (AHL)

NORTHERN MICHIGAN
Jared Coreau, Jr., G, Detroit (NHL) *
Scott Macaulay, Sr., D, Bakersfield (ECHL)

OAKLAND
Dustin Hopfner, Sr., D, Evansville (ECHL)

WESTERN MICHIGAN
Dan DeKeyser, Jr., D, Detroit (NHL) *
Mike Leone, Sr., F, Kalamazoo (ECHL)
Dane Walters, Sr., F, Worcester (AHL)
Luke Witkowski, Sr., D, Tampa Bay (NHL)

* Signed contract with NCAA eligibility remaining

CCHA releases 2013 All-Conference Teams

 

CCHA Press Release

Seven teams are represented on the 2013 CCHA All-Conference teams, highlighted by Miami’s pair of First-Team selections and Western Michigan’s three overall honorees. Miami is the only school with two First-Team selections, with sophomore forward Austin Czarnik and freshman forward Riley Barber debuting on the CCHA All-Conference team.

Czarnik, who tied for the most first-place votes with eight, finished the season in fourth place in both conference scoring (8-18-26) and overall scoring (11-22-33), while fellow RedHawks forward Riley Barber led the league in overall scoring as a freshman with 15 goals and 36 points. Rounding out the forwards on the First Team, Notre Dame junior Anders Lee picked up seven first-place votes, the third most among all players. Lee finished with a league-best +18 in conference action while placing second in the goal-scoring race with 14 conference goals and 18 overall tallies.

 

The First Team’s blue line is anchored by Michigan freshman defenseman Jacob Trouba, who tied Czarnik with eight first-place votes. Trouba led all defensemen in scoring in conference play, recording seven goals and 18 points. His defensive partner is Western Michigan junior Dan DeKeyser (pictured), who earned six first-place votes. Backstopping the First Team is Ohio State senior goaltender Brady Hjelle, who also picked up six first-place votes. Hjelle posted a league-best four conference shutouts, while his .937 save percentage and 1.89 goals-against average were second best among CCHA netminders, and tops among goalies playing at least 50 percent of his team’s minutes.

 

Western Michigan senior defenseman Luke Witkowski, who scored two power-play goals among his seven conference points, and Western Michigan sophomore goaltender Frank Slubowski, who started all 28 conference games and paced all goaltenders with 15 conference wins, were named to the Second Team. Ohio State sophomore forward Tanner Fritz leads the forwards on the Second Team after topping the conference in both assists (23) and scoring with 32 points. Bowing Green also has a pair of Second-Team selections in sophomore forward Ryan Carpenter and senior defenseman Bobby Shea. Carpenter led the Falcons in scoring, potting 12 goals and 21 points in conference action, while Shea led all defensemen with 15 assists and a +14 rating. Rounding out the Second Team is Alaska senior forward Andy Taranto, who led the Nanooks in conference scoring with a 7-15-22 scoring line.

 

The teams were selected by a vote of the league’s head coaches and are based on performance in conference games. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players.

 

2012-13 CCHA All-Conference Teams
 

First Team

Position	Name, Year, School	First	Totals
Forward	Austin Czarnik, SO, Miami	8	46
Forward	Anders Lee, JR, Notre Dame	7	44
Forward	Riley Barber, FR, Miami	5	40
Defense	Jacob Trouba, FR, Michigan	8	43
Defense	Dan DeKeyser, JR, Western Michigan	6	36
Goaltender	Brady Hjelle, SR, Ohio State	6	39

 

                                              Second Team

Position	Name, Year, School	First	Totals
Forward	Tanner Fritz, SO, Ohio State	2	32
Forward	Ryan Carpenter, SO, Bowling Green	1	22
Forward	Andy Taranto, SR, Alaska	2	20
Defense	Luke Witkowski, SR, Western Michigan	3	26
Defense	Bobby Shea, SR, Bowling Green	2	25
Goaltender	Frank Slubowski, SO, Western Michigan	4	27

 

Vote Values: 1st place = 5, 2nd place = 3, 3rd place = 1

Honorable Mention (next six point totals, regardless of position with first team-votes in parentheses): Ryan Dzingel, SO, F, Ohio State, (2) 17; Domenic Monardo, SR, F, Lake Superior, (2) 16; Kyle Bonis, SR, F, Ferris State, (1) 16; Matthew Caito, FR, D, Miami, (1) 15; CJ Motte, SO, G, Ferris State, 14; Bryan Rust, JR, F, Notre Dame, 11.

