Ferris State Opens In-State Rivalry Series With Decisive Win Over Michigan State

Ferris State Opens In-State Rivalry Series With Decisive Win Over Michigan State

East Lansing, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's ice hockey team opened a home-and-home series against in-state rival Michigan State with a decisive 4-1 triumph on Thursday (Nov. 10) night at Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing as the Bulldogs won for the third time in the last four contests.

Ferris State notched three power-play goals in building a three-goal lead and freshman netminder Justin Kapelmaster remained unbeaten with his third victory of the season in the win over the Spartans. The triumph was FSU's 12th in the last 16 outings against MSU.

The Bulldogs jumped out to the initial lead at 8:01 of the opening period when junior Mitch Maloney tallied a power-play goal off assists from senior defenseman Ryan Lowney and sophomore Ryker Killins. The goal was Maloney's fifth of the season and accounted for the only scoring in the opening frame.

Ferris State took control early in the second period when senior forward Gerald Mayhew recorded his team-leading sixth goal of the year for another FSU power-play marker only 1:24 into the middle frame. Killins and Lowney teamed up again for the assists on FSU's second goal of the evening.

Less than a minute later, freshman defenseman Joe Rutkowski scored his first collegiate goal when he found the back of the net. It was another FSU power-play tally with sophomore Corey Mackin and freshman Cameron Clarke credited with the assists on the goal which pushed the FSU lead to three.

Michigan State finally recorded its first and only goal of the evening at 7:12 of the second period. MSU's Villiam Haag earned his third goal this year off assists from Patrick Khodorenko and Mason Appleton.

The 3-1 Bulldog advantage would hold up throughout the remainder of the second period and the third before Mackin scored an empty-net goal for his third lamplighter of the year at 18:43 of the last period to account for the final margin. Zac Tierney received the assist on the Bulldogs' final goal.

Overall, Michigan State outshot FSU 32-27 for the evening, but Kapelmaster made 31 saves, including 11 in the final period en route to improving to 3-0-0 overall in net this season. He played all 60 minutes between the pipes on the Bulldog side.

MSU's Ed Minney finished with 23 saves for the Spartans in 59:29 of work.

The Bulldogs finished three-of-four on the power play in the victory while MSU went one-of-seven with the extra skater. Overall, the Spartans were called for four penalties totaling eight minutes and FSU had seven for 14 minutes in the box.

Kapelmaster picked up the game's first star with Mayhew earning the second for Ferris State in the win.

All three of the Bulldogs' wins this season in the last four outings have come on the road.

The two teams will return to Big Rapids on Saturday (Nov. 12) for the final game of the series inside FSU's Ewigleben Ice Arena. Puck drop is set for 7:07 p.m. (ET) and the contest is officially sold out as the Spartans make their first visit to the Ferris State campus in nearly four years.