BIG RAPIDS, Mich. - A pair of goals by Ferris State in the second period of Friday night's Western Collegiate Hockey Association series opener marked the difference as the Bulldogs earned a 3-1 victory over Lake Superior State. The Lakers (12-20-5, 9-13-5 WCHA) netted one goal in the second period and were unable to get the equalizer with time dwindling in regulation and starting goaltender Gordon Defiel pulled in favor of the extra attacker.
Freshman Anthony Nellis scored his fourth goal of the season and 15th point of the year, 7:14 into the middle period, to tie the game at 1-1 after Matt Robertson opened the scoring for FSU moments earlier. Fellow first-year Lakers Mitch Hults (7-10--17) and J.T. Henke (9-10--19) added the assists.
Robertson broke a goaltenders' duel four minutes into the second period with his seventh goal of the season. Defiel had already saved 16 shots in net before Robertson opened the scoring, a shot total the Lakers would not reach until the third period.
With 6:08 remaining in the second period the Bulldogs (15-13-6, 13-10-4 WCHA) recaptured the lead with a power-play goal from the slot by Andrew Dorantes, his eighth of the season.
The Bulldogs outshot the Lakers 20-5 during the second period and took their 2-1 lead into the third and final period. Through the first 40 minutes of play the Bulldogs outshot the Lakers 33-13.
Despite the lopsided shooting totals, Defiel stood tall to make 18 saves in the third period to keep the Lakers within reach.
Defiel finished with a career-high 49 saves on 51 shots but the Lakers were unable to find the back of the net during the final 20 minutes to bail out their goaltender.
Heavy pressure, applied all night by the Bulldogs, made it hard for the Lakers to clear their zone during the waning moments of regulation and get Defiel off the ice in favor of the sixth skater. Defiel finally made it to the bench with 41 seconds to play but a mix-up in the offensive zone led to Gerald Mayhew being able to scoop the loose puck and fire it into the empty net from just past center ice to end any doubt and produce the final score of 3-1.
Freshman goaltender Darren Smith was a dependable backstop for the Bulldogs on a night where the Lakers could only muster 22 shots. Smith saved 21 of the Lakers shots to earn his 12th win of the season.
The teams close the regular season at 7:07 p.m. on Saturday with the series finale. While the Bulldogs will look to hold onto their single point lead over Northern Michigan for the final home-ice spot in the playoffs, the Lakers can potentially jump Bemidji State for the sixth seed in the playoffs with a win and a Beavers loss against Minnesota State.