Bulldogs Continue Winning Ways At Home With 5-1 Win Over Bowling Green State
Ferris State tallied four power-play goals , including a pair from senior left wing Blair Riley (Kamloops, British Columbia), as the Bulldog men's ice hockey team recorded a 5-1 decision over Bowling Green State this Friday (Nov. 6) night in a weekend series opening tilt at FSU's Ewigleben Ice Arena in Big Rapids, Mich.
The victory extends Ferris State's home winning streak to five straight as the Bulldogs improve their season record to 6-3-0 and 1-2-0-0 in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). The league win marked the first for FSU this campaign as the Bulldogs receive three points in the CCHA standings as a result of the victory.
Bowling Green State struck first, putting a goal on the scoreboard 59 seconds into the second period as Jordan Samuels-Thomas was the only Falcons' skater able to get the puck past Ferris State sophomore goaltender Taylor Nelson (Regina, Saskatchewan) on the night.
Ferris State would gain the equalizer with 12:09 remaining in the second frame when Blair Riley netted his fifth goal of the season on a five-on-three power-play advantage for the Bulldogs, who would go on to register a 35-to-23 advantage in shots on goal. Riley was fed a cross ice pass from junior defenseman Zach Redmond (Traverse City) and fired a shot below the left circle dot to beat BGSU goalie Andrew Hammond. Less than two minutes later, freshman center Travis Ouellette (Windsor, Ontario) put the home team ahead for good at 2-1 with his third lamplighter of the year on another Ferris State power-play opportunity. Ouellette skated down the right side and picked up the puck just above the blueline line where the Bulldog skater proceeded to carry the puck into the zone and wristed one past Hammond from the right circle.
Freshman center Matthew Kirzinger (Leroy, Saskatchewan) put the Bulldogs up 3-1 with a power-play marker of his own at the second period's 12;04 mark. Kirzinger, who produced his third tally of the season, tapped in a rebound in front of the Falcons' net off a slap shot above the circles from junior defenseman Scott Wietecha (Wolverine Lake). Junior left wing Justin Menke (Shamrock, Saskatchewan) would close out the second-period four-goal output for Ferris with 4:03 left in the stanza with his second of the season as he scored as a result of a BGSU turnover in its own zone. Matthew Kirzinger centered a pass right on Menke's stick above the crease.
Blair Riley would strike again in the third period, just 59 seconds in for his team-leading sixth goal of the season. The forward worked his way across the ice in the Falcons' defensive zone as his shot from the top center of the circle found its way into the opposition's net for the contest's final score.
Taylor Nelson (3-2-0) earned the win for FSU with a 22-saves performance, which featured 11 second-period stops. Andrew Hammond suffered the loss, making 14 saves for Bowling Green in 35:57 minutes between the posts before Nick Eno came in to register 16 saves in 24 minutes of action.
NOTES: Five different Bulldogs registered two points in the game . . . Blair Riley has posted a team-leading eight points this season to date, which includes a squad-best six goals in nine outings . . . Seven (5-2=7) of Blair Riley's points this campaign have occurred at home in five appearances . . . Head coach Bob Daniels, the all-time winningest coach in Ferris State history, earned his 275th career coaching victory . . . Ferris State has outscored its opponent 22-8 in its five home contests this season, including 12-3 in the second period . . . The Bulldogs are operating at 27.3% (9-33) efficiency on their power play and 96.4% (27-28) in penalty-kill situations at home . . . Zach Redmond has picked up an assist in five of his last six contests to date . . . Ferris State's four power-play goals in this evening's game represents the most since last season (11/28) when the Bulldogs tallied five on seven chances in a 6-4 league win at Northern Michigan.
