The BG Men’s Hockey team will travel to Grand Rapids, Mich., this weekend to face the Ferris State University Bulldogs in a rematch of the 2012 CCHA second-round playoff matchup.
The last time these two teams met, BG won 4-3 in overtime to knock the Bulldogs out of the CCHA playoffs. The Bulldogs still received an at-large bid to the 2012 NCAA tournament, and advanced to the Frozen Four. Ferris State is led by their head coach Bob Daniels, who is in his 22nd season with the program. Ferris State comes into the series ranked No. 14 with a 7-2-0 overall record and is in first place in the WCHA. The Bulldogs are also a perfect 4-0 in WCHA conference play.
The all-time series between Ferris State and BG is tied at 55-55-11. The Bulldogs have won three out of the last five meetings.
“Ferris State is a team that we know and that we have played a bunch,” BG head coach Chris Bergeron said. “They’re a team that is playing good hockey right now.”
The Falcons are currently 5-3-2 overall with a 3-1 record in conference play.
BG center Ryan Carpenter was likely to make his season debut Friday night for the Falcons. However, he was injured during practice on Wednesday. Carpenter is out indefinitely with a broken foot suffered when he was hit by a shot, Bergeron said. The injury will not require surgery.
Carpenter broke his finger during BG’s exhibition game Oct. 5 and has not yet played in the regular season. Carpenter led BG last season with 18 goals and 33 points.
Sophomore goaltender Tommy Burke had a season-high 30 saves last Friday night as Falcons defeated Minnesota State 4-3. The victory was Burke’s third of the season. On the year, Burke has compiled a 3-0-2 record with a .914 save percentage and 2.13 GAA.
The Falcons lost 1-0 on Saturday night against Minnesota State and BG continued its special teams drought, as they failed to score a goal on the power play for the third consecutive game. The Falcons went 0 for 8 over the weekend and have not scored a power play goal in their last 14 chances.
“We have gotten a little flat,” Bergeron said. “Our work ethic and intensity on the power play hasn’t been great.”
Saturday night’s 1-0 loss to the Mavericks ended a three-game winning streak for the Falcons and a perfect record in the month of November. The last time the Falcons had a winning month in November was in the 2007-08 season.
This weekend conference series will be the only time the Falcons play the Bulldogs in the regular season. Friday and Saturday’s games will start at 7:07 p.m.
