FERRIS STATE HOCKEY GETTING NATIONAL ATTENTION

Sophomore center Jeff Legue is one of several reasons why Ferris State is off to its second-best start in the program's history.

Bulldogs Reaping Rewards Of Early-Season Success On The Ice

The nationally-ranked Ferris State University men’s ice hockey program, which presently sports a 12-4-0 overall record and has registered a first-place 10-2-0 Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) mark, was recently noted by both Michigan College Hockey.com (MiCHO) and Inside College Hockey.com (INCH) for their current accomplishments during the 2002-03 season.

Ferris State, which is off to its second-best start in the program’s 25-year history as a NCAA Division I member, was recognized by MiCHO as one of the top nine NCAA-I teams in the State of Michigan. The Bulldogs joined fellow league member Michigan as the only two teams to receive an “A” grade in MiCHO’s early season progress report rankings. FSU has also received top honors in three separate MiCHO Readers Polls this season – most improved team in the state (54%), best place to see a college hockey game in Michigan (30%) and best goaltender in the state (Mike Brown - 33%). MiCHO is an online publication which serves as an exclusive source of promoting Michigan’s college hockey programs.

Ferris has also received noteworthy attention by Inside College Hockey.com, which selected Ferris as the surprise team in the CCHA in its mid-term evaluations. INCH is midst its inaugural season promoting collegiate hockey. The Bulldogs were picked to finish eighth place in the CCHA by INCH in its 2002-03 season preview. Furthermore, senior left wing Chris Kunitz (Regina, Sask.) and sophomore goaltender Mike Brown (Calgary, Alta.), a five-time CCHA Defensive Player of the Week honoree this campaign, were chosen to INCH’s CCHA First Half All-League Team. Kunitz presently ranks first among the CCHA’s scoring leaders with 24 league points (10-14–24) while Brown is tops in save percentage (.933) and second in goals against average (2.00). Both are scheduled to appear on the front cover of a January issue of The Puck, a weekly hockey edition of The Detroit Free Press. Ferris State was also featured in the Dec. 16 edition of USA Today.com as one of the nation’s biggest surprises in college hockey to date for the 2002-03 campaign.

FSU, under the direction of 11th-year head coach Bob Daniels, was chosen to finish ninth in both the 2002-03 CCHA preseason media and coaches poll. Ferris State’s 10-2-0 league ledger represents the best mark in the program’s history and the Bulldogs are within five league points of matching last season’s ninth-place 25-league point total (12-15-1 in the CCHA).

Ferris State, which ranks eighth this week in U.S. College Hockey Online’s (USCHO) poll while being listed ninth in INCH’s poll and tied for ninth place by USA Today/American Hockey Magazine, is idle until Dec. 29-30 when the Bulldogs will be competing in the Connecticut Classic at Storrs, Conn. Ferris will take on the Alabama-Huntsville Chargers in Sunday’s, Dec. 29, opening-round play at 2 p.m. (EST) while host Connecticut entertains Findlay in the other semifinal starting at 5:15 p.m. (EST). The consolation and championship contests are scheduled for Monday, Dec. 30, beginning at 2 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. (EST), respectively.