 

Others receiving votes: Forwards - T.J. Tynan, JR, Notre Dame, (1) 8; Chase Balisy, JR, Western Michigan, 8; Cody Kunyk, JR, Alaska, (1) 6; Matt Thurber, SR, Northern Michigan, 4; Dane Walters, SR, Western Michigan, 4; Cristoval Nieves, FR, Michigan, 1; Reed Seckel, SO, Northern Michigan, 1; Garrett Thompson, JR, Ferris State, 1. Defensemen - Robbie Russo, SO, Notre Dame, (1) 9; Mac Bennett, JR, Michigan, (1) 8; Colton Parayko, FR, Alaska, 8; Jason Binkley, SO, Ferris State, 6; Simon Denis, SO, Ferris State, 6; Craig Dalrymple, FR, Ohio State, 4; Steven Spinell, SR, Miami, 4; Trevor Campbell, SO, Alaska, 3; Scott Macaulay, SR, Northern Michigan, 3; Curtis Gedig, JR, Ohio State, 1; CJ Ludwig, JR, Northern Michigan, 1. Goaltenders - Andrew Hammond, SR, Bowling Green, 8; Jared Coreau, JR, Northern Michigan, 6.

Photo courtesy of Western Michigan Athletics

CCHA names seven players to All-Rookie Team

CCHA Press Release

Four schools had one student-athlete named to the 2013 CCHA All-Rookie Team, with Miami University boasting three selections. This marks the 25th year that the conference has named an all-rookie team. Thirteen freshmen garnered at least one vote.

Determined by a vote of the conference’s head coaches, the team will be honored at the 2013 CCHA Awards on Friday, March 22, at the Fox Theatre in Detroit. The 2013 CCHA Championship is March 23-24 at Joe Louis Arena. Tickets and more information are available at CCHA.com.
 

2013 CCHA All-Rookie Team

Riley Barber	Forward	Miami University	Livonia, Mich.
Mario Lucia	Forward	University of Notre Dame	Plymouth, Minn.
Tyler Morley	Forward	University of Alaska	Burnaby, B.C.
Jacob Trouba	Defenseman	University of Michigan	Rochester, Mich.
Matthew Caito	Defenseman	Miami University	Coto de Caza, Calif.
Kenney Morrison	Defenseman	Western Michigan University	Lloydminster, Alta.
Ryan McKay	Goaltender	Miami University	Palatine, Ill.

 

	Riley Barber, a 19-year-old forward from Livonia, Mich., and Miami University, was the only unanimous selection to the All-Rookie team. Barber was a four-time CCHA Gongshow Rookie of the Week recipient as well as the league’s October and November Gongshow Rookie of the Month. The Washington Capitals draft pick led the CCHA in overall scoring, tallying 15 goals and 36 points. His 21 assists and 36 points were tops in the nation among all rookies. He finished second in conference scoring with a 12-18-30 scoring line.
	Mario Lucia, a 19-year-old forward from Plymouth, Minn., and the University of Notre Dame, finished third among CCHA rookies in conference scoring, tying Barber for most goals by a freshman with 12. His 21 points tied for second on Notre Dame. The Minnesota Wild draft pick was named CCHA Gongshow Rookie of the Week twice, Postgame Offensive Player of the Week once and earned the Gongshow Rookie of the Month honor in December.
	Tyler Morley, a 21-year-old forward from Burnaby, B.C., and the University of Alaska, finished the regular season with eight goals and 15 points and was the CCHA Gongshow Rookie of the Week once in the 2012-13 campaign. He finished third in scoring on the Nanooks, led all CCHA rookies in short-handed goals with two and scored three game-winning goals, tying him with Barber for the most among CCHA freshmen.
	Jacob Trouba, a 19-year-old defenseman from Rochester, Mich., and the University of Michigan, consistently played in the Wolverines top two defensive pairs. The Winnipeg Jets first-round draft pick led all CCHA defensemen in goals and points, finding the back of the net seven times and potting 18 points. Half of Trouba’s points came with the man advantage, where he scored four times and assisted on five goals.
	Matthew Caito, a 19-year-old defenseman from Coto de Caza, Calif., and Miami University, finished with five goals and 16 points, leading Miami defensemen in all three scoring categories. Playing in one of Miami’s top defensive pairs, Caito finished with a +9 rating and was named the CCHA Gladiator Defenseman of the Week twice.
	Kenney Morrison, a 21-year-old defenseman from Lloydminster, Alta., and Western Michigan University, finished in a second-place tie for overall scoring among defenseman with six goals and 17 points. His five power-play goals and 14 power-play points paced all defensemen in the CCHA. Morrison was named CCHA Gongshow Rookie of the Week once.
	Ryan McKay, a 20-year-old goaltender from Palatine, Ill., and Miami University, bounced back from an early-season injury to post a league best 1.32 goals-against average and .951 save percentage, while earning an 8-3-1 record with two shutouts. In overall play, McKay’s 1.17 goals-against average and .957 save percentage were the best in the country among all goaltenders.

