PREVIEW: #7 Ferris State Hockey Opens WCHA Play At Home Against Michigan Tech This Weekend

The Opening Faceoff: The Ferris State University men's ice hockey team returns home to open defense of its Western Collegiate Hockey Association Regular-Season Championship and the MacNaughton Cup this weekend (Oct. 24-25) as FSU opens league competition against the Michigan Tech Huskies at the Ewigleben Ice Arena in Big Rapids. Both games get underway at 7:07 p.m. (ET). A year ago, the Bulldogs took three of four close matchups against the Huskies, including a sweep on home ice.

Broadcast Coverage: Both games will be carried live by the Bulldog Sports Network and Sunny 97.3 FM with Dominic Hennig calling the play-by-play action. Radio pregame coverage begins a half-hour prior to the start with the online broadcast also accessible at FerrisStateBulldogs.com.

Webcast/Live Stats: A live HD video and audio pay-per-view webcast will be available for all 2014-15 WCHA regular-season league games along with non-league home matchups thru a conference agreement with WCHA.TV & America One. Live stats will also be offered. All links will be available at FerrisStateBulldogs.com.

Last Weekend: The Bulldogs split a pair of non-conference road contests this past weekend (Oct. 17-18) at St. Lawrence in Canton, N.Y. FSU took the opener 3-2 on Friday night thanks to a goal from sophomore forward Chad McDonald in overtime before falling 2-0 in Saturday's series' finale. The two teams also split a pair of games last year in Big Rapids.

Season-Opening Victory: Ferris State officially opened the 2014-15 campaign with a thrilling 4-3 home win over the University of Michigan Wolverines in regular-season play on Oct. 4 before a sellout crowd of 2,532 fans inside the Ewigleben Ice Arena. FSU scored twice in the game's first 63 seconds to build an early 2-0 lead and recorded the game-winner late in the second frame on a short-handed tally by sophomore forward Chad McDonald for his second goal of the night.

Home Ticket Information: Single-game tickets for all FSU home contests this season are currently on sale and can be bought online at StarTickets.com, by calling 1-800-585-3737 or purchased in person at the FSU Athletics Ticket Office. The ticket office will be open inside the Ewigleben Sports Complex Monday thru Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (ET) along with extended hours on Wednesday until 7 p.m. (ET). Fans can save and avoid potential lines by purchasing in advance. For more ticket information, fans can visit FerrisStateBulldogs.com or call (231) 591-2888.

Another Sellout: FSU's home contest against Michigan in this year's season opener represented the 17th sellout in the last two-plus seasons inside the 2,490-seat Ewigleben Ice Arena. In addition, it marked the 51st-straight regular-season sellout for the "Dawg Pound" student section. This weekend's action against MTU will represent the 52nd and 53rd-straight regular-season sellouts for the Dawg Pound.

Top 10 Team: Ferris State opened the 2014-15 campaign as a consensus top 10 team in the country as the Bulldogs were among the nation's best in two different collegiate hockey preseason polls. This week, Ferris State ranks eighth nationally in the United States College Hockey Online (USCHO) National poll along with seventh in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Preseason rankings. The Bulldogs, who reached the NCAA Final Eight last season and came within a game of the Frozen Four for the second time in three years, finished the 2013-14 season ranked sixth in both the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll along with the USCHO rankings.  FSU originally climbed to fourth in last week's USCHO poll following the win over the Wolverines.

Looking Back To Last Year: Last season, Ferris State won the WCHA Regular-Season Championship in its debut season, reached the WCHA Final Five Championship game and came within a single victory of reaching the NCAA Frozen Four for the second time in three years. Along the way, FSU set a school-record with a nation-leading 16-game unbeaten streak that stretched from late October to early January and the Bulldogs' 29 total wins led the country and ranked as the second-best seasonal mark in school history. The Bulldogs were ranked as high as second in the nation during the regular-season and finished sixth in the final national rankings.

