The Ferris State Bulldogs will be meeting familiar foes in St. Paul, Minnesota this weekend, and will have a chance to bring home the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Championship.
The WCHA playoffs began last weekend, and pitted the Bulldogs against the Bemidji State Beavers in the first round, whom they had just hosted less than a month before for a two-game series.
During that home series, the Bulldogs suffered a 2-1 loss during the first game, and earned a point for tying the Beavers in the second game, 1-1.
This weekend, the Bulldogs will need just two victories against WCHA competition to take home the Broadmoor Trophy, and their first win will have to come against No. 2 Minnesota State, who currently sits atop the conference.
The Bulldogs and Mavericks have already met four times this season, and none of them have ended particularly well for the Dawgs. Ferris State has been held to just one goal in every previous contest with MSU. The Bulldogs lost 2-1 and 3-1 when hosting the Mavs, then lost twice two weeks later in Minnesota, both by a 5-1 margin.
If Ferris State were to earn the victory over MSU, they would draw either the Michigan Tech Huskies or the Bowling Green State Falcons in the championship.
Early in the season, the Bulldogs hosted the Huskies and lost by just one goal in consecutive contests, first being shut out 1-0 before losing 2-1 on the next night.
The dogfight was also staged in Joe Louis Arena as part of the Great Lakes Invitational. Ferris also fell to Michigan Tech on that day, losing 4-2 despite a rally late in the game.
The Bulldogs have also already played Bowling Green State four times this season, with the matchups occurring on consecutive weekends back in early February.
Travelling on the road, Ferris lost by just one goal in both games hosted by the Falcons, first in 2-1 fashion, then by a 3-2 margin on the next night. The following weekend, the Falcons made the trip to Ewigleben Arena, and split the series with the Bulldogs. BGSU claimed a 4-1 victory before the Bulldogs were able to come through in overtime in the next game, winning 3-2.
The Bulldogs have had low points during this rollercoaster of a season, but they seem to be coming alive at the right time, as they have gone 7-1-1 in their last nine games heading into the postseason.
Of course, Ferris State doesn’t plan on sending their hockey team to Minnesota alone, so they have designated a fan bus, which will be transporting the Bulldog loyal to and from the games this weekend.
The deadline to reserve a seat on the fan bus is March 19 at noon. The bus will depart from the Ewigleben sports complex at 4 a.m. on Friday morning, and return to Big Rapids around 11 p.m. on Sunday. Fans will be expected to pay for hotel accommodations and ticket prices. Those interested can sign up to see the Bulldogs in action live this weekend by calling or visiting the ticket office.
Those not willing to make the trip can follow the Bulldogs by tuning in to FOX Sports Detroit+ or by listening through the radio on 97.3 FM. The puck will drop between the Bulldogs and Mavericks in the Xcel Energy Center this Friday at 8:37 p.m.