Bulldog hockey shuts out No. 14 Minnesota State

Goaltender Noah West stops 38 shots en route to a 2-0 Ferris win

Senior Noah West’s 38-save shutout performance led the way to a 2-0 Ferris State Bulldogs (8-15-2, 7-10 in CCHA) win over the No. 14 Minnesota State Mavericks (16-7-2,11-4-2 in CCHA).

The shutout is West’s third of his collegiate career and the first by a Ferris goaltender at home since Oct. 27, 2018, against Alaska Anchorage.

West credited the defense in front of him and the intensity the team played with in the win.

“Sometimes this year we get a little lax in our defensive zone, but we played extremely hard tonight,” West said. “We had a ton of big blocks and that made it easier for me. Great to get a win like that in front of the home crowd.”

The last time the Bulldogs defeated a ranked opponent was back on Dec. 27, 2022, against the Michigan State Spartans. The Mavericks held an all-time record of 9-1 against Ferris entering the matchup, as the Bulldogs had not defeated Minnesota State since 2021.

The Bulldogs captured their first ranked win in over two years with the shutout against Minnesota State. Abe Kraus I Torch Photographer

In their previous series against the Bowling Green Falcons, the Bulldogs had been outscored by a combined 5-0 in the first period. While Ferris spent the majority of the first period playing defense in their zone, senior forward Kaleb Ergang sent a wrist shot past the netminder at 12:53 to give Ferris a 1-0 lead. The Bulldogs killed off a penalty in the frame and registered 12 shots to Minnesota’s 16.

Ergang was excited to score first but said the mindset of the Bulldogs never wavered.

“It’s always nice to play with the lead but that didn’t change our approach,” Ergang said. “The offense and defense combined together for a really complete game and Noah West played a hell of a game. He kept us in it with some big saves.”

Ferris flipped a switch offensively in the second frame. Despite failing to tally a goal, the Bulldogs outshot the Mavericks 19-11 while earning their first power-play chance. Ferris held its 1-0 advantage entering the final 20 minutes of play.

The Bulldogs killed off a penalty in the third period before junior forward Jacob Badal buried a slapshot from the left circle, extending Ferris’ lead to two with 2:04 remaining. Sophomore defenseman Trevor Taulien was credited with an assist, increasing his point streak to four games (0-4–4). Junior forward Tyler Schleppe also tallied two assists in the win, good for his fourth multi-point game of the year.

Minnesota State drew a penalty against the Bulldogs with 50 seconds left, as they went 6-on-4 in an attempt to get on the board. However, Ferris’ special teams held strong and closed out the shutout victory.

Head coach Bob Daniels was proud of the team’s work ethic following the win.

“We had to play full marks tonight and that’s exactly what we did,” Daniels said. “You can’t fake your way into a win against a team like this.”

Ferris will take on the Mavericks once more at home tomorrow night, looking for their second series sweep of the season. Puck drop is set for 6:07 p.m.