Ferris State Drops Close Showdown Against Michigan State Before Sellout Home Crowd

Postgame Highlights 
Postgame Press Conference

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's hockey team fell in their non-conference schedule finale 3-1 at home in front of a sold out crowd of 2,490 against the Michigan State Spartans on Saturday (Nov. 18) night at the Ewigleben Ice Arena.

Ferris State captain and junior forward Corey Mackin broke a goal scoring slump with his second goal of the season to pull the Bulldogs within a goal late, but it was not enough.

The Spartans struck first at 14:08 of the opening period when Brennan Sanford scored shorthanded unassisted on a rush down the left wing wall to give MSU a 1-0 lead.

Michigan State's Mitch Lewandowski then scored on the power play at 8:05 of the middle frame from Taro Hirose and Carson Gatt to push the edge to 2-0 on a one-timer from the middle of the right wing circle.

Mackin scored for FSU at 2:21 of the third from junior defenseman Ryker Killins and sophomore defenseman Nate Kallen (3) to cut the margin back to a single goal.

The Bulldogs, though, couldn't find the equalizer and Gatt scored from Patrick Khodorenko at 11:20 of the third to account for the final margin.

Both teams netted a power play goal with the Bulldogs going 1-6 and the Spartans finishing 1-5. 

Ferris State sophomore goaltender Justin Kapelmaster took the loss and made 22 saves for the Bulldogs, snapping his three-game win streak, while Lethemon earned the win with 29 stops.

The Bulldogs return to Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) play as they head south to take on the Alabama-Huntsville Chargers on Nov. 24-25 for a pair of 8:07 p.m. (ET) puck drops at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Ala.