Bulldog Hockey Suffers 4-1 Setback Against Alaska in Kwik Trip Third-Place Game

Milwaukee, Wisc. – The Ferris State University men's ice hockey team competed against Alaska Fairbanks for third place in the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off Tournament at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wis., on Sunday (Dec. 29) and suffered a 4-1 setback.

The Bulldogs (6-12-2) got a power play goal from freshman defenseman Logan Heroux in the loss, and goaltender Noah West had a strong 32-save performance.

Alaska struck first with a power play goal from Matt Hubbarde at 4:48 in the first. Hubbarde's third goal this year came from Broten Sabo and Brendan Ross. UAF built a 2-0 lead before the intermission with a goal from Matt Koethe at 10:18. Luke Johnson and Chase Dafoe assisted.

Dafoe scored a shorthanded goal in the second period to give Alaska a 3-0 advantage. Kyle Gaffney assisted, and the Bulldogs went into period three down 3-0.

Heroux scored FSU's lone goal of the tournament at 2:56 in the third period as Ferris State attempted to mount a comeback. His second goal of the season came on a power play with Kaleb Ergang and Connor McGrath assisting. It was both Ergang's and McGrath's sixth assist of the year.

FSU pulled West for the extra attacker with 3:30 remaining in regulation. However, Alaska's Matt Rickard hit an empty net with 2:53 on the clock, sealing a 4-1 victory for the Nanooks.

With the win, Alaska clinched a third-place finish in the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off with Ferris State finishing fourth. 

For the game, Ferris State tied a season-high with six power play opportunities, converting one of them. The Bulldogs killed 3-4 power play tries for Alaska and won 29 faceoffs compared to 27 for the Nanooks. FSU attempted 27 shots on goal and committed six penalties while Alaska had 36 shots on target and went to the box eight times.

Trevor Taulien led the way with four shots on goal. Cole Burtch won 9-17 faceoffs to lead the team, while Heroux, Ergang and McGrath each recorded one point in the defeat.

West stopped 32-35 shots faced, giving him 83 saves across both games in the tournament (51 against Wisconsin). In total, he faced 94 shots across both games.   

Ferris State will return to Big Rapids for a home game at the Ewigleben Ice Arena Saturday (Jan. 4) against the United States Hockey Under-18 squad in exhibition play. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:07 p.m. (ET) with pregame coverage beginning on Sunny 97.3 FM at 5:30 p.m. (ET). The game will also be streamed live on Midco Sports Plus.