The Ferris men’s hockey team completed a Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) sweep Friday and Saturday, Dec. 1-2 by scores of 2-0 and 5-2 over the Alaska Anchorage (UAA) Seawolves.
Ferris came into the weekend with a record of 6-9-1 overall and a 3-4-1 WCHA record. The Seawolves came into the weekend contest with a 1-7-4 record overall and a 1-2-3 record in the WCHA.
The contest on Friday, Dec. 1, featured great goalie play from both goaltenders. Bulldog sophomore goaltender Justin Kapelmaster saved 22 shots in his shutout victory.
Ferris netted their first goal at 13:49 of the second period when Hetz scored his first goal of the year. Ferris Junior Corey Mackin picked up his 10th assist of the year and Ferris senior forward Andrew Dorantes picked up his seventh.
The Bulldogs would then connect again less than three minutes later when junior forward Trevor Recktenwald rocketed a shot over the shoulder of UAA’s goaltender Olivier Mantha at 16:27 of the second period. This goal was the final nail in the coffin for the Seawolves as the Bulldogs went on to win 2-0.
Kapelmaster also stopped 10 shots in the final period as he earned his first shutout of the season.
The contest on Saturday, Dec. 2, was an offensive surge for the Bulldogs as two players reached multiple goals.
Ferris redshirt sophomore forward Craig Pefley scored twice in the contest, which included the game-winner and added two assists in his four-point night. Ferris sophomore forward Taylor Fernandez provided two additional goals for the Bulldogs on the night. Ferris junior defensemen Ryker Killins added a goal and an assist to the contest.
The Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead in the contest early in the second period when Pefley scored his first goal of the game with an assist from junior defensemen Zac Tierney who earned his second assist of the year.
In the middle of the second period, the Seawolves would score twice in 32 seconds, when Austin Azurdia and Corey Renwick found the back of the net to notch the game at 2-2.
Ferris found the net at 7:21 of the third when Pefley rifled in his second goal of the game. Ferris sophomore defenseman Nate Kallen earned his seventh assist of the season as well.
Ferris then added two more additional goals from Fernandez, with the first one being at 16:03 and the second one at 18:32 of the third. The two goals would add to the Bulldogs lead and push them past the Seawolves 5-2.
Kapelmaster also stopped 27 out of 29 shots in the contest.
The Bulldogs will next be in action as they venture up to the Upper Peninsula to take on the Michigan Tech Huskies on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 8-9, with both games starting at 7:07 p.m. in Houghton.
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