Lake Superior State Upsets 20th-Ranked Ferris State 1-0
Watch: Post Game Press Conference - FSU Head Coach Bob Daniels
The nationally 20th-ranked Ferris State University men's ice hockey team discovered some nights the puck bounces your way and other times not, particularly when a team receives outstanding goaltending which Lake Superior did in a 1-0 win over the Bulldogs this Friday (Nov. 12) night in a weekend Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) series opener at LSSU's Taffy Abel Arena in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
Ferris State (5-4-2, 2-3-2-2 CCHA) came into the series ranked 20th in the nation by U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO) and Inside College Hockey.com following an impressive showing last weekend (Nov. 5-6) at home against number-one Miami (Ohio). The Bulldogs will faceoff against Lake Superior State this Saturday (Nov. 13) on the Lakers' ice at 7:05 p.m. (EST) with hopes of gaining a series split.
While LSSU netminder Kevin Kapalka sparked his team to the upset victory with a 30-saves performance and received the game's first star, Pat Nagle (Bloomfield) proved almost as equally effective for Ferris State as the senior stopped all but one of the 33 shots which the Lakers put on net. Nagle, who was recognized as the third star, turned aside 10 shots faced in the first period and followed up with 15 second-period saves. He finished with seven saves in the final 20 minutes before being pulled in the final minute for the extra attacker in hopes of tying the contest.
Nick McParland's power-play 5:57 remaining in the second period represented the game's only score and was also his first of the season. The scoring play developed as Ferris State was unable to clear the puck out of its own zone. McParland took a pass down low near the bottom of the left circle from Domenic Monardo and drifted in on the Bulldog goal midst a two-on-one situation. The Laker skater looked at first to pass, but instead put a shot on net with a nifty backhanded wrister which appeared to catch Pat Nagle offguard as the shot went into the near post for a 1-0 LSSU lead. Ferris State, which was outshot 16-10 in the stanza, had an opportunity to score the equalizer with just under four minutes remaining in the second as sophomore right wing Travis Ouellette's (Windsor, Ontario) slapshot from above the left circle deflected off Kevin Kapalka and trickled just outside the Lakers' goal.
Ferris State had another high-percentage goal-scoring chance in the third period as the Bulldogs were on the power play with seven-plus minutes left in the contest. Freshman left wing Andy Huff (Howell) was able to throw back-to-back shots on Kevin Kapalka right outside the crease, but was denied both times. Ferris State threw the puck on the LSSU goal 11 times in the final 20 minutes but unfortunately came up empty. The Bulldogs were put in a prime position to tie the game as Lake Superior State's Domenic Monardo was whistled for a penalty with 1:49 on the clock to be played. Try as they might, Ferris State could not solve Kapalka in the precious time which was remained.
Lake Superior State outshot the Bulldogs 33-30 for the game and was one-of-four in power-play chances. Ferris State went 0-for-3 in the man advantage. Both teams were equal in the faceoff department, winning 30 draws apiece.