WCHA Players Of The Week: Sophomore forward Chad McDonald claimed the WCHA Offensive Player of the Week honor following FSU's season-opening win over Michigan while senior goaltender and captain CJ Motte earned the WCHA Defensive Player of the Week nod the same week. McDonald had two goals, a team-high five total shots and a +1 rating during Ferris State's season-opening victory. The sophomore from Battle Creek, Mich. scored the game-winner with a short-handed tally in the second period. His opening goal came just 1:03 into the contest as the Bulldogs jumped out to a quick, 2-0 lead. Motte, a senior from St. Clair, Mich., made 34 saves in the Bulldogs' victory over their intrastate rival. A day after being named to the Mike Richter Goaltender of the Year Award Watch List, Motte, a Hobey Baker Award top 10 finalist last season, had several critical saves late in the contest with the Bulldogs playing short-handed for the final minutes. He finished with 10 saves in the first period, 14 in the second and 10 more in the third. Motte also picked up an assist on Ferris State's third goal.

Preseason National Watch Lists: A pair of Bulldog seniors received preseason acclaim on college hockey watch lists compiled by The Hockey News and CollegeHockeyInc.com. Senior goaltender CJ Motte was featured on Ryan Kennedy's list of "The 50 NCAA players you need to know this season". Meanwhile, CollegeHockeyInc.com added 50 more to Kennedy's list in the "THN's Top 50 - Plus 50" and senior forward Justin Buzzeo was included on the listing. Motte was also chosen as one of five WCHA Players To Watch by College Hockey News (CHN).

Preseason Award Honoree: Ferris State senior goaltender CJ Motte was chosen as one of 20 collegiate goalies named to the watch list for the 2015 Mike Richter Award, which annually honors the most outstanding goaltender in NCAA Division I men's hockey and is presented by Let's Play Hockey and the Herb Brooks Foundation. The winner of the second annual award will be announced at the 2015 NCAA Men's Frozen Four in Boston.

Record Information: Ferris State (2-1, 0-0 WCHA) posted a 29-11-3 overall record a year ago while ranking among the nation's winningest teams throughout the year. FSU was 20-6-2 in its debut season in the WCHA while leading the league race from wire-to-wire to capture the MacNaughton Cup.

Preseason Number Two: For the second consecutive year, Ferris State was a unanimous choice to finish second in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) as the Bulldogs were picked as the runner-up in the 2014-15 Mankato Free Press WCHA Preseason Coaches Poll unveiled as part of the league's media teleconference with all head coaches prior to the start of the year. The runner-up performance in the preseason coaches poll came on the heels of being the number two choice in a vote of the media released as part of the 2014-15 WCHA Preseason Media Poll, which was conducted and ran thru the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer.

Preseason Player Of The Year: Ferris State senior goaltender and team captain CJ Motte was tabbed as the 2014-15 WCHA Preseason Player of the Year by the league's member head coaches. Motte entered the year as the NCAA's active career leader with 10 shutouts and ranked third in total saves (2,396) along with tied for third in goaltending career wins (48) prior to the season opener. He's one of three returning Hobey Baker Award Top 10 finalists along with one of four returning All-WCHA First Team honorees from a year ago.

Hobey Baker Award Finalist: Senior goaltender CJ Motte was chosen as one of the nation's top 10 finalists for the 2014 Hobey Baker Award, becoming only the third Bulldog player ever to receive such distinction. Motte joined a select list of only two other former Bulldog student-athletes who have advanced to the top 10 phase, including current NHL great Chris Kunitz and former standout Rob Collins. Kunitz, now with the National Hockey League's (NHL) Pittsburgh Penguins, holds the distinction of being the only Ferris skater in the program's history to advance among the nation's top three finalists as he did so in 2002-03. One of his Bulldog teammates, Collins, was FSU's first top 10 finalist when he received the honor the year before Kunitz for the 2001-02 season.

Big Season At Home: The Bulldogs, who captured the WCHA Regular-Season Championship last year in their debut season in the league, completed their home season in Big Rapids unbeaten against WCHA opposition (15-0-1) and finished the year among the nation's best teams with a 29-11-3 overall record. The 28 wins were the second-most single season wins in school history. FSU capped off its home campaign with a 16-1-1 overall mark last campaign.

