PREVIEW: Bulldogs Welcome Minnesota State For WCHA League Set This Weekend

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's ice hockey team, fresh off an exciting road win at Michigan Tech, will return home to the friendly confines of the Ewigleben Ice Arena for a two-game Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) series against preseason league favorite Minnesota State this Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6-7.

The Bulldogs will host the Mavericks both nights at 7:07 p.m. (ET) in what has become one of the newest rivalries in the WCHA. This weekend's battle pits the last two conference regular-season champions against one another as FSU claimed the 2013-14 crown before MSU won the 2014-15 title.

Fans can purchase advance tickets for this week's home action to guarantee a seat and save over the normal gameday rates by visiting the FSU Athletics Ticket Office located inside the Ewigleben Sports Complex. Bulldog fans can also purchase all regular-priced tickets in advance 24 hours a day, seven days a week online at StarTickets.com or by calling 1-800-585-3737.

Late Goal Lifts Ferris State To Exciting Road Win At MTU
A late goal by sophomore forward Andrew Dorantes propelled the Ferris State University Bulldogs to a 3-2 victory over the Michigan Tech Huskies in WCHA action and gave FSU a season series split with MTU on Saturday (Oct. 31) night at the MacInnes Ice Arena in Houghton. Freshman goaltender Darren Smith made 36 saves, including 18 in the third period, to secure his second win in as many starts for Ferris State. Both senior forward Kenny Babinski and senior defenseman Simon Denis scored for the Bulldogs in the victory. The victory was number 400 in the storied career of Ferris State head coach Bob Daniels. The bench boss is currently in his 24th season behind the bench for the Bulldogs.

Ferris State Comes Up Short In OT Setback
An overtime goal by forward Malcolm Gould gave Michigan Tech a 5-4 win over the Ferris State Bulldogs on Friday (Oct. 30) night at the MacInnes Ice Arena in Houghton. The Bulldogs were led by four different goal scorers, including junior forward Jared VanWormer, senior forward Matt Robertson, sophomore forward Andrew Dorantes and freshman forward Corey Mackin. Junior forward Gerald Mayhew added two assists in the defeat.

Scouting The Mavericks
Minnesota State ended the 2014-15 season with an overall record of 29-8-3 and claimed both the WCHA regular season title and the tournament championship in the process. In conference play, the Mavs went 21-4-3 for a winning percentage of .804. Although they earned the number one overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, Minnesota State was stung in the opening round of the South Bend, Ind. regional, falling to RIT, 2-1. The Mavericks finished with a scoring average of 3.62 and a defense of 1.93, which was third-best in the nation in both categories. So far this year, MSU has a record of 4-4-0 in eight contests, falling to the University of Nebraska-Omaha and St. Cloud State before sweeping Bemidji,State and Alaska in WCHA action. Senior forward Teddy Blueger has stepped into a leading role and is tied for the team lead in scoring with two goals and three assists. Also contributing with five points through the first eight games has been junior defensemen Sean Flanagan and Casey Nelson, along with junior forward Zach Stepan. In net, junior Cole Huggins has played the majority of the minutes, posting a goals against average of 2.36 and a save percentage at .908 with a 2-4-0 record.

History With Minnesota State
Heading into Friday's contest, the Bulldogs are 4-12-2 all-time against Minnesota State, which includes an 0-5 mark against the Mavs last season. Two years ago in 2013-14, the Mavericks swept FSU in a weekend series Jan. 17-18, which marked the first time the two teams had played each other since 1998. Minnesota State has also defeated the Bulldogs in the WCHA's Final Five in each of the last two seasons. Ferris State is 4-3-1 at home and 0-7-1 on the road against MSU. The series dates back to 1992-93 when FSU posted decisive 7-1 and 3-1 wins at home to open the all-time series. Ferris State head coach Bob Daniels has coached the Bulldogs in all 18 all-time meetings of the two programs.

Dorantes Breaks Out
Sophomore forward Andrew Dorantes had his best week as a Bulldog to help FSU to a split in its series at Michigan Tech last weekend. Dorantes scored the game-winner with just over a minute to play on Saturday night in a 3-2 victory for Ferris State. He also recorded his first career multi-point game with a goal and an assist in Friday's 5-4 overtime setback to the Huskies. For the weekend, Dorantes finished with three points and totaled sevel shots while posting a +3. triumph. The forward now has five points in his first eight contests, after finishing with six points in 33 total games during his freshman campaign.

Scoring Diversity
The Bulldogs' 21 goals to date this season have come from 12 different scorers. In addition, a total of 18 skaters have at least one point through the first eight games of the year. Saturday's win at Michigan Tech saw the first points of the year for Simon Denis, Brandon Anselmini and Zach Szajner. Friday night's output also had diversity, as the team saw four different goal scorers and eight total skaters register a point in the defeat.

Daniels Closes The Book On Win 400
Saturday's victory was number 400 in the storied career of Ferris State head coach Bob Daniels. The bench boss is currently in his 24th season at the helm after taking the reins at the start of the 1992-93 campaign. Daniels ranks 36th on the list of college hockey's all-time winningest coaches, and is 16th-best among active coaches. Daniels has led the team to three NCAA Tournament berths, including a 31-win season during 2002-03.

Clean Sheet
Friday night's game with Michigan Tech was played without any penalties whistled on either side. The outcome was surprising, based on the team's previous efforts. Although early on in the season, Ferris State was averaging 14.5 penalty minutes per game through their first six contests, ranked seventh-highest in the country. The Huskies were not far behind, averaging 13.75 penalty minutes per game, coming in at tenth-highest in the nation.

Click Here For Complete Game Notes (PDF)