Ferris State Hockey Falls to USA Hockey's U-18 Team in Exhibition Action to Start New Year

Postgame Highlights 
Postgame Interview 

Big Rapids, Mich. – The Ferris State University men's ice hockey team played its first game of 2025 Saturday (Jan. 4) at the Ewigleben Ice Arena against USA Hockey's National Team Development Program's (USNTDP) U-18 team and suffered a 4-3 setback in exhibition action.

The Bulldogs got two goals from forward Cole Burtch while freshmen goaltenders Martin Lundberg and Connor McDonough both saw action between the pipes.

Burtch scored the game's first goal just 1:31 into play with a short-handed tally. Xavier Jean-Louis broke the puck out of FSU's zone where Burtch raced from center ice to the top of the right-wing circle. He fired a shot to the backside post to give Ferris State a 1-0 lead. Jean-Louis recorded an assist on Burtch's short-handed tally.

USNTDP answered with a power play goal at 2:09 from Mikey Berchild that tied the game 1-1. Will Moore and LJ Mooney assisted.

Burtch gave FSU another lead at 4:53 with his second goal of the evening. Logan Heroux took a shot from the point that was tipped by Jacob Badal. Off the rebound, Badal fired a backhanded pass from the goal line net front that Burtch buried. Badal and Heroux both assisted as FSU took a 2-1 lead into the intermission.

Moore tied the game at 2:13 in the second period. Drew Schock IV and starting goaltender Joey Slavick assisted as USA's U-18 squad tied the game a second time. 

Jack Murtagh gave the USNTDP squad its first lead at 1:01 in the third with an unassisted goal. However, the Bulldogs quickly answered back.

Jack Silich scored at 1:51, tying the game 3-3. Emerson Goode fired a shot from the point that Slavick saved, but Silich got the rebound and took a backhanded shot from the goal line that beat Slavick short side for the goal. Goode assisted on Silich's goal that tied the game.

Richard Gallant tallied the game-winning goal at 17:23 with Cole McKinney and Charlie Trethewey assisting as the USNTDP team closed out a 4-3 win in Big Rapids.

For the game, Ferris State had 38 shots, went 0-3 on the power play and 0-1 on the penalty kill, winning 34 faceoffs. USNTDP had 22 shots and won 27 faceoffs.

Lundberg drew the start between the pipes for Ferris State, stopping 12-14 shots in 31:16 of action. McDonough played the final 27:12 and made six saves on eight shots faced.

Burtch had a multi-goal performance for FSU and Moore had a goal and an assist for USA's squad. Goode and Caiden Gault each took five shots on goal to lead the way for FSU.

Ferris State will return to Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) play next weekend as they travel to take on St. Thomas Friday (Jan. 10) and Saturday (Jan. 11). Puck drop for Friday's game is schedule for 8:07 p.m. (ET) with pregame coverage beginning on Sunny 97.3 FM at 7:30 p.m. (ET).