For a moment, Friday night’s game had a feeling of déjà vu for the Ferris State hockey team.
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 3-0 lead on BG on the strength of two special teams goals. However, the Falcons clawed back, scoring three unanswered to force overtime.
The ringleader in the BG comeback was none other than Bulldog kryptonite Dan DeSalvo. He scored the first BG goal to ignite the rally and assisted on the other two goals.
However, the Falcons’ efforts were not enough, as BG surrendered a goal 14 second into overtime to lose 4-3. Ferris followed that game up with a 3-1 victory Saturday to complete the sweep.
DeSalvo has made a name for himself by exploiting Ferris State. In the postseason this past season, he had five goals and two assists in three games against the Bulldogs to lead BG to a playoff series win.
He got the BG rally started with just under eight minutes to go in the third period. Off a faceoff, DeSalvo tied up with a Ferris defender in front of the net. Mark Cooper took a shot and DeSalvo buried the rebound.
The goal gave the Falcons some life and confidence against Ferris goalie C.J. Motte, who stopped all 25 shots he faced through the first two periods.
“I think it gave us some firepower,” DeSalvo said. “We were trying to stay positive on the bench and something like that can get the team started.”
BG got within one just over a minute later. On the power play, DeSalvo received a cross-ice pass at the point from Mike Sullivan. He ripped a shot that was tipped past Motte in front by Ryan Carpenter.
The power play goal broke a 0-for-38 drought on the power play for BG, which spanned eight games.
“We were just simplifying things,” DeSalvo said. “One thing I think we can do better is get more shots on the net. We move the puck around well, we just don’t get enough pucks on the net.”
BG tied the game just over three minutes after, on a fantastic individual effort by Adam Berkle. Bobby Shea threw the puck off the glass in the defensive zone and Berkle corralled it in the neutral zone. He drove past two Ferris defenders and beat Motte five-hole with a backhand shot.
Despite the comeback, BG Coach Chris Bergeron was not pleased with the team’s consistency, pointing at Berkle as perhaps a microcosm of how the game went.
“We don’t think Adam Berkle played a strong game from start to finish; he turned over way too many pucks and then what does he do on that third goal? He drives to the net like a pro,” Bergeron said. “That inconsistency got us what we were getting.”
While the stat sheet said he stopped only 23 of 27 shots, Andrew Hammond was often the best player on the ice for BG. He made numerous strong saves when it was 3-0 to keep BG close, including two separate 2-on-1 situations.
“He made some big time saves to keep it at three,” Bergeron said. “One of our defensemen just makes an absolutely ridiculous play at their blue line and Hammy has to make three saves on a 2-on-1.”
“But, his consistency is something that he is fighting with as well.” he said. “I thought, overall, his game was good.”
Despite outshooting Ferris 25-12 through the first two periods, BG could not get a puck past Motte, who was cool and composed until DeSalvo’s third period goal.
Ferris wasn’t able to spot him a lead until the second period, when Corey Kane blocked a shot by Marcus Perrier at the blue line and out-skated three BG players on a breakaway to score a shorthanded goal.
It was the fifth shorthanded goal BG has allowed this season.
“Frustrating is fair [to say],” Bergeron said. “We’ve got guys struggling with their game right now. Marcus hit the guy right in the shin pad because his head was buried in the ice and it ends up in our net.”
For the second straight night, BG outshot Ferris on Saturday, this time 30-15, but fell to the Bulldogs 3-1.
Tommy Burke got the start in net, stopping 12 of 14 shots. Ferris State’s third goal came with an empty net.
The Falcons outshot Ferris 11-5 in the first period, but entered intermission trailing 1-0 thanks to Andy Huff’s goal late in the period.
“I thought we were good in parts of the first, but we were way too inconsistent,” Bergeron said. “We’re just not bearing down around their net.”
After Ferris made it 2-0 late in the second, BG cut the lead in half early in the third, with Bryce Williamson scoring a power play goal.
However, BG was not able to get another puck past Motte. The Falcons lost both games despite outshooting Ferris 66-42 in the series.
“That’s just the team that Ferris is: They like to sit back and wait for you to make mistakes and then they capitalize on them,” Williamson said.
Despite getting shots, BG has struggled to convert. In eight conference games this season, BG has scored 12 goals, an average of 1.5 goals per game.
“I don’t think we’re that offensively challenged,” Bergeron said. “I just don’t think we have any idea what it means to be intense.”
