FERRIS STATE RELEASES 2003-04 HOCKEY SCHEDULE

CCHA Regular-Season Champions To Play 36-Game Regular Season Slate; Including 19 Home Outings

Click Here For 2003-04 Schedule

The Ferris State University men’s ice hockey team embarks on the quest to defend its first-ever Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) Regular-Season Championship title in the 2003-04 campaign with a season-opening home-and-home series against Western Michigan Oct. 10-11. The league-opening set is among 36 regular-season outings scheduled for the Bulldogs this season as announced by FSU head coach Bob Daniels.

“Our schedule presents a lot of challenges,” said Daniels, who begins his 12th year at Ferris State this upcoming 2003-04 season. “We have a league title to defend and the target on our backs is certainly much larger this season than before although it’s a welcome challenge.”

Simon Mangos and his fellow Bulldogs will begin defense of their first-ever CCHA Regular-Season Championship crown with a season-opening league series versus Western Michigan. (Mark Hicks/Westside Photo)

Ferris State initially takes to the ice Saturday, Sept. 27, with the annual Crimson and Gold Intrasquad Game. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. (EDT) at FSU’s Robert L. Ewigleben (A-VAH-glave-in) Ice Arena in Big Rapids, Mich. A week later (Oct. 4), Ferris State begins its 19-game home slate by entertaining Windsor (Ontario) in a 4 p.m. (EDT) exhibition contest.

The Bulldogs then officially commence their 29th season of intercollegiate competition the following weekend (Oct. 10-11) versus Western Michigan, which represents the beginning of a 28-game league schedule. Ten of Ferris’ first 12 contests this season will be league encounters.

Highlights of this season’s schedule include annual home-and-home CCHA series against interstate opponents Michigan State (Oct. 31-Nov. 1) and Michigan (Nov. 7-8) along with a home series for the second consecutive season against Ohio State (Feb. 6-7). Other CCHA teams making an Ewigleben Ice Arena appearance this winter include Nebraska-Omaha (Nov. 21-22), Alaska Fairbanks (Jan. 2-3), Miami (Jan. 16-17), Western Michigan (Jan. 30) and Lake Superior State (Feb. 27-28).

The CCHA competition cluster schedule format has the Bulldogs paired with Alaska Fairbanks and Nebraska-Omaha this season. As a result, Ferris will play each of those teams four times with a pair of games at home and on the road. The Bulldogs will continue to face Western Michigan four times on an annual basis as the Broncos are FSU’s “rivalry pairing” opponent as part of the cluster scheduling format which was implemented prior to the 2002-03 season.

In non-league play, Ferris will compete in a post Christmas Holiday Tournament for the fifth straight season as the Bulldogs will take part in the Badger Hockey Showdown (Dec. 27-28) at the 15,237-seat Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. The tourney field pits Ferris State against Hockey East member Massachusetts-Lowell in Saturday’s (Dec. 27) 5:30 p.m. (EST) first opening-round matchup while host Wisconsin of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) battles East Coast Athletic Conference’s Union (N.Y.) at 8:30 p.m. (EST) in the second game. The Badger Hockey Showdown’s consolation and championship games will start at 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. (EST), respectively.

Comprising the remainder of the Bulldogs’ non-league schedule is a road series versus Colgate (Oct. 17-18) along with home games against Niagara (Nov. 28-29) and Findlay (Jan. 23-24).

“I’m excited about our non-league schedule,” said Daniels. “We’re going to be facing a good mix of teams from the various leagues across the country and also playing some teams we haven’t seen in a while.”

First-round CCHA Tournament action is slated for March 12-14 at campus sites and the six series winners will advance to the CCHA Super 6 Championship Tournament (March 18-20) at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Mich. The winner of the CCHA Tournament will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, which will be held March 26-28 at four sites. The Midwest Regional will take place March 27-28 at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich.

For 2003-04 Ferris State hockey season ticket information, contact the FSU Athletics Ticket Office at (231) 591-2888. All Ferris games scheduled are tentative and subject to change.

Ferris State recorded its most productive season ever in the program’s 25-year NCAA Division I history this season with a school-record 31-10-1 overall mark, which included a first-place 22-5-1 CCHA record. The Bulldogs also advanced to the 2003 NCAA Tournament’s West Regional Championship contest in what represented their first-ever NCAA Tourney appearance.

Click Here For 2003-04 Schedule