Second All-Time: Ferris State finished with a 29-11-3 overall record a year ago and the Bulldogs' 29 wins were among the most in the country and ranked as the second-most wins in a single campaign in school history. FSU topped the Bulldogs' historic 2011-12 squad that reached the NCAA Frozen Four and the national championship game for the second-most victories in a single-campaign in school history and the 29 wins trailed only the school-record 31 posted by the 2002-03 squad that won the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) for the first time and made the school's first NCAA Tournament appearance.

Second All-Time: Ferris State junior goaltender CJ Motte posted a 28-9-3 record last year and now has 50 career victories, which ranks second all-time on Ferris State's career list. He trails only the school-record 63 total wins that were recorded by 2003 All-American Mike Brown on the school's career leaders chart. Motte is the latest in a series of talented Bulldog goaltenders over the past decade that most recently also included former All-Americans Pat Nagle (2011) and Taylor Nelson (2012). Motte's total of 28 wins last season were the most of any goaltender in the country.

The Coach: Ferris State - Bob Daniels (Michigan State, 1982), 23rd season, 381-390-87 (.494). Daniels, the 2014 WCHA Coach of the Year, has the distinction of being the all-time winningest coach in Ferris State history. He was honored as the Spencer Penrose Award winner as the American Collegiate Hockey Association's (ACHA) Division I National Hockey Coach of the Year in both 2003 and 2012 in addition to claiming CCHA Coach of the Year honors both times. He was among three finalists for both the 2007-08 and 2009-10 CCHA Coach of the Year Awards. Daniels led the Bulldogs to their first-ever appearance at the Frozen Four and second-ever CCHA Regular-Season Championship title three years ago before guiding FSU to the WCHA crown and earning runner-up honors for national coach of the year in 2013-14.

Coaching Fact: Ferris State head coach Bob Daniels is midst his 23rd season at the Bulldog helm this season. His 23 seasons at FSU rank as the fifth-longest tenure of any current head coach in college hockey.

Memorable Season In WCHA Debut: By winning the WCHA's MacNaughton Cup for its second league title in the last three years, the Bulldogs became one of only three programs to ever win both the WCHA and former Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) Regular-Season crowns along with Michigan and Northern Michigan. The Bulldogs led the league race wire-to-wire last season.

The 40th Season: The Bulldogs embarked on the program's 40th anniversary season this year along with the 37th season of NCAA Division I hockey competition.  This year's slate features seven home weekends of league action in addition to the season-opening showdown with Michigan and the recent exhibition tilt versus Wilfrid Laurier.

Winning At Home: The Bulldogs are currently 17-0-1 in their last 18 home contests at the Ewigleben Ice Arena. FSU's last home setback came against St. Lawrence by a 3-2 count in last year's home opener (10/18/13).

50th Career Win: Bulldog senior goaltender CJ Motte notched his 50th career victory in net last Friday in FSU's 3-2 overtime victory at St. Lawrence. He currently ranks second in school history in total victories and is third among all active NCAA Division I goaltenders in career wins to date.

Goal-Scoring Start: Bulldog sophomore Chad McDonald has produced the game-winner in both of FSU's two victories to date this campaign, including his overtime marker last Friday at St. Lawrence. McDonald has a squad-best three goals to date this year.

Starting WCHA Play: A year ago, Ferris State was unbeaten in its initial 14 WCHA contests, producing a 12-0-2 record to start its first season in the league. The Bulldogs did not drop a league contest until Jan. 17 of last season.

Against Michigan Tech:

A year ago, the Bulldogs took three of four close matchups against the Huskies, including a sweep on home ice in Big Rapids. Three of last year's four matchups were determined by a single goal.

Prior to last season's four matchups, the Bulldogs and Huskies had not squared off since 1995. Overall, FSU holds a
8-9-1 all-time mark against the Huskies entering the weekend, including a 6-3 mark in Big Rapids.

The Bulldogs have presently won six of the last eight meetings. Ferris State won the opener 1-0 on Friday night before topping the Huskies 3-2 on Saturday in the finale during the two matchups in Big Rapids a year ago.

Click Here For Complete Game Notes (PDF)