Ferris State's run ends in regional final

By Tom Morelli/Ferris State Beat Writer

Ferris State's chance of completing their unfinished business from two years ago was nixed on Saturday night after losing a 2-1 double-overtime thriller to North Dakota at the Midwest Regional Championship in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Both teams mirrored each other from the beginning, with neither one able to find the back of the net in the first period.

The Bulldogs grabbed the initial lead at the 7:31 mark of the second, thanks to senior Cory Kane's 14th goal of the campaign from between the faceoff circles. Fellow classmate Andy Huff and junior netminder C.J. Motte were both credited with assists on that play.

Just over three minutes later, North Dakota was able to even-up matters while on the man-advantage. Nick Mattson fed a one-timer to Paul LaDue at the blue line, which was subsequently deflected in by Stephane Pattyn from just outside the crease.

The contest remained deadlocked at one goal apiece until Connor Gaarder of North Dakota netted the game-winner off a back-handed redirect in front with 1:28 elapsed in the second overtime session. On a play that was eerily similar to the previous goal, North Dakota's Mattson and LaDue both picked-up their second helpers of the evening.

Despite the loss, Ferris State head coach Bob Daniels was very supportive of his team after the game.

"First of all, I want congratulate North Dakota in winning tonight and playing a great game," said Daniels. "[But] I want to congratulate our players as well. They really played well, and, more importantly, it's been a great ride. I'm exceedingly proud and realize that we're going to look back and be appreciative of this year. Its a little painful right now, but I am very appreciative of the efforts of our team."

The Bulldogs outshot their opposition 45-26, increasing their shot production gradually as the game wore on.

Motte had 24 saves to finish his second season as a starter with a 28-9-3 ledger. At the other end of the ice, Zane Gothberg made 44 stops to notch his 20th win of the season.

Senior captain Scott Czarnowczan, Kane and Motte were named to the All-Midwest Regional Tournament Team, where they were joined by North Dakota's Rocco Grimaldi, Gaarder and LaDue.

Ferris State finishes the 2013-2014 season with an overall record of 29-11-3.

Ferris State 1, Colgate 0: In Friday's opening round of 16, freshman Gerald Mayhew knocked in a loose puck at 10:01 in the first period to advance the Bulldogs to the Midwest Regional Championship. Motte stopped all 35 shots to secure his fifth shutout of the season.

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.

Bulldogs stretch unbeaten streak to 11 games

By Tom Morelli/Ferris State Beat Writer

There was no holiday hangover for the No. 6 ranked Ferris State Bulldogs this past weekend, as they gobbled three of four points from Northern Michigan.

The Bulldogs produced plenty of offense in Friday's game, notching two goals on the power-play en route to a 4-1 decision over their counterparts.

Sophomore forward Matt Robertson knocked in a pass from Chad McDonald in front of the net to put Ferris State ahead 1-0 at the 11:41 mark of the opening period.

Just over five minutes later, defenseman Zach Dorer made it a 2-0 affair, with forwards Kyle Schempp and Cory Kane earning helpers on the play.

Tempers flew in the ensuing stanza, as  the Bulldogs' Andy Huff and Northern Michigan's Reed Seckel were both shown the gates after their tussle with under seven minutes remaining in the second. Huff and Seckel were each given a fighting major and disqualification, but Seckel was also assessed a double-minor for roughing. The extra penalties levied toward the Wildcats paved the way for Schempp's power-play marker from just outside the crease with 16:25 elapsed.

An interference call against Northern Michigan to begin the third would also prove costly, as sophomore Brandon Anselmini fired a shot past Wildcats' netminder Mathias Dahlstrom to put the Bulldogs ahead by four. With the game seemingly out of reach, Northern Michigan head coach Walt Kyle removed Dahlstrom and inserted back-up Derek Dun, who stonewalled Ferris State for the remainder of the contest.

The Wildcats were able to end C.J. Motte's opportunity for a shutout bid with 11 seconds to go, as Cohen Adair lit the lamp while on the man-advantage.

Motte picked-up his 11th win of the campaign, stopping 32 of 33 shots faced.

Dahlstrom had 17 saves to his credit, while Dun went a flawless 8-8 in relief.

Saturday's series finale was much more hotly contested, with both squads producing their lone scores via power-play during the second period.

The Bulldogs struck first just before the midway point, with Robertson extending this goal-scoring streak to five games via Anselmini and Schempp.

A tripping penalty against Ferris State minutes later allowed Northern Michigan to produce the equalizer, as Jake Johnson slid the puck past Motte at the 14:17 mark.

Motte finished with a slight advantage over Dahlstrom in the saves department, 23-21.

Northern Michigan (6-6-2 overall, 4-3-1 WCHA) hits the road for their next four games to close out 2013, beginning with a trip to Minnesota State this Friday and Saturday night.

