{"id":138666,"date":"2023-02-08T14:00:16","date_gmt":"2023-02-08T20:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/?p=138666"},"modified":"2023-02-08T13:36:49","modified_gmt":"2023-02-08T19:36:49","slug":"this-week-in-ccha-hockey-ferris-state-captain-slick-says-bulldogs-have-the-ability-to-win-games-with-bemidji-state-series-on-tap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/2023\/02\/08\/this-week-in-ccha-hockey-ferris-state-captain-slick-says-bulldogs-have-the-ability-to-win-games-with-bemidji-state-series-on-tap\/","title":{"rendered":"This Week in CCHA Hockey: Ferris State captain Slick says Bulldogs ‘have the ability to win games’ with Bemidji State series on tap ‘if we play our game’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
After four seasons at Holy Cross, Matt Slick is spending his graduate season with Ferris State (photo: Ferris State Athletics).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Matt Slick didn\u2019t know a ton about the CCHA before he arrived at Ferris State this summer, but it didn\u2019t take the Bulldogs long to school their new teammate about the ins and outs of their conference rivalries.<\/p>\n

And now the defenseman has been in Big Rapids, Mich., for long enough to know exactly what to expect from this weekend\u2019s series against Bemidji State.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was something I learned about when I got here,\u201d said the graduate transfer, who spent his first four seasons of college hockey playing at Holy Cross. \u201cI had never played a game against a CCHA team until I came here. But I would say in August, I learned about Bemidji and our battles with them. Guys really get up for this game. It\u2019s always a low-scoring, tight game.<\/p>\n

“There\u2019s definitely a little bit more fire this week knowing it\u2019s against Bemidji and what\u2019s on the line.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Bulldogs (11-13-4, 8-9-3 CCHA) host the Beavers (11-12-5, 9-8-3) this weekend at Ewigleben Arena for a series that could very well determine which of the two teams gets home ice for the first round of the CCHA tournament. The Beavers, with 31 points, are just one ahead of the Bulldogs, who have 30.<\/p>\n

Considering the Bulldogs\u2019 inconsistent start and recent history, it might not have been obvious to outsiders how talented this team was, but Slick said he knew right away that his new teammates would be better than anyone gave them credit.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone\u2019s hopeful in the spring, but when we came back in August, it was pretty obvious we had a lot of talent, a lot of guys who worked really hard, and two really good goalies, which I think is a blueprint for success,\u201d he said. \u201cWe had a bit of a rollercoaster start to this season, but then we found some success around Thanksgiving, and it\u2019s been contagious. It\u2019s been a lot of fun. Obviously, we have a huge series this weekend, but playoffs have already started in our mind. It\u2019s a lot of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ferris State is just two seasons removed from the worst season in program history; last year the Bulldogs won just 11 games and wasn\u2019t even in the conversation for home ice. So the fact that the team has the chance to host a playoff series for the first time since the 2015-16 season is a big deal \u2013 especially considering how much of an advantage the \u201cfriendly confines\u201d of Ewigleben tends to give them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can be like pinball in there,\u201d Bemidji State coach Tom Serratore said of Ewigleben during his weekly media conference. \u201cYou\u2019ve got the high glass, the low ceiling, the loud fans, the rounded boards, smaller rink, all that stuff. Games are always a lot of fun there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Slick chuckled when asked about how much teams seem to dislike playing at Ewigleben.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re really comfortable in our own rink. We\u2019ve played well here in the past, and we take a lot of pride in our home ice,\u201d the Bulldogs captain said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been drawing better crowds here as we\u2019ve been stringing together wins, so hopsting a first-round playoff series is something we\u2019ve been aiming for. The fact that it\u2019s something that\u2019s within reach is really motivating for us. It would be really awesome to get it but there\u2019s a lot of work that needs to be done to make it happen over the next six games.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Bulldogs managed to make themselves a home ice contender again thanks to a five-point weekend in Bowling Green. Ferris swept the Falcons with a 2-1 win on Friday and a 4-4 tie (and shootout win) on Saturday. Most notably, the Bulldogs managed to shut down CCHA scoring leader Austen Swankler, holding him to just a single assist in Friday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe kind of got our butts handed to us the week before against Mankato, and we just kind of had to look in the mirror and say, you can either slip and keep stumbling into the playoffs or we get up, so we got out there and played hard,\u201d Slick said. \u201cGuys were really motivated going into the Friday game (against BG). It\u2019s a crazy atmosphere there, but once the game settled in we were playing with a lot of confidence. It\u2019s a good feeling to set the stage for us the rest of the way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since returning for the second half of the season in the second week of January, the Bulldogs haven\u2019t had any weeks off, and they won\u2019t have any more until the end of the season. Following this weekend\u2019s series with the Beavers, they travel to Northern Michigan then host Lake Superior State for the final series of the regular season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a lot of belief in what we have in the room, and that\u2019s kind of what we focus on,\u201d Slick said. \u201cMaybe there are teams out there who write us off a little bit, but that\u2019s kind of motivation for us. We play hard-nosed, we try to dictate the play as much as possible. We don\u2019t talk too much about the standings, but obviously this weekend everyone knows this one is a big one. We like the underdog mentality but at the same time, we don\u2019t feel in the locker room that we\u2019re ever out of any game.<\/p>\n

“If we play our game, we know we have the ability to win games.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Matt Slick didn\u2019t know a ton about the CCHA before he arrived at Ferris State this summer, but it didn\u2019t take the Bulldogs long to school their new teammate about the ins and outs of their conference rivalries. 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