 

Honorable mentions

Forward — Cristoval Nieves, UM; Matt DeBlouw, MSU; Defense — Colton Parayko, UA; Craig Dalrymple, OSU; Goaltender — Jake Hildebrand, MSU; John Keeney, UA.

CCHA releases All-Time Team

CCHA Press Release

Continuing to ‘Celebrate The Legacy’ in its’ 42nd and final season, the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) has released the league’s All-Time Team to honor the league’s top performers from the past 42 seasons.

The illustrious group of 12 players, selected by a committee of coaches, administrators and media, joins the league’s All-Decade teams from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s that were selected in 2001, and the All-Decade Team from 2000-13 that was selected earlier this season.
 

All 12 players selected to the CCHA All-Time Team were All-Americans (eight multiple All-Americans) and graduated to professional careers. Ten played in the National Hockey League (NHL), Michigan State goaltender Ryan Miller blossomed into an NHL All-Star and U.S. Olympian, and Bowling Green defenseman Ken Morrow won a Gold medal with the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team. Morrow (N.Y. Islanders) and Lake Superior forward Jim Dowd (New Jersey Devils) each has their name engraved on the Stanley Cup.
 

The CCHA All-Time Team was chosen from the All-Decade First-Team players, Hobey Baker Award winners and All-Americans that played at least three years of college hockey. The selections were made by a committee of coaches, administrators and media that have been involved with the league for the better part of the last three decades.
 

Below is the team in alphabetical order by position with their overall career totals. The All-Time Team includes four Hobey Baker Award winners, including George McPhee, the league’s first winner in 1982, along with Kip Miller (1990), Brendan Morrison (1997) and Ryan Miller (2002). Morrison and Ryan Miller are the league’s only two-time Players of the Year, while Nelson Emerson is the league’s all-time leading scorer and Wayne Gagne is the all-time top scorer among CCHA defensemen.

CCHA All-Time Team

FIRST TEAM

Name, Lettered	Pos.	School	GP	G	A	Pts
George McPhee, 1978-82	F	Bowling Green	153	114	153	267
Kip Miller, 1986-90	F	Michigan State	176	118	143	261
Brendan Morrison, 1993-97	F	Michigan	155	102	182	284
Wayne Gagne, 1983-87	D	Western Michigan	162	42	199	241
Andy Greene, 2002-06	D	Miami	159	27	87	114

 

Name, Lettered	Pos.	School	W-L-T	GAA	SV%
Ryan Miller, 1999-02	G	Michigan State	73-18-12	1.54	.941

 

SECOND TEAM

Name, Lettered	Pos.	School	GP	G	A	Pts
Jim Dowd, 1987-91	F	Lake Superior	181	91	183	274
Nelson Emerson, 1986-90	F	Bowling Green	178	112	182	294
Bill Joyce, 1976-80	F	Northern Michigan	130	112	143	255
John-Michael Liles, 1999-03	D	Michigan State	162	44	94	138
Ken Morrow, 1975-79	D	Bowling Green	154	34	92	126

Name, Lettered	Pos.	School	W-L-T	GAA	SV%
Mike Liut, 1973-77	G	Bowling Green	53-27-1	3.35	.888

MiCHO Power Poll 03.13.2013

Below is the final MiCHO Power Poll for the 2012-13 season.