Ferris State (11-2-2 overall , 8-0-2 WCHA) remains in the Upper Peninsula this weekend, as they travel to Sault Ste. Marie for a two-game slate against Lake Superior State.

Ferris State bowls over Falcons

By Tom Morelli/Ferris State Beat Writer

A scare from Bowling Green State on consecutive nights wasn't enough to fend off the No. 14 ranked Ferris State Bulldogs, who spurred comebacks in both contests to nab three of four points and stay atop the WCHA standings.

In Friday's game, Ferris State held a 1-0 lead at the end of two periods, thanks to a short-handed goal by freshman forward Chad McDonald with just 2:20 elapsed in the middle frame.

From there, momentum shifted the way of the Falcons, who rattled off a trio of goals within a 10 minute frame in the third.

With under two minutes remaining in regulation, senior forward Garrett Thompson fired the puck past Bowling Green netminder Tommy Burke, with assists being credited to Justin Buzzeo and Scott Czarnowczan.

Coach Bob Daniels' decision to add an extra skater in the final minute paid huge dividends, as senior forward Corey Kane found the back of the net with nine seconds left to force overtime. Buzzeo and Czarnowczan both earned their seconds helpers of the night on the game-tying goal.

Junior goaltender C.J. Motte fended off 37 of 40 shots faced, while Burke finished with 28 saves on 31 opportunities.

The Falcons looked for the upset once again in the series finale, holding a 2-0 advantage for nearly two entire periods before the Bulldogs were able to respond.

Freshman forward Kyle Schempp cut the deficit in half with his fifth goal of the campaign at the 18:03 mark.

Ferris State strung together a dominant third period that saw them net three goals to produce a come-from-behind victory.

Following a short-handed marker by sophomore forward Kenny Babinski at 5:37, classmate Matt Robertson lit the lamp nearly 11 minutes later while on the power play for the game-winning goal.

With 1:01 left in the game, Thompson provided the Bulldogs some cushion with an unassisted empty-netter.

Motte recorded 30 saves en route to improving to 8-0-1 as a starter.

Taking the loss in net for Bowling Green was Tomas Sholl, who had 25 stops to his credit.

Ferris State (8-2-1 overall, 5-0-1 WCHA) wraps-up their six-game homestand this Friday and Saturday night when they play host to Alaska.

Bulldogs sweep aside Bemidji State

By Tom Morelli/Ferris State Beat Writer

Another one up, another one down.

In what's been a familiar story with Ferris State in recent weeks, the Bulldogs have extended their winning streak to five games after a series sweep over fellow WCHA foe Bemidji State this past weekend.

The No. 19 ranked Bulldogs nabbed a 5-4 decision in overtime on Friday, followed by a 5-3 win in the series finale to move into first place atop the WCHA standings.

The Beavers' Phillip Marinaccio put the Beavers ahead in the series opener with an unassisted marker midway through the first period, only to be answered by freshman forward Chad McDonald a minute later.

Both squads played tug-of-war over the scoreboard in the ensuing frame, with Ferris State grabbing their first lead of the contest on an Andy Huff goal at the 3:46 mark.

A mere five minutes later, the Beavers knotted the score at two goals apiece with a power-play marker by Markus Gerbrandt.

Bulldogs' forward Kyle Schempp scored while on the man-advantage to notch the fourth goal of his freshman campaign at 15:29, before Ruslan Pedlan of Bemidji State evened-up the score with 22 seconds left in the stanza.

In the third period, Cory Ward snuck the puck past Ferris State netminder C.J. Motte with 6:25 elapsed to place the Beavers back on top, only to have junior forward Justin Buzzeo force the extra session on a game-tying goal four minutes later.

The Bulldogs needed just 1:28 of overtime to finish the job, with Scott Czarnowczan and Schempp tallying helpers on Jason Binkley's game-winner.

Motte finished with 22 saves, while Andrew Walsh collected 38 at the other end of the ice.

Four first period goals were enough to power Ferris State en route to their second consecutive sweep, as freshman forward Gerald Mayhew ignited the offensive spark just shy of the midway point.

Zach Dorer made it a 2-0 affair to notch his first goal of the season at 13:57, followed by a pair of lamp-lighters from Czarnowczan to round out the scoring. The barrage of goals was enough to have Bemidji State yank Walsh out of net at the end of the period in favor of back-up Reid Mimmick.

Business picked-up on the Beavers' offensive end in the second, beginning with a Gerbrandt power-play goal less than a minute-and-a-half in.

Brad Robbins added a score at the 8:28 mark on the man-advantage to trim the lead to two, followed by another Gerbrandt goal three minutes later.

Huff was able to provide Ferris State some breathing room by netting his third goal of the campaign with six minutes left until intermission.

Despite a penalty-laden third period, neither squad was able to produce any goals.

Motte recorded 20 saves to improve to 7-0-0 as a starter.

