After hiring a new head coach and having a big offseason in the transfer portal, the Bulldogs will take on the reigning national champions, the Western Michigan Broncos, in a two-game set that starts at Lawson Ice Arena and then returns to Ewigleben Ice Arena for the Bulldogs’ home opener.
Ferris State (0-2-0,0-0-0 in CCHA) faces off against the reigning champion Broncos (0-0-0,0-0-0 in NCHC) in what will be the Broncos’ first games of the 2025-26 season.
The Bulldogs took on Miami of Ohio for their first series of the season. The first game saw Ferris lose by a score of 6-4. Goals in this game came from senior defenseman Xavier Jean-Louis, senior forward Connor McGrath, junior forward Emerson Goode and senior forward Josh Zary. Junior goaltender Noah Rupprecht started this game for the Bulldogs, and he went 35-40 on saves.
Ferris also lost their second game this time by a score of 3-1, with the lone goal coming from Zary. The Bulldogs were outshot on goals in this game, with the Redhawks having 27 shots on goal to the Bulldogs’ 20. The Bulldogs could not seem to get a shot to get past Redhawks’ goalie, sophomore Matteo Drobac, who saved 19-20 on saves after playing all 60 minutes of the game.
Head coach Brett Riley is looking forward to playing on home ice at Ferris.
“We’re thrilled to play on home ice in front of our great Ferris State and Big Rapids community,” Riley said. “Our guys have worked incredibly hard these past few months, and I can’t wait for them to showcase that against a very quality opponent. We’re expecting an electric atmosphere, and we truly appreciate the support.”
The Bulldogs are coming off a series against Miami of Ohio at Miami. After the first two games this year, the Bulldogs are led in scoring by a player. A goalie started the games and posted stats.
Sophomore forward Jack Silich enjoys playing in front of the Bulldog fans.
“Playing in front of the Bulldog Faithful is one of my favorite things,” Silich said. “It’s something like no other college team can experience, and we just can’t wait to be back at home.”
This series is Western Michigan’s first regular-season game this year. Last season, six players scored 30 points or more, with sophomore forward Alex Bump (23-24-47) leading the team in scoring as the only player with more than 40 points. Bump was the 133rd overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and is now playing for the Philadelphia Flyers. Junior forward Owen Michaels (18-18-36) led the returning players in scoring. Sophomore goaltender Hampton Slukynsky started all 25 games he played in last season, logging over 1500 minutes with a goals against average of 1.90. Slukynsky had 593 saves for a save percentage of .922 and a 19-5-1 record.
Sophomore defenseman Logan Heroux can’t wait to play in front of the home fans,
“I’m very excited,” Heroux said. “It’s been a long time since February, March, when we last played in front of the home crowd. When the crowds roaring and the student section is full, there’s nowhere else I’d rather play. I think we have the best student section in the country so I’m truly excited to be back in front of them.”
Ferris State’s home opener will be on Friday, Oct. 10, at 7:07 p.m., at Ewigleben Ice Arena.