{"id":24189,"date":"2001-10-05T20:44:58","date_gmt":"2001-10-06T01:44:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uscho.com\/2001\/10\/05\/200102-ferris-state-season-preview\/"},"modified":"2010-08-17T19:54:18","modified_gmt":"2010-08-18T00:54:18","slug":"200102-ferris-state-season-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/2001\/10\/05\/200102-ferris-state-season-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"2001-02 Ferris State Season Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"
XII<\/><\/p>\n
The season is beginning. The Bulldogs must be barking.<\/I><\/p>\n
Ferris State finished eighth last season, taking three of four games from cluster-mate Alaska-Fairbanks late in the campaign, but struggling down the stretch with Notre Dame, Lake Superior, and Bowling Green. The Bulldogs ended their season with two first-round playoff losses in Yost Arena.<\/p>\n
I Know Why the Caged Puck Dings<\/h4>\n
<\/p>\n
DANIELS<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
The Bulldogs are rebuilding from the net out this year, with the loss of senior Vince Owen<\/b> and the early departure of Phil Osaer,<\/b> who signed a three-year contract with St. Louis.<\/p>\n
“We’re excited about this opportunity for Phil and certainly wish him the best,” says Bob Daniels. “From a team standpoint, it’s difficult when you lose one of your top all-time goaltenders at the end of the summer and it’s an obstacle we will have to overcome.”<\/p>\n
Returning junior netminder Matt Swanson<\/b> will be joined by rookie Mike Brown,<\/b> who played last season with the Crowsnest Pass Timberwolves of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, posting a .894 save percentage and 3.77 goals-against average.<\/p>\n
Life on the Big Rapids<\/h4>\n
The Bulldogs finished the 2000-01 season 11th in goals scored per game (2.39) – and last year’s leading goal-scorer, Kevin Swider, has graduated.<\/p>\n
Rob Collins<\/b> (15-17-32) and Chris Kunitz<\/b> (16-13-29) do return, but after Swider, Collins, and Kunitz, no one on the Ferris State squad even came close to double-digits in goal production.<\/p>\n
This year the Bulldogs add Jeff Legue,<\/b> who notched 54 goals for the Cornwall Colts last year; Derek Nesbitt<\/b> (22-38-60) from the Sarnia Steeplejack Bees; and Carter Thompson, a 30-goal scorer with the Melville Millionaires of the SJHL.<\/p>\n
Defensively, there’s no doubt that Ferris State will miss Jim Dube and Scott Lewis, but Daniels hopes that returnees Troy Milam<\/b> and Chad McIver<\/b> — along with rookies Skip Renauld<\/b> and Matt York<\/b> — will flesh out the blue line.<\/p>\n
Last Horizon<\/h4>\n
The bottom line for Ferris State is that Osaer’s late departure – along with the turnover from last year’s senior class – really leaves the Bulldogs in a jam this season. Ferris is a scrappy, hard-working team, coached by the nicest contingency in college hockey, and a positive atmosphere can go a long way for any team, but it looks as though the Bulldogs may be anticipating a first-round postseason pairing with Michigan State.<\/p>\n
Of course, in this league, as the coaches are fond of say, anything can happen. It’s a long season. You have to play 60 minutes every night. You never know. That’s why they play the game.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
XII The season is beginning.The Bulldogs must be barking. Ferris State finished eighth last season, taking three of four games from cluster-mate Alaska-Fairbanks late in the campaign, but struggling down the stretch with Notre Dame, Lake Superior, and Bowling Green. The Bulldogs ended their season with two first-round playoff losses in Yost Arena. I Know […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":140328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[322],"tags":[],"coauthors":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
2001-02 Ferris State Season Preview - College Hockey | USCHO.com<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n