Bulldog Youth Blazes Path To Victory Over Wildcats To Cap Regular Season

Postgame Highlights 

Marquette, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's ice hockey team dealt the Northern Michigan Wildcats a 4-2 defeat Saturday (Feb. 26) inside the Berry Events Center to wrap up the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) regular season.

Ferris State freshman forward Kaleb Ergang and sophomore forward Mitch Deelstra each had a goal and an assist, while sophomore goaltender Logan Stein made 38 saves on 40 shots faced in the victory.

The Wildcats got on the board on a power play in the second period at 10:59 when Trevor Cosgrove blasted a shot through traffic that redirected past Stein for a 1-0 NMU lead.

Northern Michigan's lead stood for 39 seconds. Ferris State scored at 11:38 when freshman forward Kaleb Ergang held off an NMU defenseman and roofed a shot past Wildcat goaltender Charlie Glockner for a 1-1 tie on his fifth goal of the year. Deelstra picked up the assist on the zone entry play for his seventh of the year.

Before the period was out, the Bulldogs took a 2-1 lead, this time when Ergang held off another Wildcat defenseman to dish a pass to junior defenseman Blake Evennou. Evennou ripped a shot that Glockner fought off in the crease, but Deelstra picked up the rebound and circled it around Glockner's right leg for his fourth goal of the year. Ergang (5) and Evennou (8) earned the assists on the play.

Northern Michigan came out hard in the third period but were stymied by a pair of highlight reel saves by Stein.

On Ferris State's only power play of the night, freshman forward Bradley Marek ripped in his ninth goal of the season at 11:58 of the third period. It was his seventh power play goal, good for second most in the CCHA from the bottom of the right circle. Ferris State sophomore defenseman Luke Farthing earned his fourth assist of the year on the goal for a 3-1 lead and the eventual game-winner.

The Wildcats pulled back within a goal at 17:15 with the extra attacker on when Hampus Eriksson banged in a one timer from the tops of the face off circles to make it 3-2 for FSU.

With 9.1 seconds remaining in regulation, Ferris State freshman forward Nick Nardecchia picked off an errant Wildcat pass and ripped it 160 feet into the empty net for the 4-2 final and his fourth goal of the year.

Ferris State was outshot 40-27 in the game, and went 1-1 on the power play. The Wildcats finished 1-5 with four second period chances alone, as Ferris State held one of the CCHA's best power plays 1-8 on the weekend.

For the Bulldogs, Stein picked up a 38-save victory while Glockner took the loss, making 23 stops for the Wildcats in goal

The Bulldogs move on to the CCHA Quarterfinals, March 4-6, where they'll face second seeded Michigan Tech at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena in Houghton, Mich.. Game times and information are forthcoming at FerrisStateBulldogs.com