2020–21 Ferris State Bulldogs men's ice hockey season

2020–21 Ferris State Bulldogs
men's ice hockey season
2020–21 Ferris State Bulldogs; men's ice hockey season
Conference	8th WCHA
Home ice	Ewigleben Arena
Rankings
USCHO.com	NR
USA Today/; US Hockey Magazine	NR
Record
Overall	1–23–1
Conference	0–13–1–0–1–1
Home	1–10–1
Road	0–13–0
Neutral	0–0–0
Coaches and captains
Head coach	Bob Daniels
Assistant coaches	Drew Famulak; Mark Kaufman; Kyle Schempp
Captain(s)	Liam MacDougall
	Ferris State Bulldogs men's ice hockey seasons; « 2019–20 2021–22 »

The 2020–21 Ferris State Bulldogs men's ice hockey season was the 46th season of play for the program and the 8th in the WCHA conference. The Bulldogs represented Ferris State University and were coached by Bob Daniels, in his 29th season.

Season

As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the entire college ice hockey season was delayed. Because the NCAA had previously announced that all winter sports athletes would retain whatever eligibility they possessed through at least the following year, none of Ferris State's players would lose a season of play.^[1] However, the NCAA also approved a change in its transfer regulations that would allow players to transfer and play immediately rather than having to sit out a season, as the rules previously required.^[2]

From the very beginning Ferris State had a bad season. Losses piled up week after week and, as the year progressed, the team produced a record that was so dreadful it needs historical context to properly appreciate. The 2019–20 Ferris State team was the first season in the 45-year history of the program to finish with less than 10 wins. This season had seven times fewer wins (1 vs. 7). The team's only win on the year came against a Division III team, but not just any D-III program, Trine's program was just four years old and had yet to accomplish anything significant. Ferris State allowed over 4 goals per game on the year and scored nearly half as many themselves (if the Trine game is excluded they scored exactly 2 goals per game). The only saving grace for the Bulldogs is a tie they earned against Bemidji State, a ranked team no less. In the end, however, Ferris State went winless against their peers, an ignominious achievement accomplished by just two other teams in history: 1961 Brown and 1962 Colorado College.

Departures

Player	Position	Nationality	Cause
Oskar Andrén	Forward	Sweden	Graduation (Signed with Väsby IK HK)
Cam Clarke	Defenseman	United States	Graduation (Signed with Wichita Thunder)
Nate Kallen	Defenseman	United States	Graduation (Signed with Maine Mariners)
Dominic Lutz	Forward	United States	Graduation
Joe Rutkowski	Defenseman	United States	Graduation (Signed with Rapid City Rush)
Austin Shaw	Goaltender	United States	Graduation (Signed with Norfolk Admirals)
Jason Tackett	Forward	United States	Graduation (Signed with Macon Mayhem)
Zach Yoder	Defenseman	United States	Graduation (Signed with Toledo Walleye)

Recruiting

Player	Position	Nationality	Age	Notes
Drew Cooper	Defenseman	United States	20	Ann Arbor, MI
Mitchel Deelstra	Forward	Canada	21	Wallace, ON
Jacob Dirks	Forward	United States	21	Mindoro, WI
Luke Farthing	Defenseman	United States	20	Stoutsville, OH
Austin McCarthy	Forward	United States	21	Ludington, MI
Štěpán Pokorný	Forward	Czech Republic	20	Kolín, CZE
Ben Schultheis	Defenseman	United States	20	Mount Juliet, TN
Sam Skinner	Defenseman	United States	19	Schoolcraft, MI
Logan Stein	Goaltender	United States	19	Suwanee, GA
Antonio Venuto	Forward	United States	20	Whitmore Lake, MI

Roster

As of September 11, 2020.^[3]

