Ferris State hockey’s struggles continue, after another weekend sweep, where the team lost 6-1 and 4-3 to No.18-ranked Minnesota State, lengthening their losing streak to 12 games.
After the loss on Saturday, the Bulldogs have tied the program’s longest stretch of consecutive losses of 12 games, which goes back to the Bulldogs’ first season in the CCHA in 1978-79. The program is also approaching their record of longest string of games without a win, as another four losses would match the 2020-21 Bulldogs’ 16-game winless streak.
The Bulldogs (4-24, 3-16 in CCHA) look to break the streak as they travel to take on the Bemidji State Beavers (10-15-3, 8-9-3 in CCHA) at the Sanford Center.
Senior forward Gavin Best spoke about the team’s struggles so far this season.
“Despite having the results, we feel our game is trending upwards,” Best said. “We need to stay focused on our process and continue growing as a group to play our best this last month. These next couple of weekends are crucial as we look to spark some positive momentum.”
In the two teams’ history, the Bulldogs have a 23-24-6 record against the Beavers. In the last five seasons, Ferris State holds a 7-6-1 record against Bemidji State.
A standout player on the season for Ferris State has been senior defenseman Xavier Jean-Louis. So far this season, Jean-Louis has four goals and nine assists, which is good for 13 total points. While redshirt junior forward Carter Rapalje, who has five goals, six assists, and 11 total points this season.
At goalie, the Bulldogs are led by sophomore Martin Lundberg and junior Hobie Hedquist. Lundberg has played in 14 games while logging 683 minutes, while having a 2.98 goals against average, and an .884 save percentage. As for Hedquist, he has played in 13 games and logged 655 minutes in the crease, while having a 4.12 goals against average, and an .879 save percentage.
The Beavers come into the weekend on a rough patch of their own, as before they took down Northern Michigan on Jan 30, the team had a winless streak of 12 games stretching back to Nov 28.
Bemidji State is led in scoring by junior forward Olivier Peer, who is third in the CCHA in goals with 14, while having 10 assists and 24 total points. While senior forward Adam Flammang has eight goals, 19 assists and a team leading 27 points on the season.
Head coach Brett Riley spoke about how he believes his squad can stifle the Beavers offensive attack.
“Bemidji has a few high-end forwards who produce at a high rate, including Olivier,” Brett said. “We must be dialed in defensively and highly alert whenever he’s on the ice. When he’s going, their team is going so our commitment to playing a disciplined, winning brand of hockey in the defensive zone will be critical.”
In the crease for the Beavers, they use a combination of two goalies, junior Raythan Robbins and freshman Max Hildebrand. Hildebrand has logged 16 games and 904 minutes for Bemidji State, having a 2.99 goals against average, while having an .889 save percentage. Robbins has 12 games and 724 minutes, while having a 2.65 goals against average and a .892 save percentage.
The Ferris State Bulldogs hockey team will travel to Bemidji, Minnesota to take on the Bemidji State Beavers on Friday, Feb 6 then again on Saturday, Feb 7 at the Sanford Center.