Bulldogs victorious on home ice over Wolverines

A last minute goal propels Bulldogs past Wolverines to split series

Junior defensemen Zach Redmond scored the game-winning goal for the No. 8 nationally ranked Ferris hockey team with 24 seconds remaining to beat Michigan.

Redmond took a pass from senior left wing Blair Riley and was able to get the puck past Michigan goaltender Bryan Hogan to break a 2-2 tie and ultimately give the Bulldogs the win.

The Bulldogs rallied to break the tie with just second remaining in the game. Photo by Kate Dupon, Ferris State Torch

“We stayed disciplined and played hardnosed hockey and with a little luck I was able to find the back of the net,” said Redmond.

Ferris struck first as senior Casey Haines cashed in off a turnover at 6:20 of the first period with a short-handed goal to give the Bulldogs an early 1-0 advantage.

The Bulldogs carried a 2-1 lead late into the third period until Redmond was sent to the box with only 2:38 remaining. The Wolverines did not squander the man advantage as Brian Lebler ricocheted the puck past Ferris goalie Pat Nagle to tie the game with less than two minutes remaining.

With under a half minute to go and Ferris now on the power play, Redmond was able to avenge his earlier mistake as he tallied the game-winner to give Ferris the lead for good.

The victory also snapped a three-game losing skid for the Bulldogs, which was the team’s longest winless streak this season. Bulldog head coach Bob Daniels believes it was a very important win for his team.

“This is probably the top win of the season as we needed to stop some bleeding,” said Daniels.

Ferris dropped a 2-0 decision to the Wolverines in first contest of the series.

The game was scoreless after the first, but that quickly changed as Michigan struck twice in the second period and that proved to be enough. Hogan saved all 22 Ferris shots in the shutout.

It marked the second consecutive Friday in which the Bulldogs did not score.

“We need the same amount of effort both nights,” said Daniels. “We can’t keep digging ourselves out of a hole.”

Following the series split, Ferris is now 17-7-2 overall and 11-5-2-2 in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). The Bulldogs are third in the CCHA standings with 37 points, one point behind Michigan State and eight points behind Miami.

The team travels next to Columbus, Ohio to face off against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Earlier this season, the Bulldogs swept the Buckeyes, as they won 8-1 and 6-5 in Big Rapids.