No.	Player	Class	Pos	Height	Weight	DoB	Hometown	Previous team	NHL rights
1	Logan Stein	Freshman	G	6' 2" (1.88 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	2001-04-26	Suwanee, Georgia	Waterloo (USHL)	—
2	Max Finner	Sophomore	D	5' 11" (1.8 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	1998-10-09	Elmhurst, Illinois	Topeka (NAHL)	—
3	Ben Schultheis	Freshman	D	6' 3" (1.91 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	2000-02-17	Mount Juliet, Tennessee	Dubuque (USHL)	—
4	Drew Cooper	Freshman	D	6' 1" (1.85 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2000-08-28	Ann Arbor, Michigan	Coquitlam (BCHL)	—
5	Justin Smith	Junior	D	6' 1" (1.85 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	1999-06-26	East Lansing, Michigan	Topeka (NAHL)	—
6	Blake Evennou	Sophomore	D	5' 9" (1.75 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	1998-07-09	Macomb, Michigan	Lone Star (WCHA)	—
7	Connor Fedorek	Sophomore	D	6' 0" (1.83 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	1999-03-27	Bethel Park, Pennsylvania	Odessa (CCHL)	—
8	Austin McCarthy	Freshman	F	6' 1" (1.85 m)	194 lb (88 kg)	1999-03-01	Ludington, Michigan	Topeka (NAHL)	—
9	Lucas Finner	Senior	F	5' 10" (1.78 m)	172 lb (78 kg)	1997-02-05	Elmhurst, Illinois	Nanaimo (BCHL)	—
10	Coale Norris	Senior	F	6' 2" (1.88 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	1997-05-25	Oxford, Michigan	Youngstown (USHL)	—
11	Jacob Dirks	Freshman	F	6' 1" (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	1999-09-15	Mindoro, Wisconsin	Chippewa (NAHL)	—
12	Dallas Tulik	Sophomore	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	1998-06-23	Kalamazoo, Michigan	Dubuque (USHL)	—
13	Mitch Deelstra	Freshman	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	1999-07-15	Wallace, Ontario	Alberni Valley (BCHL)	—
15	Jake Transit	Junior	F	5' 10" (1.78 m)	173 lb (78 kg)	1999-02-26	Royal Oak, Michigan	Dubuque (USHL)	—
16	Justin Michaelian	Junior	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	1997-12-07	Wixom, Michigan	Victoria (BCHL)	—
17	Marshall Moise	Senior	F	6' 2" (1.88 m)	207 lb (94 kg)	1997-10-11	St. Clair Shores, Michigan	Youngstown (USHL)	—
18	Hunter Wendt	Junior	F	5' 7" (1.7 m)	173 lb (78 kg)	1997-10-27	Troy, Michigan	Fairbanks (NAHL)	—
19	Štěpán Pokorný	Freshman	F	6' 0" (1.83 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2000-06-08	Kolín, Czech Republic	Madison (USHL)	—
20	Liam MacDougall (C)	Senior	F	5' 11" (1.8 m)	187 lb (85 kg)	1997-12-18	Windsor, Ontario	LaSalle (GOJHL)	—
21	Jason Brancheau	Sophomore	F	5' 8" (1.73 m)	158 lb (72 kg)	1999-08-15	Ecorse, Michigan	Amarillo (NAHL)	—
22	Luke Farthing	Freshman	D	5' 10" (1.78 m)	181 lb (82 kg)	1999-04-21	Stoutsville, Ohio	Chippewa (NAHL)	—
23	Antonio Venuto	Freshman	F	6' 3" (1.91 m)	201 lb (91 kg)	2000-02-26	Whitmore Lake, Michigan	Dubuque (USHL)	—
24	Brenden MacLaren	Sophomore	F	5' 11" (1.8 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	1998-11-30	Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan	Fairbanks (NAHL)	—
25	Jake Willets	Sophomore	D	6' 1" (1.85 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	1999-08-06	Erie, Michigan	Amarillo (NAHL)	—
26	Sam Skinner	Freshman	D	5' 10" (1.78 m)	172 lb (78 kg)	2001-03-31	Schoolcraft, Michigan	Minot (NAHL)	—
27	Cade Kowalski	Sophomore	F	5' 11" (1.8 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	1999-06-15	Morden, Manitoba	Flin Flon (SJHL)	—
28	Brenden Rons	Sophomore	D	6' 6" (1.98 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	1998-03-03	Farmington Hills, Michigan	Topeka (NAHL)	—
29	Ethan Stewart	Junior	F	6' 1" (1.85 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	1997-02-10	Rockford, Illinois	Springfield (NAHL)	—
30	Roni Salmenkangas	Junior	G	6' 0" (1.83 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	1999-03-28	Tampere, Finland	HPK U20 (Nuorten SM-liiga)	—
33	Carter McPhail	Sophomore	G	5' 10" (1.78 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	1998-12-04	Fenton, Michigan	Johnstown (NAHL)	—

