Ferris battled against Canisius and managed to split the weekend series.
For the first game on Friday, Oct. 29, the Bulldogs lost 4-3 in non-conference action at Lecom Harbor Center.
The Griffins took an early lead 64 seconds in the first period for a 1-0 lead. The Bulldogs wouldn’t stay behind for long as freshman forward Bradley Marek ripped in a one-timer on a two-on-one rush to even the game at 1-1. Freshman forward Kaleb Ergang picked up his second assist of the year
Later, at 5:50 of the first, Ferris took the lead when senior forward Justin Michaelian scored his first goal of the year shorthanded for a 2-1 Bulldog lead. Senior forward Liam MacDougall and senior defenseman Brendon Michaelian picked up an assist on the play. In the second period, the Golden Griffins came back on a point shot through traffic to tie the score at 2-2. Moving in the third period, freshman forward Zach Faremouth picked off a clearing attempt and shot top right for a 3-2 Bulldog lead at 3:28 for his first ever collegiate goal.
The Griffins evened the contest on the power play at 13:09 to even the score at 3-3 later the Griffins would win at 16:02 for the 4-3 final.
Ferris’s 24-consecutive penalties-killed streak ended when the Griffins scored at 13:09 of the third period. The Griffins finished 1-5 at night while the Bulldogs went 0-2.
Canisius finished with a 42-28 advantage in shots on goal. The Griffins were boosted by an 18-8 edge in the second period.
Sophomore goaltender Logan Stein made 38 stops towards the loss. Canisius had 25 stops.
“We came out a little flat footed and they got an early goal, but we responded well and got two quick ones right after. The second period we had to kill a few penalties and they got a lot of offensive zone time. They capitalized on some of our mistakes, and it made us pay in the end.” Stein said. “We are still learning what it takes to become a really consistently good team every week.
The Bulldogs turned the corner Saturday night to display a win of their own. In the first period at 6:44, senior forward Liam MacDougall netted his second goal of the year for a 1-0 bulldog lead to finish off a two-on-one rush. Senior forward Justin Michaelian (3) and junior forward Dallas Tulik picked up on the assist on the play.
The Golden Griffins came back to tie the game on the power play at 15:41 at 1-1.
Senior forward Jake Transit suffered an injury that had to remove him from the game.
“When Jake got injured on the play, we had concerns of a potential long-term injury, turns out he is fine but will be out for a while,” head Coach Bob Daniels said. “It had an impact with both teams playing lightly taking a minute for the game to get heated up again.”
As soon as the Bulldogs got back on the ice, they took lead at 13:14 on their second major power play of the period. Marek scored on a rush down the left lane after a Canisius turnover for a 2-1 lead. Senior forward Marshall Moise contributed to the play.
Early in the third period, The Griffins tied the game at 2-2 on the power play at 34 seconds of the third. Ferris State would strike back fast to take the lead at 6:50 when MacDougall netted a shot top right for a 3-2 Bulldog lead and the eventual game-setting goal. MacDougall’s goal was his third of the year while Tulik picked up his sixth assist of the year.
Finally, at 18:52 of the third period, Tulik fired into the empty night for his second goal of the year for the 4-2 final. Justin Michaelian and MacDougall helped towards the assists on the goal.
“My memory is was pretty foggy from the time of the hit until I was in the ambulance.Once I realized I could move all my body’s parts I figured I didn’t have any serious injuries. So when I saw the stretcher coming I remember saying I didn’t need it and that I was fine. I understood that was something they had to do.” Jake Transit said. “I just remember thinking of my family and that I didn’t want them to panic back home because I knew I was ok for the most part. Especially after listening to the stream they weren’t really able to provide any information so my family watching was probably very worried. As far as the injury goes, I was knocked unconscious and diagnosed with a concussion. I’m doing everything possible to recover and can’t wait to be back on the ice with my teammates soon.”
The Griffins had a 25-20 edge in shots for the contest. Ferris State finished 1-4 on the power play while Canisius scored both of their goals in the game on the man advantage and finished 2-6.
“We had two really hard fought and physical game we weren’t able to close out the first game even with us having the lead “Head Coach Bob Daniels said. “We turned it around the second game and closed it out. We are still looking for constancy and to cut out lapses.”
Senior goaltender Roni Salmenkangas who started tonight moved to 1-0-0 on the year with a 23-save win.
“Jake’s injury was extremely hard to deal with because you are worried for your friend and teammate, but as a team we had to keep our heads in the game.” Stein said. The depth in our team really showed. We played a very complete game. We managed the game very well and it was a good character win for us.”
Ferris picked up its third win of the year and are 3-5. The Bulldogs return home to see Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) action against Minnesota State on Friday Nov. 5 at the Ewigleben Ice Arena at 7:07 p.m.