Giesbrecht Slams Door As Bulldogs Power Past Falcons to Cap Home Series

Postgame Highlights 
Postgame Interview - Coach Daniels 
Postgame Interview - Drew Cooper 
Postgame Interview - Noah Giesbrecht 

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's ice hockey team battled for a 4-1 win over the Bowling Green Falcons in Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) action on Saturday inside Ewigleben Ice Arena.

Ferris State sophomore goaltender Noah Giesbrecht stonewalled the Falcons, making 32 stops and allowing a goal late in regulation to break his shutout.

The Bulldogs got in front late in the first period when sophomore forward Nick Nardecchia ripped a shot off of an offensive zone face-off win that BGSU goaltender Christian Stoever had bounced off his glove, over his head, and into the net for a 1-0 Bulldog lead at 17:59. The goal was Nardecchia's first of the year, while junior forward Stepan Pokorny picked up his fifth assist of the campaign on the face-off win.

Early in the second period, the Bulldogs created a net-mouth scramble that eventually popped out to the right wing circle for freshman forward Caiden Gault. Gault ripped his first collegiate goal in at 2:34 of the second frame, beating Stoever blocker side for a 2-0 Ferris State lead. Junior defenseman Drew Cooper (3) and sophomore forward Zach Faremouth (2) earned the helpers on Gault's first career goal.

Ferris State extended its lead at 8:48 of the third frame when senior defenseman Blake Evennou intercepted a Bowling Green zone-clear attempt to start the rush. Evennou finessed his way by the defense and fired a low shot from the right circle that beat Stoever five-hole for a 3-0 Bulldog lead.

Bowling Green broke the shutout on Nathan Burke's goal at 17:05 of the third period with the net empty for the Falcons, in what had been four-on-four play until BGSU pulled Stoever for the extra attacker, making it 3-1 Ferris State.

The Falcons had more zone time following their lone goal, with 45 seconds on the clock, Cooper (4) found Nardecchia (3) along the left wing wall coming out of the Bulldog zone. Nardecchia fed junior forward Antonio Venuto at the Bulldog blue line, where he turned and gunned a 140-foot empty net goal, his first tally of the year, for the 4-1 final.

Ferris State was narrowly out-shot (33-30) in the game, but won the face-off battle 27-22, and held Bowling Green 0-4 on the man advantage. The Bulldogs went 0-4 on their own power play.

In goal, Giesbrecht picked up his second win for Ferris State on 32 stops, while Stoever made 26 saves for Bowling Green in the loss.

The Bulldogs are off over Thanksgiving weekend, but return to action on the road at top 10-ranked Minnesota State on Friday and Saturday (Dec. 2-3) at the Mayo Clinic Health Systems Event Center at 8:07 p.m. (ET) Friday and 7:07 p.m. (ET) Saturday in Mankato, Minn.