Smith Earns Second Shutout As Bulldogs Topple Nanooks 4-0 In Alaska

Big Rapids, Mich. — Four different scorers and 20 saves from freshman goaltender Darren Smith propelled the Ferris State Bulldogs to a 4-0 shutout win over the University of Alaska Nanooks in Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) play Friday night at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks, Alaska.

The FSU goal scorers included senior forward Matt Robertson, junior forward Gerald Mayhew, senior defenseman Simon Denis and sophomore forward Andrew Mayer, while junior forward Chad McDonald earned two assists.

Robertson got Ferris State off on the right foot, scoring just 59 seconds into the contest. The Rohnert Park, Calif. native initially hit the crossbar with a backhand attempt, but tapped in his own rebound for his fifth goal of the year. McDonald had the lone assist on the senior's opening tally, which stood as the only goal of the opening frame.

Mayhew extended the lead for the Bulldogs with a power play goal at 13:34 of the middle period during Ferris State's fourth man-advantage of the night. After a pass from senior defenseman Brandon Anselmini, Mayhew wristed the puck to the top left corner of the net to make it 2-0 Ferris State. Once again McDonald was credited with an assist on the play, his second helper of the night. 

Just 2:03 later, Denis made it 3-0 Bulldogs, finding the back of the net with a wrist shot for his sixth goal of the season. Assists on the assistant captain's strike came from sophomore forwards Tyler Andrew and Andrew Dorantes.

In the third, Mayer scored for the second straight game, establishing a new career high with four goals on the season. Freshman forwards Trevor Recktenwald and Jake Hetz picked up assists on the tally. 

After being outshot 10-5 in the opening period, Ferris State put 19 shots on goal in the final two periods while allowing just 10 and finished the game with a 24-20 advantage. 

Mayhew's tally was the lone power play score of the night, as FSU finished 1-for-5 on the man-advantage while holding Alaska 0-for-6. The four-goal margin of victory is the largest of the season for Ferris State.

Smith's 20-save blanking marks the second shutout of his young career. His first came on Nov. 27 at Lake Superior State. The win was the first of any kind for Ferris State in Fairbanks since Nov. 19, 2011. 

The two teams will complete the weekend and season series in Fairbanks on Saturday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 11:07 p.m. EST. 

Ferris State returns home to face Northern Michigan Feb. 12-13 at the Ewigleben Ice Arena in Big Rapids. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased in person at the FSU Athletics Ticket Office, online at StarTickets.com or by calling 1-800-585-3737. For more information, please call (231) 591-2888.