Bulldog Hockey Picked Fourth In WCHA Preseason Polls; Mayhew Tabbed Preseason Player of Year
Click Here For Preseason Poll Release
Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's ice hockey team has been picked to finish fourth overall in the 2016-17 Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Preseason Polls as announced by the league office on Tuesday (Sept. 20) in conjunction with the WCHA Media Teleconference.
Along with the Bulldog, the preseason all-conference teams were also announced by both the media and coaches with FSU senior forward Gerald Mayhew a consensus pick as the league's Preseason WCHA Player of the Year.
Bowling Green earned first-place in both polls followed by Michigan Tech, Minnesota State and the Bulldogs among the 10 teams in the conference.
Besides Mayhew, the league's media members also picked FSU freshman defenseman Cameron Clarke as the Preseason WCHA Rookie of the Year. Bulldog sophomore forward Corey Mackin was chosen to the coaches' Preseason All-WCHA Team along with Mayhew with sophomore goaltender Darren Smith earning votes.
Mayhew was the coaches' and media's choice as preseason Player of the Year. The Wyandotte, Mich. native ranked third in the league scoring race with 25 points (9g-16a) in WCHA play last year, while his 41 points overall (16g-25a) paced the conference. He ended his campaign by recording a point in five of six postseason contests (10 total), helping the Bulldogs to the NCAA West Regional final with five goals (including two game-winners) and five assists.
Minnesota State forward Parker Tuomie (coaches' choice) split the preseason Rookie of the Year votes along with FSU's Clarke.The Bulldog rookie was selected by the Boston Bruins in the fifth round (136th pick overall) of the 2016 National Hockey League (NHL) Draft. He was named the 2015-16 North American Hockey League (NAHL) Defenseman of the Year following a standout season in which he tallied 50 points (9g-41a) in 59 games for the Lone Star Brahmas.
The Bulldogs, who are the defending WCHA postseason champions and coming off a NCAA Final Eight appearance, will embark on their 42nd campaign this coming fall and again face perhaps one of the country's toughest schedules as they seek their fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament in the last six years.
The 2016-17 schedule is highlighted by matchups against every other in-state Division I opponent from Michigan, including non-conference home showdowns against Michigan, Michigan State and Western Michigan inside FSU's Ewigleben Ice Arena. Overall, the Bulldogs will play host to five of the other six D1 programs from Michigan this coming year. This coming season will represent the first time in which the Bulldogs have faced every Michigan opponent in the same campaign since the 1995-96 season.
Along with the premier matchups against the in-state foes, the Bulldogs will also entertain conference rivals such as Minnesota State and Bowling Green as part of a 17-game home schedule.
The Bulldogs will open up the 2016-17 campaign on home ice with one of the program's earliest starts ever as they play host to Alabama Huntsville on Oct. 1-2 in a conference-opening WCHA series.
The Bulldogs closed the 2015-16 campaign by making the program's fourth NCAA Tournament appearance, including the third in the past five years to date. Along with this past year's run to the NCAA West Regional Championship game, the Bulldogs also won the WCHA's Broadmoor Trophy as the league's Final Five Champion. It marked the first conference tournament championship in school history and came on the heels of conference regular-season titles in both 2012 and 2014.
Along with a Frozen Four berth and national title game showing in 2012, FSU also has reached the regional final and the final eight of the NCAA Tournament in both 2014 and 2016.
Single-game tickets for the 2016-17 campaign are on sale now. Visit FerrisStateBulldogs.com or call (231) 591-2888 for additional information.