Ferris sweeps opening home series for the first time since 2001-2002
Ferris began the weekend home stand with a 2-1 come from behind victory Friday night.
The Bulldogs fell behind late in the first period when Connecticut’s Daniel Naurato shot a goal past sophomore goalie Taylor Nelson. Ferris responded early in the second period with a goal by sophomore Derek Graham, his first of the season.
After remaining tied for most of the second period, Ferris was able to break the tie with 1:31 left in the period. Freshman Travis Ouellette deflected a shot by junior Scott Wietecha for a power play goal.
The Bulldogs were able to hold the lead throughout the third period as Nelson made some crucial saves, including stopping the game-tying goal right in front of the net with five seconds left in the game. Nelson ended the night with 26 saves, 10 of which came in the third period. Head coach Bob Daniels was pleased with the effort from his goalie.
“Nelson had a lot of key saves for us,” said Daniels, “He really had some key stops in the third period and that makes a huge difference in a close game like this.”
After starting the weekend with a close win, the Bulldogs dominated the Huskies on Saturday, posting a 6-1 blowout win.
Ferris jumped on Connecticut early in the contest as senior Blair Riley netted his first goal of the season 9:35 into the first period. Junior Todd Pococke gave Ferris a 2-0 lead on his first goal of the season.
The Bulldogs continued to produce on offense in the second period, as senior Matt Case scored a power play goal with 7:05 left to give Ferris a 3-0 lead. Connecticut’s lone goal came from Sean Ambrosie late in the period to close the gap to 3-1 at the second intermission.
Ferris shut the door on a Connecticut comeback in the third period. Senior captain Cody Chupp scored his first goal of the season on a power play just 42 seconds into the third to put away the Huskies.
After sweeping the home opening weekend series, the team feels confident about the start of the season. Chupp said the weekend sweep was exactly what the team needed.
“It was huge for us to start the home schedule like this,” said Chupp, “We were looking to come out of this weekend with a sweep, so it feels pretty good being able to play well at home at the start of the season.”
One of the keys to the victories was the power play, in which the Bulldogs were able to score three power play goals. Ferris had just one power play goal last weekend against Canisius College.
“I’ve been very happy with the way we’ve been able to produce on the power play, especially since we’ve had to switch up our lines because some of the guys have been battling the flu,” said Daniels.
The Bulldogs host Robert Morris University (Pa.), who is currently 1-1 in the season, this weekend at Ewigleben Ice Arena. Last season, the Bulldogs lost and tied in two road contests against the Robert Morris Colonials.