Record
25-11-5 (16-7-5-1, CCHA)
Last Frozen Four Appearance
First Appearance
How They Got Here
Finished 1st in CCHA with 54 points... Lost two out of three to Bowling Green in the CCHA Quarterfinals... Earned victories over Miami (twice) and Michigan State (twice) in the regular season... Finished 6th in the PWR... Beat Denver 2-1 and Cornell 2-1 in the Midwest Regional
Top Scorers
Jordie Johnston, Sr., Forward ---- 41GP, 20G, 16A, 36PTS
Matthew Kirzinger, Jr., Forward ---- 40GP, 10G, 24A, 34PTS
Kyle Bonis, Jr., Forward ---- 41GP, 18G, 11A, 29PTS
Chad Billins, Sr., Defense ---- 41GP, 7G, 22A, 29PTS
Travis Oulette, Jr., Forward --- 40GP, 9G, 14A, 23PTS
[Complete Team Statistics]
Goaltending
Taylor Nelson, Sr. ---- 29GP, 20-6-3, 2.10GAA, .923SV%
C.J. Motte, Fr. ---- 12GP, 5-5-2, 1.98GAA, .925SV%
Team Stats
2.93 Goals per Game (21st nationally)
2.17 Goals Allowed per Game (t-5th)
19.17% Power-Play Conversion Rate (25th)
85.8% Penalty Kill Rate (6th)
Why Union will win
This game will be a very defense-heavy matchup with both teams featuring two of the best shutdown defenses in the country. So, both teams will have to rely heavily on special teams. While the Bulldogs have a great penalty kill, I think the amount of penalties they take will hurt them. They are the 10th most penalized team in the nation, averaging 15.46 penalty minutes per game, which is about seven to eight penalties per game. If this is the case, I can see the Bulldogs shutting down the Union PP three or four times, but not more than that. The Dutchmen's power-play is too lethal to be shutdown that many times this season. People might point back to how Union's PP got shutdown by Minnesota-Duluth in the regional last year, but this year's team is a different team. On the other hand, Union takes very few penalties (not even in the Top 40), and have a great penalty kill of their own. Don't be surprised if the Bulldogs get one or two power-play chances and get shutdown each time. Ferris will have to score the goals at even strength, but that will be a tough task against Union's top ranked defense. They're ready to get down to business and advance to the final. I love the mindset they've had during their playoff run, and I expect it to continue on a bigger stage.
Other notes
Head Coach Bob Daniels has been coaching the Bulldogs since the 1989-90 season, but has been the bench boss since the 1992-93 season. Prior to that, he was an assistant coach in the CCHA for two seasons with University of Illinois-Chicago.
Leading scorer Jordie Johnston accumulated 10 goals, 11 assists, and 21 points in his first three seasons at Ferris, but has surpassed all those totals in his senior season. He scored two goals in the Midwest Regional.
In the beginning of the season, Nelson and Motte were splitting time in between the pipes, but Nelson has taken over the reigns. Motte has only played three times in 2012. Like Union's Troy Grosenick, Nelson was a backup last season.
The Bulldogs have played four ECAC teams this year, and have won all seven games against those opponents. They swept St. Lawrence to open the season in Canton by the scores of 4-2 and 5-1, and then beat RPI 4-0 and 2-0 the following weekend back home. Colgate also visited Ferris, but dropped both games in early January. In those two games, Austin Smith collected a goal and an assist. In the Midwest Regional final, the Bulldogs snuck by Cornell by the score of 2-1.
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