The Bulldogs won their first two matchups of the season in a shootout against the Miami (OH.) RedHawks on Friday, Oct. 3, and Saturday, Oct. 4.
The shootout wins will go down as ties for Ferris (0-0-2) with the regulation periods ending at 3-3 on Friday and 4-4 on Saturday.
Head coach Bob Daniels had high praise for his team and the season’s start after the two close matchups.
“I give the guys high marks,” Daniels said. “There were multiple instances where we fell behind by a goal and each time we responded. The new guys have done a great job of inserting themselves and they were really excited to come out here and play a game. Games like these are really good for them and the fans.”
Friday’s season opener opened up slowly for the Bulldogs as they trailed the RedHawks 1-0 early on behind a buzzer-beater goal late in the first period. Ferris quickly responded just 23 seconds into the second period when sophomore forward Holden Doell cashed in to tie up the score.
The Bulldogs traded another pair of goals including a shorthanded score from sophomore forward Cole Burtch, his first goal with the Bulldogs after transferring from Western Michigan this offseason.
With the score tied at 2-2, the RedHawks scored again midway through the third to go up by one. Just two minutes later, junior forward Caiden Gault skated down a wide-open breakaway lane and found the back of the net to tie the score at 3-3. The tie remained through the rest of regulation.
Burtch was the first to skate for the Bulldogs and gave them the early lead with a top-corner shot. Senior goaltender Noah West turned away all three RedHawks shot attempts to seal the win for Ferris.
West credited the defense and the coaching staff for the opening night win.
“Any win in college hockey is a big win,” West said. “The defense was really good. All three lines kept the shots to the outside and let me see pucks well. We gave up three but at the end of the day, I think it was just the ebbs and flows of the game. I’m glad to have a coaching staff here that supports me and gives me their full support to go out and battle with a team of 28 brothers.”
West transferred to Ferris from the University of Michigan this offseason where he appeared in 11 games in three seasons for the Wolverines. He earned the start for the Bulldogs on opening night turning away 27 shots on goal.
The high-scoring contests continued into Saturday where Ferris once again triumphed in the shootout this time behind two regulation goals by sophomore defenseman Trevor Taulien.
The Bulldogs kicked off the scoring with a tally from junior defenseman and team captain Travis Shoudy midway through the first period. The RedHawks evened the score at 1-1 on a power-play goal just two minutes later.
Taulien saw both his goals come in the second period, yet the RedHawks also scored twice in the period to remain tied at 3-3 heading into the final period. Taulien scored two goals in his freshman year last season for the Bulldogs and has already tied that number just two games into the 2024-2025 campaign.
Senior forward Nick Nardecchia added a rebound tally to the Bulldogs’ scoring output midway through the third alongside another tying goal from the RedHawks. Despite six shots in the overtime period, the game was sent to a shootout for the second consecutive night.
Miami took the early 1-0 lead when Burtch’s shot hit the bar and bounced away. The Bulldogs tied the score with a goal from junior forward Connor McGrath and West sent away the final two Miami shot attempts. Junior forward Max Itagaki sealed the deal for Ferris with his game-winning goal on the final shot of the shootout.
The Bulldogs are set to continue their season next weekend against the Western Michigan Broncos in a home-and-home series. Ferris split their series against the Broncos last season including an eight-round shootout victory.
Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. at Western Michigan on Friday, Oct. 11, and 7:07 p.m. at home on Saturday, Oct. 12.