Bulldogs Not Able To Pull Out Weekend Sweep In Series Finale

Marquette, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's ice hockey could not pull off the weekend sweep on its trip to Michigan's Upper Peninula as the Bulldogs suffered a 3-0 setback to the Northern Michigan Wildcats on Saturday (Feb. 9) night in Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) action at the Berry Events Center in Marquette.

Ferris State had won the opening game of the two-game league set with a 3-1 triumph in Marquette on Friday, but the Wildcats responded with two goals in the second period and added another goal late in the third to pull out the win in the series' finale.

After a scoreless opening period, the Wildcats struck twice in the second frame to grab a 2-0 edge after 40 minutes of action.  NMU's Mitch Jones notched his first goal of the season at 8:09 into the second stanza with a shot assisted by Kory Kaunisto, who tallied his second assist of the campaign. Jones skated through the center and shot the puck into the top right corner of the net.

The Wildcats then added a goal at 19:33 when Reed Seckel found the back of the net from the left circle for his 10th marker of the year, which was assisted by both Matt Thurber and Darren Nowick.  Thurber compiled his 21st assist of the season while Nowick notched his third helper of the 2012-13 campaign.

NMU held a significant 13-1 edge in total shots for the opening period and managed to outshoot the Bulldogs 12-10 in the second period. 

Northern Michigan's final goal came at 15:32 of the third period when Stephan Vigier was able to put the puck past Bulldog sophmore goaltender CJ Motte on a backdoor goal for his fifth goal of the year to account for the final margin.  Thurber and Jones both earned their second points of the night with assists on the final tally, which came on the power play.

The Bulldogs totaled 10 penalties for 20 minutes in the box, but held NMU to a one-of-six showing with the man-advantage.  FSU finished 0-of-4 on the power play with NMU totaling eight penalties for 16 minutes.

Overall, the Wildcats finished with a significant 33-19 edge in total shots for the game with both teams netting eight shots apiece in the final period of play.

Motte made 30 saves in net for the Bulldogs while NMU's Jared Coreau tallied 19 stops in earning the shutout victory.

Ferris State dropped to 14-12-4 overall along with 12-10-2-1 in CCHA play with the loss while the Wildcats improved their mark to 12-13-4 overall and 6-12-4-1 in league competition.  The weekend series marked the last two regular-season meetings between the two teams in the CCHA although both will remain future opponents as conference members in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) beginning next year.

This weekend's visit to Marquette marked the third consecutive year in which the Bulldogs faced the Wildcats on NMU's Olympic ice sheet inside the Berry Events Center.  It also came as part of a tripleheader involving FSU Athletics on Saturday as the Bulldog men's and women's basketball teams both beat the Wildcats inside the facility on Saturday afternoon before the Berry Events Center was transformed back for Saturday's hockey contest.

The Bulldogs will return home and host the Bowling Green State Falcons in their last-ever CCHA regular-season home series slated for next Friday and Saturday, Feb. 15-16, at FSU's Ewigleben Ice Arena.

Tickets are currently on sale and limited availability remains for the last home action for FSU during regular-season play in the 42-year history of the CCHA.

The puck will drop on Friday, Feb. 15, at 7:05 p.m. (ET) for the opening game of the weekend set and is being billed as "International Night" sponsored by the Office of International Education.  The night's activities will also include a special team picture giveaway along with a "Frozen Four" poster drawing.

Meanwhile, the final contest on Saturday, Feb. 16, will serve as FSU's annual "Senior Night" game with Fox Sports Detroit set to broadcast the contest live as part of "Hockey Day In Michigan" coverage beginning at 5:05 p.m. (ET).  Tickets are already extremely limited for the last regular-season home game in the CCHA.

Ferris State fans are encouraged to wear red, come early and cheer loud for the Bulldogs as part of a "Red Out" effort on Feb. 16.  FSU will honor its senior class during a special "Senior Night" pregame ceremony and the first 500 fans will receive free thundersticks. A special "Skate with the Dawgs" event will also take place following the regular-season home finale.

Fans can purchase advance tickets for the Bowling Green State series and save over the normal gameday rates by visiting the FSU Athletics

Ticket Office located inside the Ewigleben Sports Complex or by calling (231) 591-2888. Normal business hours are Monday thru Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (ET) with extended hours on Wednesday's until 7 p.m. (ET).  The ticket office will also remain open on Thursday night until 7 p.m. for this coming week.

Bulldog fans can also purchase all regular-priced tickets in advance 24 hours a day, seven days a week online at StarTickets.com or by calling 1-800-585-3737.