After securing five points in their final two home games of the regular season against Northern Michigan, the Ferris State hockey team looks ahead to the last two games of the regular season against the Lake Superior State Lakers.
Ferris State looks to have firmly secured a spot in the CCHA playoffs after picking up five points thanks to a shootout victory and a regulation victory over Northern Michigan in the final two home games of the regular season.
In the 4-4 shootout victory, the Bulldogs were led by a two-goal night by senior forward Tyler Schleppe, with goaltender Martin Lundberg picking up 30 saves.
Then, in the 6-0 victory, Schleppe picked up another two goals, while redshirt junior forward Carter Rapalje picked up two goals for himself. With Lundberg in the crease again for this game, going a perfect 25-25 on saves and picking up his fourth win on the season and second shutout.
Head coach Brett Riley spoke about the season to this point.
ice against Lake Superior on Nov 21, 2025. Photo courtesy of Ferris Athletics
“I could not be more proud of our team’s resolve and ability to fight through adversity and play our best hockey down the stretch,” Riley said. “We’ve grown in all areas, and the group has stayed together and taken major strides as the season has progressed. Early on, there were areas we needed to clean up, but that’s part of the growth process when you have new players, a new staff, and a lot of change within a program.”
The Bulldogs (6-25-1, 5-18-1 in CCHA) will travel to Sault. Ste Marie to take on the Lakers (11-19-2, 8-15-1 in CCHA).
Ferris has a 1-1 record against the Lakers this season, with both games being decided by one goal. The Bulldogs lost the first matchup 2-1, then won the second 4-3.
The Bulldogs and the Lakers have a long and storied rivalry, spanning back to when Ferris State first joined the CCHA in 1978. The Bulldogs have a record of 67-89-15 record against the Lakers and have a 7-13 record against them since the 2021-22 season.
Junior forward Holden Doell spoke about the matchup against Lake Superior.
“I think we have been gaining momentum over the past couple of weeks with our play,” Doell said. “We are finally stringing together some points, so continuing to improve our play, especially coming off a bye week, will be really important.”
Ferris State’s offensive attack is bolstered by the senior duo of Gavin Best and Max Itagaki. Best has 12 goals, which leads the Bulldogs, while having 11 assists, which is good for a team-leading 23 points. Itagaki has six goals on the season, while having 12 assists, which is second on the Bulldogs and 18 total points.
At goaltender, the Bulldogs are headed by Martin Lundberg, who so far this season has been in the net for four of the Bulldogs’ six wins while logging two shutouts this season. Lundberg spoke about his second season as a Bulldog.
“I want to give a lot of credit to my teammates and coaches for my development this season,” Lundberg said. “The team has worked hard in front of me every game, and the coaching staff has helped me improve different parts of my game throughout the year. Their support and trust have meant a lot and helped me take important steps forward.”
The Lakers’ offense is led by the forward duo of freshman Calem Mangone and William Ahlrik. Mangone has 11 goals, which leads the Lakers and 14 assists, which is good for a team-leading 25 points. Ahlrik himself has 10 goals, 14 assists which is good for 24 total points.
In the crease for the Lakers, they are led by sophomore Rorke Applebee. Applebee has started 26 games for the Lakers this season, while logging 1,598 minutes, averaging 2.82 goals per game, which is ninth in the CCHA. He is currently sitting at a .917 save percentage.
Ferris State hockey will travel to Sault. Ste Marie to take on the Lake Superior State Lakers at Taffy Abel Arena for the final two games of the 2025-26 regular season. With the first game being on Thursday, Feb 26, with puck drop slated for 7:07 p.m. and the second game coming on Friday, with puck drop scheduled for 7:07 p.m.