The Ferris State Bulldogs (0-0-0,0-0-0 in CCHA) will head to the Miami (OH) RedHawks (0-0-0, 0-0-0 in NCHC) to start the 2025-26 season.
Coming off a year where the Bulldogs went 13-20-3 and 12-12-1 in the conference en route to losing in the CCHA Mason Cup quarterfinals to the St. Thomas Tommies, Ferris is looking forward to the new season.
The team has undergone significant changes since the quarterfinals games, including the hiring of former Long Island head coach Brett Riley. Riley is excited for the first games to show what the team has been working on.
“We’re all very excited to get the season started,” Riley said. “Opening against Miami gives us a great opportunity to see our group compete and put into action. I’m proud of how quickly the players have embraced the new systems and identity. These first two games will be an important step in setting the tone for the year, but also trying new things to help get organized for CCHA play. “
Last season, the Red Hawks went 3-28-3 overall and 0-23-1 in conference play. Ferris State and Miami have opened the season against each other every year since the 2021-22 season.
Since then, Ferris State is 3-2-3 in the series, with many games going into overtime and three going into shootouts. Each year, the games have been within only a goal or two. Last season, both games ended in a tie as they went to an overtime shootout, which Ferris won both times.
Those were two of the three overtime shootout games the Bulldogs had last season. The third game was the last game of the regular season, losing at home to Northern Michigan 4-4.
Ferris State sophomore forward Jack Silich talked about the keys for his team to beat the Red Hawks in regulation and get the extra points that the team needs over the course of the season.
“For us, we need to continue to play how we usually play, which is hard and heavy,” Silich said. “We need to use that to our advantage. I think we’re an older team, and we can definitely take it to them in that sense. They’re definitely a younger team compared to us, and we just need to use our maturity to play the way we want to.”
Last season for the Bulldogs, Silich played in 20 games and logged 6 points (3-3-6) on 43 shots.
The Bulldogs have had roster changes since the end of last season as well, losing three players in the transfer portal and four more Bulldogs who went pro, including goaltender Noah West, who started 34 of the 35 games he played in and had a .901 save percentage. West signed with the Kansas City Mavericks, the affiliate of the Seattle Kraken.
Ferris State also added 12 players to the roster from the transfer portal, with five players following Riley from Long Island. One player who didn’t come from Long Island was North Dakota transfer, goaltender Hobie Hedquist. Last season for the Fighting Hawks, Hedquist started eight of the ten games he played in, playing for 513 minutes with a .894 save percentage. Hedquist went 3-4-1 in the games he played in.
The junior netminder is looking forward to the series against the Red Hawks, as well as the season ahead.
“I couldn’t be more excited for this weekend coming up,” Hedquist said. “I feel that we have a really close group this season and can accomplish great things together. We couldn’t be more excited to start our season.”
Ferris State will open its season on the road at Miami (OH) on Friday, Oct. 3, at 7:05 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 4, at 6:05 p.m. Both games will be held at the Goggin Ice Center in Oxford, Ohio.