#3 Mavericks Outlast Strong Bulldog Push In WCHA Quarterfinal Game One
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ferris State (1-22-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Minnesota State (19-3-1) | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Mankato, Mn. - The Ferris State University men's ice hockey team took the nationally #3-ranked Minnesota State Mavericks into the last 13 minutes of regulation deadlocked at zero, but the Mavericks pulled away late to take game one of the best-of-three series 3-0 on Friday (March 12) in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Quarterfinals at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center.
Ferris State junior forward Ethan Stewart led the Bulldogs with three shots on goal while freshman goaltender Logan Stein made 24 stops.
At the halfway point of the first period, the Bulldogs held a territorial edge and led 4-2 in shots on goal on the Mavericks, but were kept off the board by MSU goaltender Dryden McKay.
Through two periods, the Bulldogs and Mavericks played to a scoreless lock. Ferris State was outshot 11-7 in the second period, but neither side could crack the goaltenders. The Bulldogs drew energy on several key defensive stops, including a pair of near-slot chances broken up by senior forward Marshall Moise.
It took until 8:49 of the third period, when Julian Napravnik scored from the bottom of the left wing circle on the power play for a 1-0 Minnesota State lead on just the Mavericks' second power play of the game. Ferris State was disciplined, taking only two penalties in the game.
Less than a minute later, MSU's Jared Spooner scored at 9:42 for the 2-0 edge on a shot from the top of the right wing circle by Riese Zmolek. Crashing the goal at 15:28, Walker Duehr added a second insurance marker for the 3-0 final.
For the Mavericks, McKay picked up the shutout, his nation-leading ninth of the season. The Bulldogs were 0-1 with one try on the man advantage for the contest.
Ferris State was outshot 27-15 on the night, though seven Mavericks' shots came with a man advantage in the game.
The Bulldogs face elimination in game two of the WCHA Quarterfinals at 5:07 p.m. (CT) on Saturday (March 13) in Mankato when they hit the ice, trying to force a decisive game three.