1. Western Michigan (idle)
2. Ferris State (idle)
3. Michigan (beat Northern Michigan in CCHA first round)
4. Michigan Tech (split with Colorado College)
5. Michigan State (beat Alaska in CCHA first round)
6. Lake Superior State (lost to Bowling Green in CCHA first round)
7. Northern Michigan (lost to Michigan in CCHA first round)

This weekend, the second round of the CCHA playoffs kick into high gear as Michigan State plays at Miami, Western Michigan hosts Michigan and Ferris State travels to Ohio State.

In the WCHA postseason, Michigan Tech will play on the road at North Dakota.

MiCHO Power Poll 03.06.2013

This week's MiCHO Power Poll is now live:

1. Western Michigan (split with Michigan State)
2. Ferris State (loss, shootout loss against Michigan)
3. Michigan (win, shootout win against Ferris State)
4. Michigan Tech (split with St. Cloud State)
5. Lake Superior State (split with Northern Michigan)
6. Michigan State (split with Western Michigan)
7. Northern Michigan (split with Lake Superior State)

Each week during the regular season, MichiganCollegeHockey.com staffers will compile the MiCHO Power Poll. Contrary to popular belief, there is no coin flip involved. The poll comprises the seven Division I teams in the state of Michigan.

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.

MiCHO Power Poll 02.27.2013

The final MiCHO Power Poll for February is now posted:

1. Western Michigan (shootout win, shootout loss against Notre Dame)
2. Ferris State (idle)
3. Lake Superior State (swept by Miami)
4. Michigan (swept Ohio State)
5. Northern Michigan (split with Bowling Green State)
6. Michigan Tech (idle)
7. Michigan State (split with Alaska)

Each week during the regular season, MichiganCollegeHockey.com staffers will compile the MiCHO Power Poll. Contrary to popular belief, there is no coin flip involved. The poll comprises the seven Division I teams in the state of Michigan.

MiCHO Power Poll 02.20.2013

This week's MiCHO Power Poll is good to go.

1. Western Michigan (overtime win, loss to Ohio State)
2. Lake Superior State (swept Alaska)
3. Ferris State (split with Bowling Green)
4. Northern Michigan (lost to Michigan Tech, split with Michigan State) 
5. Michigan State (split with Northern Michigan)
6. Michigan Tech (beat Northern Michigan, swept by Minnesota State)
7. Michigan (idle)

Each week during the regular season, MichiganCollegeHockey.com staffers will compile the MiCHO Power Poll. Contrary to popular belief, there is no coin flip involved. The poll comprises the seven Division I teams in the state of Michigan.

MiCHO Power Poll 02.13.2013

This week's MiCHO Power Poll is now posted:

1. Western Michigan (split with Miami)
2. Ferris State (split with Northern Michigan)
3. Lake Superior State (idle)
4. Northern Michigan (split with Ferris State)
5. Michigan (swept by Notre Dame)
6. Michigan Tech (split with Alaska-Anchorage)
7. Michigan State (split with Bowling Green State)

Each week during the regular season, MichiganCollegeHockey.com staffers will compile the MiCHO Power Poll. Contrary to popular belief, there is no coin flip involved. The poll comprises the seven Division I teams in the state of Michigan.

MiCHO Power Poll 02.06.2013

The first MiCHO Power Poll for February is now live:

1. Western Michigan (win, shootout loss against Ferris State)
2. Ferris State (loss, shootout win against Western Michigan)
3. Northern Michigan (idle)
4. Michigan Tech (split with Nebraska-Omaha)
5. Michigan (swept Michigan State)
6. Lake Superior State (swept by Bowling Green)
7. Michigan State (swept by Michigan)

Each week during the regular season, MichiganCollegeHockey.com staffers will compile the MiCHO Power Poll. Contrary to popular belief, there is no coin flip involved. The poll comprises the seven Division I teams in the state of Michigan.