After losing the WCHA series opener against the Huskies of Michigan Tech last weekend, the Ferris State Bulldog hockey team is looking to get back on track this weekend.
The Dawgs will travel to East Lansing this weekend in a matchup against the Spartans of Michigan State University. With a 2-3-0 record, the Bulldogs are looking forward to the task at hand and getting back into form against a Spartan team that will come in with a 1-3-0 record.
“It’s obviously really important to get back on track this weekend. Having a losing record early in the year isn’t good, but it is early and we can still turn things around,” junior center Dakota Klecha said. “This weekend is a good test for us with it being on the road and games like these are a must win. We need to find a way to score goals if we’re going to get back on track. We have to be more physical around both nets.”
The Dawgs have struggled of late, scoring just one goal in their last nine periods of hockey.
“You have to score more than that, you need more than just one goal to win hockey games,” Klecha said.
With their 1-3-0 record so far this season, the Spartans are a team that the Bulldogs can’t look past. Michigan State has faced tough competition so far this year, facing teams like Massachusetts, Boston University, and the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. In the three losses this season, which came against those powerhouse college hockey programs, Michigan State has not lost by more than a goal so far this season.
For Klecha, playing against the Spartans, who are a former CCHA rival, it is something everybody on the team is looking forward to. Especially for the guys who hail from the state of Michigan. Klecha also sees a great opportunity in facing these teams to prepare the Bulldogs for conference play.
“Growing up as a kid, you always dreamed of playing on Michigan or Michigan State.,” Klecha said. “When we play these teams, it’s great to compete against bigger schools and be competitive against them. These type of games really help us prepare for WCHA play because these are teams have similar playing style to the teams we face in conference. This weekend will hopefully help us move forward and get us one step closer to our goal.”
The Bulldogs weekend series against the Spartans will begin on Oct. 31 with puck drop slated for 7 p.m. The Dawgs and Spartans finish the series on Nov. 1 with puck drop again slated at 7 p.m.