Ferris extends winning streak at home to 8-0 with sweep of Ohio State
The Ferris State hockey team is ranked 17th in the nation according to U.S. College Hockey Online after sweeping the Ohio State Buckeyes at home.
The Bulldogs improved to 8-0 at home this season, adding to two more victories to the already school-record home start. Ferris has outscored its opponents 39-16 in eight home contests this season.
The team is 9-3-2 overall and 4-2-2-2 in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). The team improved to third overall in the CCHA with 16 points, behind only Miami and Michigan State. Ferris is unbeaten in its last six contests and has not lost since Oct. 31.
The Bulldogs dominated Ohio State in the opener on Friday night with an 8-1 victory. Senior forward Blair Riley opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal five minutes into the game. The goal started a rally that resulted in three Bulldog goals in just three minutes, 44 seconds.
Riley added two goals in the second period for his second career hat trick. Ferris scored seven goals through two periods and the Buckeyes never recovered. Senior captain Cody Chupp added a goal and two assists for the Bulldogs. Sophomore goalie Taylor Nelson stopped 20 of 21 shots and senior Jordan Barber stopped all six shots he faced in the third period.
The second game proved to be a different story as the Bulldogs rallied from a three-goal deficit to defeat Ohio State in overtime. Ferris trailed by three goals on two separate occasions, including 5-2 early in the third period. Chupp began the comeback with a power play goal and Riley scored six minutes later.
Chupp tied the game with just 51 seconds remaining in the game to force overtime. Senior forward Casey Haines completed the comeback on a game-winning goal with 22 seconds left in the overtime session.
One reason for the Bulldogs’ success is that they have the best offense in the CCHA, scoring 3.57 goals per game. The team has 50 goals through 14 games, which is eight more than Michigan State’s 42.
In addition, Ferris has the top power play in the conference, scoring 25.6 % of the time. The next closest is Northern Michigan with 20.8%. The team is also ranked second in penalty kill and fourth in scoring defense.
Next on the schedule is a home series against the University of Nebraska-Omaha, which is currently ranked 19th nationally. The Mavericks are 5-4-3 overall and 2-4-2-1 in conference play. Ferris went 2-1-1 last season against the Mavericks, including the school’s first shootout victory against a conference opponent in the final game of the series.
Nebraska-Omaha defeated Ferris in the first round of the CCHA playoffs last season.