Walsh stopped 14 of 18 shots in the first, while Mimmick denied 11 of 12 shots over the course of the final two periods.

The Bulldogs (7-2-0 overall, 4-0-0 WCHA) remain at home this week, as they play host to former CCHA rival Bowling Green State on Friday and Saturday.

Bulldogs tally first sweep of the season

By Tom Morelli/Ferris State Beat Writer

No. 20 ranked Ferris State propelled themselves in a tie for second place with Notre Dame in the CCHA standings, following a weekend sweep on the road against Bowling Green.

The Bulldogs encountered a close call in Friday's opener after seeing their 3-0 lead vanish in the third, thanks to a trio of scores by the Falcons within a four-minute span.

Ferris State however would rebound in the extra session, as Scott Czarnowczan and Kyle Bonis helped set-up Garrett Thompson's game-winner with just 14 seconds elapsed.

Sophomore C.J. Motte stopped 33 of 36 shots between the pipes for the Bulldogs, while Bowling Green's Andrew Hammond was credited with 23 saves.

In Saturday's contest, Ferris State earned their first sweep of the season by recording a 3-1 decision.

Junior Andy Huff gave the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead with under six minutes left in the first by blasting a shot past Falcons' netminder Tommy Burke to tally his fourth lamp-lighter of the campaign.

Bonis scored the game-winning goal in the second, notching his second power-play marker in as many nights.

Although Bowling Green's Bryce Williamson would cut the deficit in half a mere two minutes into the final stanza, senior forward Travis Ouellette added an empty-netter with 30 seconds left off a feed from Bonis to secure the victory.

Motte recorded 29 stops to improve to 6-4-2 as a starter.

Ferris State (6-4-2 overall, 5-3-0-0 CCHA) is idle this week but returns to action on Nov. 30 and Dec 1 when they play host to Michigan (4-6-1 overall, 2-5-1-1 CCHA).

Cornell skates by Wolverines in overtime

By Bob Miller/Michigan Beat Writer

Michigan tempted the overtime gods one too many times.

After coming out on the positive end of overtime wins against Notre Dame and Bowling Green in the CCHA championship tourney, first-seeded Michigan's season ended 3:35 into the first overtime period in upset fashion against fourth-seeded Cornell, 3-2, in the semifinal round of the NCAA Midwest Regional Friday night in Green Bay, Wis.

Kevin Lynch had knotted the game for the No. 2 overall Wolverines with only 4:01 left in the third period. Captain Luke Glendening opened the game's scoring when he gave Michigan a short-lived 1-0 lead only 1:10 into the first period.

“I liked the way our team started,” said Michigan coach Red Berenson. “The goal that was disallowed was obviously a factor in the game. I was wondering why it was being reviewed. Give Cornell credit, they got back in the game.”

Michigan thought it had a 2-0 lead early in the first period, but the goal was disallowed and Cornell turned the tide of momentum from that point.

"We had a strong start with Luke popping one and then when I put it in, emotions were running high," Lynch said. "But that was early enough in the game where I don't think it could have affected the outcome. We're a strong enough team where we could have come back, and we did at the end of the game."

The Wolverines had plenty of chances to make an offensive difference in regulation time. Numerous times, Michigan failed to connect on power-play attempts, including a five-minute major.

"We got shots, but we didn't score, and that was the frustrating part," Berenson said. "We needed to score. Especially when you're trailing in a game, your power play needs to score."

Spartans sweep Alaska to close out home schedule

Compiled by MiCHO Staff

Michigan State swept Alaska at Munn Ice Arena over the weekend, including a 3-0 shutout Saturday night as part of Senior Night.

"We felt that we needed to get six points against Alaska to go into the final weekend with a good chance to get home ice and a first-round bye," said MSU coach Tom Anastos Saturday night to MSUSpartans.com. "I thought that we were a little out of synch in the first period. We changed things up and put more emphasis on getting pucks deep and putting pressure on their defense. Overall, we're pleased that we set that goal of six points and it was mission accomplished."

Senior netminder Drew Palmisano (pictured) made 27 saves and junior captain Torey Krug had two assists. Dean Chelios, Tanner Sorenson and Lee Reimer scored for MSU (18-12-4, 13-10-3-2 CCHA).

Friday night, Brett Perlini scored 3:08 into overtime to give Michigan State a 3-2 victory.

Brent Darnell scored the first two goals for MSU and Will Yanakeff, in his fifth straight start, made 25 stops in goal.

"It was a win, and in the end, that is the most important thing," said Anastos to MSUSpartans.com. "We got what we thought we would from Alaska - their goaltender (Scott Greenham) was very good and they are very difficult to play against. I didn't think we were very good in the first period and better in the second. The third, I think we found a little something that was lacking. That shot by Perlini was a big one - we're really fighting for points here and this is a big win."

The Spartans play two in Notre Dame next weekend to wrap up the regular season.

Photo/Matt Mackinder/MiCHO