The Bulldogs lost their final regular season contest against the Lake Superior State Lakers on Friday, March 1.
Ferris (10-22-2, 6-17-1 in CCHA) had a season series advantage of 2-1 over the Lakers (15-18-1, 11-12-1 in CCHA) before the series was evened with a 4-1 loss on Friday.
Head coach Bob Daniels still didn’t feel discouraged with the loss.
“We just had a few loose plays with the puck and that cost us,” Daniels said. “I felt the line of Emerson [Goode], Zach [Faremouth], and Jacob [Dirks] played well together, it felt like it was pretty even.”
The Bulldogs took the lead early with a tally from senior defenseman Drew Cooper marking his second goal of the year. Ferris held the lead into the second, but the Lakers scored three goals in the period to quickly take over 3-1. A shorthanded chance gave the Lakers a three-goal advantage in the final period and the Bulldogs couldn’t answer falling 4-1.
With the loss on Friday, Ferris finished the regular season with an official record of 10-22-2 and claimed last place in the CCHA conference. This is the Bulldogs’ worst record since their 2021-2022 season where they finished at 11-24-1.
The Bulldogs will now look towards the CCHA playoff tournament. Ferris has secured the eighth seed and will compete in a best two out of three series against the new MacNaughton Cup champion Bemidji State Beavers.
Senior forward Jacob Dirks spoke on possibly heading into his final few games as a Bulldog.
“It’s bittersweet,” Dirks said. “Now we just have to put it all behind us and realize that it’s a win or go home situation. All of us [seniors] have a piece to the puzzle to help this team and I think the experience can help us make a run.”
The Bulldogs will begin the quarterfinal round of play on Friday, March 8 on the road at Bemidji State. Puck drop for Friday’s matchup will be at 8:07 p.m.