Ferris State Hockey Beats #16 Michigan Tech To Wrap Up League-Opening Homestand

Game Highlights
Postgame Press Conference

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's ice hockey squad bounced back from a disappointing setback in a big way as the Bulldogs beat 16th-ranked Michigan Tech 3-2 to wrap up a Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) weekend series on Saturday (Oct. 17) night inside FSU's Ewigleben Ice Arena. 

The two-game set marked the first league action of the year for both squads. After the Huskies had taken a 5-1 win in Friday's opener, the Bulldogs earned the split with a hard-fought effort in game two.

After a scoreless opening 20 minutes of action, the Huskies got on the board first when Malcolm Gould tipped a shot in front of the net that slipped past FSU junior goaltender Charles Williams. His first goal of the year was assisted by Chris Leibinger and Mark Auk, who both tallied their second assists of the campaign.

However, Ferris State bounced back less than three minutes later when freshman forward Corey Mackin registered his first collegiate goal by slipping one past MTU netminder Jamie Phillips from the right side in a scramble near the net. Junior captain Kyle Schempp picked up the first assist with senior forward Matt Robertson also involved in the play for his second assist of the campaign on the power play goal.

Schempp then provided the go-ahead goal for the Bulldogs at 10:19 of the middle frame. The puck was played from junior Gerald Mayhew behind the end line to Robertson, who fed Schempp on the left side. The goal was the captain's second of the year and came off the third assist for Robertson and the second by Mayhew this season.

Ferris State then took a two-goal lead midway thru the final period when a turnover by the Huskies in the defensive zone led to a Bulldog goal. Mackin forced the puck to sophomore Andrew Dorantes, who fed sophomore Tyler Andrew between the circles for his first goal of the year.

Michigan Tech managed to cut the deficit to a single goal with less than three minutes to play when Gould scored his second marker of the evening in unassisted fashion. The Huskies had a few more opportunities to knot the contest up down the stretch, but the Bulldogs received a couple big saves from Williams, including one with 35 seconds to play.

Ferris State had several scoring chances in the opening period as the Bulldogs outshot MTU by a 12-5 count. In the second frame, the two teams combined for 22 shots on goal, including 12 by the Huskies. MTU owned a 20-10 edge in the third en route to a 37-32 advantage in total shots.

FSU finished one-of-six on the power play while MTU was held scoreless in four tries with the man-advantage. Overall, the Huskies had six penalties for 12 minutes while FSU was called four times for eight minutes in the box.

The Bulldog victory came in front of the 68th consecutive sellout of the "Dawg Pound" student section and wrapped up a two-game series with the two teams scheduled to play again in two weeks in Houghton.

Ferris State is back at home again next week as the Bulldogs wrap up their five-game homestand by hosting Big Ten Conference member Wisconsin on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 23-24, in Big Rapids. The Badgers will make their first-ever trip to the Ewigleben Ice Arena for the two-game set, which gets underway at 7:07 p.m. (ET) both nights.

Tickets for next weekend's non-league series are on sale now and potential big crowds are expected as the Bagers make the trip to Michigan. Tickets can be purchased in advance thru the FSU Athletics Ticket Office, online at StarTickets.com or by calling 1-800-585-3737. For more information, please visit FerrisStateBulldogs.com.