Ferris State scored two times in 11 seconds in the second period and went on to a 4-1 win over Western Michigan.
Trevor Large gave Ferris a two-goal lead with the game winner at 3:32. Matt Verdone wristed the puck toward the net, and Large was there to put the rebound past Marvin. That would be all the Bulldogs would need.
“I thought we played very well tonight,” Ferris State head coach Bob Daniels said. “We moved the puck very well, and looked very relaxed out there. We didn’t try to do too much with the puck, and our special teams really came through tonight. Overall, it was a solid effort.”
Western Michigan came out with the jump early in the first period and out-chanced the Bulldogs. But Bulldog goaltender Mike [nl]Brown kept the game scoreless, denying the Broncos on a few very good chances.
The Bulldogs had to look no further than to their captain to get them started off on the right foot. Mark Bomersback passed the puck out into the slot from behind the net. Derrick McIver moved past two Bronco defensemen and wristed the puck past goaltender Eric Marvin at 13:23 to make it 1-0.
“I thought Mike [nl]Brown played great tonight,” Daniels said. “If one of those pucks go in early in the first, then it is a different hockey game.”
Western Michigan came out with more energy in the second period but fell victim to a couple odd man rushes that put the Broncos back on their heels. FSU’s Brett Smith tallied his 12th of the season when he scored on a two-on-one opportunity 11 seconds after the Trevor Large game winner. McIver passed the puck over to Smith, who wristed it past Marvin to make it 3-0 at 3:43.
The Broncos got on the board at 14:53 by taking advantage of a broken play. Western had the puck in the slot and one of the Bulldog defensemen fell to the ice with the puck laying underneath him. Vince Bellissimo dug in, picked up the loose puck, and wristed it over [nl]Brown at 14:53 to make it 3-1.
Derrick Nesbitt helped Ferris State get the three-goal lead back at 17:28 while on the power play. Marvin stopped the first shot by Mike Kinnie, but Nesbitt was there to wrist the rebound over the blocker of Marvin at 17:28.
“We have been a 10-3-3 team in our last 16 games,” Daniels said. “We have played very well as of late. I know I keep going back to early in the season, but those first four games against Alaska and Michigan State really killed us. We are in the hunt for home ice in the playoffs, but right now this team hasn’t set any goals. We are just coming out to play good hockey, but home ice is on our minds.”
Ferris State and Western Michigan will do battle again in Kalamazoo on Saturday night.
