Ferris State Hockey To Make 37th All-Time Postseason Playoff Appearance This Weekend

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's ice hockey squad will open its 37th all-time postseason playoff appearance this weekend as the Bulldogs visit nationally third-ranked Minnesota State for a Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) First-Round Playoff series March 12-14 in Mankato, Minn.

The eighth-seeded Bulldogs and the top-seeded Mavericks will battle at the Mayo Clinic Health Systems Event Center on Friday and Saturday nights with the deciding game three set for Sunday, if necessary. Friday's opening game of the weekend will begin at 7:07 p.m. (ET) with the final two games at 5:07 p.m. (ET).

The WCHA will crown a playoff champion during the WCHA Postseason Tournament, presented by SPIRE Credit Union, and the tournament winner will receive an automatic bid to the 2021 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship. The winner of the 2021 WCHA Postseason tournament will also once again receive the Jeff Sauer WCHA Championship Trophy, presented by Anderson's Pure Maple Syrup.

This year will represent the Bulldogs' 22nd postseason playoff appearance in the past 24 years, including the sixth and final appearance in the WCHA. It will also mark Ferris State's 37th trip to the postseason in program history. FSU has advanced past the quarterfinal round in three of its previous five WCHA postseason appearances, including winning the program's first-ever conference postseason crown in 2016.

The top four teams in the WCHA will host a best-of-three, quarterfinal round series this weekend in the WCHA Playoffs. From there, the four highest remaining seeds will advance to the 2021 WCHA Championship, which will be held at the highest remaining seed, March 19-20.

Pairings, locations and start times for the Friday-Sunday, March 12-14, best-of-three, quarterfinal round of the 2021 WCHA Playoffs (*denotes if necessary):

No. 8 Ferris State at No. 1 Minnesota State (Mayo Clinic Health Systems Event Center; Mankato, Minn.)
Game 1 (Friday, March 12): 6:07 p.m. CT
Game 2 (Saturday, March 13): 4:07 p.m. CT
*Game 3 (Sunday, March 14): 4:07 p.m. CT

No. 7 Alabama Huntsville at No. 2 Lake Superior State (Taffy Abel Arena; Sault Ste., Marie, Mich.)
Game 1 (Friday, March 12): 7:07 p.m. ET
Game 2 (Saturday, March 13): 5:07 p.m. ET
*Game 3 (Sunday, March 14): 5:07 p.m. ET

No. 6 Northern Michigan at No. 3 Bowling Green (Slater Family Ice Arena; Bowling Green, Ohio)
Game 1 (Friday, March 12): 7:07 p.m. ET
Game 2 (Saturday, March 13): 7:07 p.m. ET
*Game 3 (Sunday, March 14): 5:07 p.m. ET

No. 5 Michigan Tech at No. 4 Bemidji State (Sanford Center; Bemidji, Minn.)
Game 1 (Friday, March 12): 7:07 p.m. CT
Game 2 (Saturday, March 13): 6:07 p.m. CT
*Game 3 (Sunday, March 14): 5:07 p.m. CT

All games will stream live on FloHockey.tv.

All Ferris State Hockey postseason contests can be heard live on local flagship station Sunny 97.3 FM and the Bulldog Sports Network with Harrison Watt calling the action. An online broadcast is available at FerrisStateBulldogs.com with pregame coverage starting a half-hour prior to puck drop.

Since 2012, the Bulldogs have made three NCAA Tournament appearances and advanced to the NCAA Final Eight all three times. FSU has also won two conference regular-season championships along with capturing the WCHA's Broadmoor Trophy once as the league's Final Five Champion. Along with a Frozen Four berth and national title game showing in 2012, FSU also has reached the regional final and the final eight of the NCAA Tournament in both 2014 and 2016.