Ferris State Mounts Early Comeback But Falls At Bemidji State

Bemidji, MN. - The Ferris State University men's ice hockey team fell 5-2 to the Bemidji State Beavers in Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) play on Friday (Jan. 3) at the Sanford Center.

Ferris State erased an early 2-0 deficit but were unable to take over in the third period after being even through 40 minutes of play.

For the Bulldogs, junior forward Marshall Moise and sophomore forward Justin Michaelian each tallied a goal for the Bulldogs.

The Beavers scored at 4:24 to take a 1-0 lead when Alex Ierullo scored on a rebound, followed by Darby Gula on a long bouncing shot at 7:24 of the opening frame for a 2-0 BSU lead.

Ferris State mounted a quick comeback, starting at 14:49 of the first period. Senior defenseman Joe Rutkowski fired a hard pass to the inside of the right wing circle where Moise laced it under the pad of BSU goaltender Henry Johnson for his team-leading eighth goal of the year. Rutkowski (10) and senior forward Jason Tackett (8) picked up helpers on the goal.

58 seconds later, the Bulldogs evened the game when Michaelian tapped the puck out of the air after fellow sophomore forward Jake Transit lifted it across the crease to him. Michaelian scored his fourth goal of the season on the play, while Transit (4) and junior forward Liam MacDougall (7) each had assists on the play. 

The Beavers broke the tie for the game winning goal at 1:31 of the third period when Aaron Miller scored on a two-on-one. Bemidji State added an insurance marker at 12:32 when Charlie Combs scored, followed by a shorthanded empty net goal by Ethan Somoza at 19:30 of the third period.

Ferris State senior goaltender Austin Shaw made 33 stops in the game, while Bemidji State's Johnson made 13 in the win. Ferris State finished 0-1 on the power play, as Bemidji State went 0-4.

Ferris State looks for the series split on Saturday (Jan. 4) at 7:07 pm ET At the Sanford Center against Bemidji State.