Chat with the Chief: Spotlight on sports

If you haven’t been paying attention to Ferris athletics all year, now is a great time to start.

The men’s basketball team just clinched the regular season GLIAC Championship for the third year in a row and will be hosting the conference tournament as the No. 1 seed next week.

With just one loss since Dec. 10, the Dawgs have been nearly unstoppable on the hardwood and the wave of momentum they’ve been riding should help them to make some noise in the postseason.

Last year, the team pushed all the way to the NCAA Div. 2 Midwest Regional round before falling to Lake Superior State in overtime.

Meanwhile, the hockey team is currently neck-and-neck with Bowling Green State for fourth place in the WCHA heading into their final series of regular season play.

This is notable because the top four teams at the end of the season have the privilege of hosting the first round of the conference playoffs.

Depending on the outcome of this weekend’s games against Lake Superior State, the Bulldogs may earn one more home hockey weekend. That’s one more weekend to cheer from the Dawg Pound, tune into the game online, or even just to get drunk at an off-campus post-game party.

The 2015-16 season was up and down for the Bulldogs until they caught fire and blazed all the way to the NCAA West Regional Final and were among the final four teams in the country still fighting for the national championship. Again, the Bulldogs are getting hot towards the end of the season and could be poised to make a similar run.

Additionally, Ferris senior forward Gerald Mayhew is being considered for the Hobey Baker Trophy, which is awarded to the nation’s best Div. 1 college hockey player. Watching Mayhew on the ice is watching an eventual Ferris legend.

There’s a reason sports coverage has infiltrated the news and opinions section, in addition to its usual section in this newspaper. It’s crunch time and every minute of every game counts.

Both teams are playing their final regular season games this week and there’s a lot on the line. Follow the games, even if it’s your first time doing so. Your fellow Bulldogs need your support.