Posted: Jan 20, 2017
Ferris State Hockey Knocks Off #18 Bemidji State To Open Weekend Road Series
Ferris State
(8-14-4; 7-9-3-2 WCHA)
5
Bemidji State
(15-9-3;15-4-2-2 WCHA)
2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ferris State (8-14-4; 7-9-3-2 WCHA) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
|
Bemidji State (15-9-3;15-4-2-2 WCHA) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Bemidji, Minn. - The Ferris State University men's ice hockey team never trailed en route to a 5-2 road victory over the nationally 18th-ranked Bemidji State Beavers on Friday (Jan. 20) night at the Sanford Center.
Senior forward Gerald Mayhew scored in his third-straight game and had a three-point night while fellow senior forwards Jared VanWormer and Chad McDonald each had multi-point games.
Mayhew started the scoring at 4:49 of the first period when freshman defenseman Joe Rutkowski fished a puck out of the corner and fed sophomore forward Corey Mackin, who passed it across the front of the net where Mayhew roofed it by BSU goaltender Michael Bitzer.
The goal was Mayhew's 13th of the season while Mackin earned his 10th assist of the year and Rutkowski tallied his 12th.
Ferris State took a 2-0 lead in the second when freshman forward Jason Tackett banked in a rebound for his second goal of the year after McDonald made a nice move and shot it off of Bitzer's arm. It was McDonald's sixth assist of the year and VanWormer's 10th.
The Beavers pulled back within one at 14:01 of the second when Charlie O'Connor deflected in a shot from the blue line on the power play. Zach Whitecloud and Leo Fitzgerald were credited with the assists on O'Connor's goal.
McDonald then scored his sixth of the season on the power play 1:04 later as FSU took a 3-1 lead, blasting a slap shot past Bitzer. Mayhew earned his ninth assist of the season as he won the faceoff back to McDonald for the assist.
McDonald's goal would stand as the game-winning goal in the game.
Bemidji State pulled back within one at 3-2 at 19:21 of the second period when Gerry Fitzgerald scored on the breakaway from Phillip Marinaccio and Charlie O'Connor.
Ferris State regained its two-goal lead at 16:46 of the third when Mackin netted his ninth of the year from Mayhew and Maloney. Mayhew's assist was his 10th of the year while Maloney's was his seventh.
Freshman defenseman Nate Kallen iced the game with an empty-net goal at 19:15 of the third from VanWormer.
Both teams went 1-of-5 on the power play and each took five penalties for 10 minutes. On the night, Bemidji State outshot Ferris State 36-27.
In net, freshman goaltender Justin Kapelmaster made 34 saves on 36 shots and earned the win. Bitzer finished with 22 saves on 26 shots on goal for BSU and took the loss.
The Bulldogs and Beavers wrap up the regular-season series on Saturday at 8:07 p.m. (ET) at the Sanford Center.