BLOG 18: Nice bounce-back game for Bulldogs

By Sandy Gholston

Ferris State’s Casey Haines (6) tries to get control of the puck after a faceoff during Friday night’s game in Big Rapids against Western Michigan (Photo/Sandy Gholston)

BIG RAPIDS – Ferris showed just how ready it was to bounce back from a 1-1 tie (with a shootout loss) that stung the Bulldogs against Western Michigan on Friday at Lawson Ice Arena in Kalamazoo.

How ready were the Bulldogs to bounce back? Aaron Lewicki buried the puck in the back of the net just 59 seconds into the game to put Ferris up 1-0. The onslaught continued as Lewicki scored again, this time at 3:05 of the first, to make it a 2-0 lead. Team captain Cody Chupp added a power-play score (at 10:46) to put Ferris up 3-0 by the end of the first as Ferris rolled to a 5-2 win.

“It’s always a good feeling when you can get that first one like that and get it so early in the game,” Lewicki said. “When you get that first goal like that then you start to feel some confidence. I did feel confidence and I was able to get another one.”

Others joined Lewicki in the scoring. Indeed, the dominance continued as Casey Haines scored at 17:22 of the second period and Chupp scored again, this time at 1:20 of the third, to make it a 5-0 lead.

Western scored twice, at 7:12 and 9:40, to steam Ferris head coach Bob Daniels who felt his Bulldogs had emotionally let down – perhaps thinking the game was over.

“I was really upset and I just thought we were trying to mail it in … acting like the game was over,” Daniels said. “We thought game was over but Western didn’t get that memo and they were still playing hard and they made some things happen, put a couple of goals on the scoreboard. If they would have gotten another one, and made it 5-3, it could have been a different game.”

Indeed, the next goal might have made it a one-goal contest and then just about anything could have transpired from there had Western gotten that close.

The Bulldogs responded to Daniels, who called a time out, and bounced back with an elevated level of play to hold off the Broncos during the balance of the third period to escape with a 5-2 Central Collegiate Hockey Association win.

If you have any questions, ideas or comments feel free to contact Sandy Gholston at sgholston2@netzero.com