Smith's 39 Saves Not Enough As WMU Edges Bulldogs

Kalamazoo, Mich. — Despite 39 saves from sophomore goaltender Darren Smith, the Ferris State Bulldogs fell to the Western Michigan Broncos by a 2-1 score on Friday night at Lawson Ice Arena.

Senior forward Chad McDonald had the lone goal for the Bulldogs on the power play with assists by freshman forward Taylor Fernandez and redshirt freshman forward Craig Pefley.

McDonald's goal got the scoring started at 12:34 of the opening period. While on the power play, FSU worked the puck around to the senior who blasted a shot into the top left corner of the net and gave Ferris State a 1-0 lead.

Pefley now has six assists in the team's first four games, which is the most in the NCAA.

For Fernandez, the helper was his first collegiate point in his third game.

After FSU held the one-goal advantage through the first intermission, Western Michigan evened the game at 8:10 of the middle period on a goal by forward Matheson Iacopelli.

The Broncos then took the lead when defenseman Scott Moldenhauer found the back of the net with a wrist shot from the slot at 12:31 of the second. His goal came on the power-play for WMU.

Western Michigan outshot FSU 41-18 on the night with Bronco goaltender Ben Blacker making 17 saves. WMU was 1-for-9 with the man-advantage while Ferris State finished 1-for-5 overall.

The Bulldogs are back at home next Saturday (Oct. 15) as they battle the University of Michigan Wolverines at FSU's Ewigleben Ice Arena in Big Rapids. The puck drops at 7:07 p.m. (ET) and the contest is sold out.

While next Saturday's game is sold out, tickets remain on sale for all other Ferris State home contests this campaign. Visit FerrisStateBulldogs.com for additional information or call (231) 591-2888 for details.