After falling to a sixth straight loss on Friday, Bulldog hockey erased a 2-0 deficit to snap the losing streak and gift head coach Bob Daniels 500 career victories on Saturday.
Daniels, the second-longest tenured bench boss in NCAA hockey, earned his half-millennium mark win after 33 years with the program.
For the veteran head coach, 500 wins allow him to focus on his surroundings.
“More than anything, it makes me appreciative of the coaches,” Daniels said. “It kind of gives you a moment to sit back and reflect on that. The great players that have played here, the administration, our athletic directors and presidents have been really supportive of the program.”
Daniels kept his past and present coaches in mind, being grateful to current coaches Drew Famulak, Mark Kaufman and Dave Cencer and then past coaches Derek Lalonde, Seth Appert, Jamie Russell and Jeff Blashill.
In his more than three-decade career, Daniels sits at a 500-614-116 record.
A 4-2 loss on Friday, Nov. 15, followed by a much sought-after 3-2 victory on Saturday, Nov. 16, put the Bulldogs at 3-9-2 overall and 2-5 in the CCHA.
The split against the Lake Superior State Lakers (4-6-0, 3-1-0 in CCHA) first marked the continuation of a long losing streak before being broken the next night.
Friday night’s tilt at Taffy-Abel Arena saw Ferris go down two goals in just under four minutes. Junior forward Max Itagaki scored his first as a Bulldog to pull within one with under two seconds remaining in the first frame. Another Bulldog tally, this time from junior forward Tyler Schleppe returned the game to a deadlock. However, the game unraveled for Ferris, as the Lakers answered with two more goals to take the game.
With the streak of losses extended to six games, the Bulldogs headed to Traverse City to finish their series against Lake Superior State in the “Traverse City Takeover.”
Before the 4-2 win on Saturday, Ferris was 0-5-1 in the second half of their weekend slates. Senior defenseman Nico DeVita explains why the latter half of the weekends are tough.
“Saturday is always the hardest night to win on in college hockey,” DeVita said. “You’ve already played the team, so you’re able to pick off some of the things they’re doing and adjust going into the next game. Saturdays really prove who can adjust and take care of themselves.”
Like the night previous, the Bulldogs trailed by two goals. However, Friday’s goalscorers, Itagaki and Schleppe, held their momentum and netted two quick goals to again return the game to a tie. Late in the third period, Schleppe grabbed his second goal of the game to secure Ferris’ long-awaited victory.
The second line, comprised of junior forward Connor McGrath on the left, Schleppe centering and freshman Matt Corbet on the right, was the first time they’ve slotted in together. Schleppe credited his three-tally weekend and two-goal night to the cohesiveness of his new linemates.
“It’s my first weekend playing with McGrath and Corbet,” Schleppe said. “I think we gelled really well and created a lot of space for each other. I kinda got lucky, and the puck kept finding me, so I put it home.”
With the losing streak over for the Bulldogs, the focus shifts to avoiding another. Ferris will return home to Ewigleben Ice Arena to welcome in the Augustana Vikings for the first showdown on home ice.
Last year, the Bulldogs spoiled their new CCHA rival’s home opener in their inaugural season with a two-game sweep in South Dakota.
Ferris aims to continue their undefeated streak against the Vikings and start a win streak, while Augustana looks to get revenge for last year’s sweep. The contests are set for Friday, Nov. 22 at 7:07 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 23 at 6:07 p.m.