2002-03 Ferris State Ice Hockey Schedule Announced

2002-03 FERRIS STATE ICE HOCKEY SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED

Bulldogs Host Highly-Regarded St. Cloud State In Season Opener; 19 Home Appearances On Tap

A regular-season opening home series against highly-regarded St. Cloud State along with home outings versus Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) members Michigan State (Dec. 6) and Michigan (Feb. 1) highlight the 2002-03 Ferris State University men’s ice hockey schedule as announced by FSU head coach Bob Daniels.

The Bulldogs will initially take to the ice Saturday, Sept. 28, with their annual Crimson and Gold Intrasquad Game. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. (EDT) at FSU’s Robert L. Ewigleben (pronounced A-VAH-glave-in) Ice Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. A week later (Oct. 6), Ferris begins its 19-game home schedule by hosting Western Ontario in an exhibition contest slated for 7:05 p.m. (EDT). Like a season ago, all home starting times will be 7:35 p.m. for Friday dates and 7:05 p.m. opening faceoffs for Saturday contests.

Ferris then officially starts its 28th season of intercollegiate competition and 37-game regular-season schedule with a home non-league series against 2001-02 NCAA West Regional participant and Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) power St. Cloud State (Oct. 11-12).

Ferris State opens its 28-game CCHA schedule with a home series versus Bowling Green State (Oct. 18-19) followed by a pair of consecutive two-game league road sets against Notre Dame (Oct. 25-26) and Alaska Fairbanks (Nov. 1-2). A league home-and-home series versus Michigan State (Dec. 6-7) and Michigan (Jan. 31-Feb. 1) are among other schedule highlights. Other CCHA teams making an Ewigleben Ice Arena appearance this campaign include Ohio State (Nov. 22-23), Notre Dame (Jan. 10-11), Northern Michigan (Jan. 17-18) and Nebraska-Omaha (Feb. 28-March 1).

The CCHA competition cluster schedule format this season has the Bulldogs paired with Bowling Green State and Notre Dame. As a result, Ferris will play each of those teams four times with a two-game home and road series apiece. Ferris will also play Western Michigan four times on a annual basis – both twice at home (Nov. 15 and Feb. 15) and on the road (Nov. 16 and Feb. 16) as part of the CCHA’s new “rivalry pairings” schedule structure.

FSU will also be participating in a post-Christmas Holiday Tournament for the fourth straight season as the Bulldogs will make their first-ever appearance at the University of Connecticut’s Cingular/Connecticut Classic (Dec. 29-30) in Storrs, Conn. The tourney field pits Ferris State against Alabama-Huntsville in Sunday’s (Dec. 29) opening round with game time slated for 2 p.m. (EST). Host Connecticut and Findlay will square off at 5:15 p.m. (EST) in the second game. Final-round play will commence Monday (Dec. 30) with the third-place game starting at 2 p.m. proceeded by the championship contest at 5:15 p.m.

The Bulldogs’ remaining non-league competition features a home series against Wayne State (Nov. 8-9) and a road set at Niagara (Jan. 3-4).

“I’m really excited about this season’s schedule,” said Daniels, who embarks on his 11th year at the helm this upcoming 2002-03 season. “The CCHA continues to get stronger each season so we’ll be tested every game. I also think playing Western Michigan now four times per season makes our schedule just that more challenging.

“I believe our non-league matchups will be a great test for us too. Western Ontario is one of Canada’s top teams and St. Cloud State has been a perennial power the last four years or so. The team is also excited about playing out east (Cingular/Connecticut Tournament and Niagara) as we have a lot of players from Ontario,” added Daniels.

The CCHA Tournament will continue its format which was implemented last season. All 12 league teams will compete in the tourney with the top six regular-season finishers hosting a first-round, best-of-three series. The first-round winners will then advance to Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena for the CCHA Tournament Super Six Championships where the quarterfinals, semifinals, third-place game and championship game will be held.

Ferris State concluded the 2001-02 season with a 15-20-1 overall record and finished with a ninth-place 12-15-1 CCHA mark (25 league points).

For 2002-03 Ferris State Hockey ticket information, contact the FSU Ticket Office at (231) 591-2888.