By Katrina Murphy
Sports Editor
The Western Michigan University men’s hockey team finished with a 2-2 tie against the Ferris State University Bulldogs on Feb. 26 at Eqigleben Ice Arena in Big Rapids, Mich.
After two rounds of a shootout, FSU took a 2-0 lead over the Brown and Gold.
The Bulldogs picked up their first goal of the night at the 4:59 mark in the first period off of a goal by Travis Ouellette who slipped the puck past WMU’s goalie, Jerry Kuhn, for his seventh goal of the season.
Less than a minute later, the Broncos answered back, tying the game 1-1. Sophomore forward Kyle O’Kane attempted a wrap-around shot, but FSU’s goalie, Pat Nagle, made the save. Junior Ryan Watson was in the right spot in front of the net to shoot the puck for his first goal of the 2009-10 season. O’Kane picked up his third assist of the season as well.
Both goalies played a tight game, resulting in a 1-1 tie at the start of intermission.
The Brown and Gold took a 2-1 lead with 4:14 left in the second after redirecting a shot by freshman Matt Tennyson. Chris Clackson won a faceoff against the Bulldogs, giving the puck back to junior Mike Levendusky.
Levendusky quickly passed the puck off to Tennyson who fired a shot from just beyond the blue line. Senior Cam Watson was positioned in front of the net to fire the puck past Nagle to pick up his sixth goal of the season.
Western Michigan was unable to hold the lead as Ferris State senior Cody Chupp picked up his eighth career goal to tie the game 2-2.
Neither team was able to pick up a goal during the five minutes of overtime, causing the game to be settled in a shootout.
Both Blair Riley and Chad Billings picked up shots in the shootout, while Nagle stopped both attempts by WMU’s O’Kane and Max Campbell to earn the extra point.
On Saturday, Feb. 27, the Brown and Gold returned home to Lawson Ice Arena to host the Bulldogs in the final home contest of the 2010 season.
Senior goalie Riley Gill made 41 saves and a crucial stop during the shootout to give the Broncos a 1-0 shootout win after tying, 1-1, in front of 3,020 fans.
At the 14:52 mark of the first, sophomore Kyle O’Kane score Western Michigan’s first and only goal after picking up a rebound on a shot by Matt Tennyson. The goal was O’Kane’s fourth of the season and the assist was Tennyson’s seventh.
Ferris State tied the game at the 19:35 mark of the second period after a five-on-three power play. Casey Haines picked up the goal with assists from Blair Riley and Cody Chupp.
Since neither team managed to score for the remainder of the game, the outcome would be decided in a shootout. Bronco head coach Jim Culhane sleeved an all-senior lineup for shooters.
Cam Watson and Tyler Ludwig missed both of their shots, while FSU’s Chad Billins missed his shot as well.
Senior Jared Katz moved the puck down from center ice and beat Bulldog goalie Pat Nagle on his glove side to pick up the point for the Broncos. Chupp was the final shooter for Ferris State, but Gill put a stop to his shot for the final time at the net.
On Friday, the Broncos travelled to Fairbanks, Alaska for the first game of a best-of-three series for the CCHA Playoffs.
Unable to get past an early lead by the Nanooks, the Brown and Gold lost, 4-0.
Alaska took an early lead at the 13:29 mark in the first period after a goal by Kevin Petovello. Brandon Knelsen picked up the puck deep in the corner and passed it to Petovello, who fired past Gill for his second goal of the season.
The Nanooks took a 2-0 lead with 2:08 remaining in the first after Dion Knelsen shot the puck from the far right board past Gill for his 18th goal of the season. Andy Taranto picked up his team-leading 24th assists for the season and his 40th point.
Alaska pushed the lead even further, 3-0, with 5:33 left in the second period. Aaron Gens picked up a pass from Petovello who maneuvered the puck down the ice and fired past Gill’s glove for his fifth goal of the season. Petovello picked up his third assist of the season.
The fourth and final goal for the Nanooks came at the 8:09 mark in the third period. Ryan Hohl fired a shot past Gill, who thought he had the puck covered but Nik Yaremchuck came in and fired it into the net for his sixth goal of the season.
The Brown and Gold were out-shot 44-16 on the night and were held to a measly 0-for-2 on the power play. Gill made 40 saves for the night in his fifth career playoff game.
On Saturday night, the Broncos closed their season with a 4-1 loss to the University of Alaska Fairbanks, ending their playoff run.
The Nanooks took no time in scoring, as they made their first goal of the night just one minute into play.
Western Michigan responded with a goal of their own shortly after a turnover behind the Alaska goal-line. Greg Squires forced the turnover and picked the puck as teammate Ryan Watson cut through the slot and fired past the Nanooks’ goalie, Scott Greenham, for his second goal of the year. Squires picked up his 20th assist of the season as the Broncos tied the game, 1-1.
With 2:39 left in the first period, Alaska advanced their lead to 2-1 after another goal.
The Nanooks then extended their lead even further with 4:32 left in the second period after a power play goal by Dion Knelsen, who fired from just above the right circle.
Less than a minute later, Alaska sealed their victory with yet another goal after a Bronco turnover.
Gill picked up 36 saves in his final game for Western Michigan.
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