Standings

2020–21 Western Collegiate Hockey Association Standings v t e
	Conference record										Overall record
	GP	W	L	T	OTW	OTL	3/SW	PTS	GF	GA	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA
#4 Minnesota State †	14	13	1	0	1	1	0	39	56	15	27	22	5	1	100	46
#14 Lake Superior State *	14	9	5	0	2	2	0	27	39	34	29	19	7	3	86	63
#18 Bowling Green	14	8	5	1	0	2	0	27	46	34	31	20	10	1	108	67
#10 Bemidji State	14	8	5	1	3	2	0	24	42	34	29	16	10	3	82	70
Michigan Tech	14	7	7	0	1	0	0	20	38	35	30	17	12	1	78	63
Northern Michigan	14	6	7	1	2	2	1	20	40	47	29	11	17	1	79	103
Alabama–Huntsville	14	3	11	0	1	0	0	8	18	49	22	3	18	1	31	80
Ferris State	14	0	13	1	0	1	1	3	28	59	25	1	23	1	55	103
Alaska	0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	0	-	-	-	-	-
Alaska Anchorage	0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	0	-	-	-	-	-
Championship: March 20, 2021 † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll

Schedule and Results

Date	Time	Opponent^#	Site	TV	Decision	Result	Attendance	Record
Regular Season
December 11	7:07 PM	at #16 Bowling Green*	Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio		McPhail	L 2–3	300	0–1–0
December 12	7:07 PM	vs. #16 Bowling Green*	Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan		McPhail	L 2–6	0	0–2–0
December 16	6:00 PM	at Northern Michigan*	Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan		Salmenkangas	L 4–5	0	0–3–0
December 30	3:07 PM	vs. Northern Michigan*	Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan		Salmenkangas	L 5–6 ^OT	0	0–4–0
January 2	3:07 PM	vs. #7 Bowling Green	Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan	FloHockey.tv	Salmenkangas	L 1–6	250	0–5–0 (0–1–0)
January 3	3:07 PM	vs. #7 Bowling Green	Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan	FloHockey.tv	Salmenkangas	L 2–4	250	0–6–0 (0–2–0)
January 8	8:00 PM	at Alabama–Huntsville	Von Braun Center • Huntsville, Alabama	FloHockey.tv	Stein	L 4–5 ^OT	1,124	0–7–0 (0–3–0)
January 9	8:00 PM	at Alabama–Huntsville	Von Braun Center • Huntsville, Alabama	FloHockey.tv	Stein	L 0–2	1,228	0–8–0 (0–4–0)
January 16	7:07 PM	vs. Trine*	Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan		Salmenkangas	W 7–0	250	1–8–0
January 23	6:07 PM	at #2 Minnesota State	Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota	FloHockey.tv	Stein	L 0–4	0	1–9–0 (0–5–0)
January 24	4:07 PM	at #2 Minnesota State	Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota	FloHockey.tv	Salmenkangas	L 1–4	0	1–10–0 (0–6–0)
January 29	7:07 PM	at Northern Michigan	Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan	FloHockey.tv	Salmenkangas	L 4–5	0	1–11–0 (0–7–0)
January 30	6:07 PM	at Northern Michigan	Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan	FloHockey.tv	Stein	L 3–5	0	1–12–0 (0–8–0)
February 2	6:07 PM	vs. Michigan Tech	Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan	FloHockey.tv	Stein	L 4–6	250	1–13–0 (0–9–0)
February 5	7:07 PM	vs. #18 Bemidji State	Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan	FloHockey.tv	Stein	T 3–3 ^SOW	200	1–13–1 (0–9–1)
February 6	7:14 PM	vs. #18 Bemidji State	Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan	FloHockey.tv	Stein	L 2–7	234	1–14–1 (0–10–1)
February 9	4:07 PM	vs. Michigan Tech	Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan	FloHockey.tv	Stein	L 1–2	175	1–15–1 (0–11–1)
February 12	7:07 PM	at Michigan Tech*	MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, Michigan		Salmenkangas	L 0–3	300	1–16–1
February 13	6:07 PM	at Michigan Tech*	MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, Michigan		Stein	L 1–5	300	1–17–1
February 19	7:07 PM	vs. #3 Minnesota State*	Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan		Salmenkangas	L 4–5 ^OT	215	1–18–1
February 20	7:07 PM	vs. #3 Minnesota State*	Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan		Stein	L 1–5	250	1–19–1
February 26	7:07 PM	vs. #18 Lake Superior State	Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan	FloHockey.tv	Salmenkangas	L 2–4	250	1–20–1 (0–12–1)
March 6	3:07 PM	vs. #20 Lake Superior State	Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan	FloHockey.tv	Stein	L 1–2	0	1–21–1 (0–13–1)
WCHA Tournament
March 12	7:07 PM	at #3 Minnesota State*	Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota (WCHA Quarterfinals game 1)		Stein	L 0–3	250	1–22–1
March 13	5:07 PM	at #3 Minnesota State*	Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota (WCHA Quarterfinals game 2)		Salmenkangas	L 1–3	250	1–23–1
Ferris State Lost Series 0–2
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time.

^[4]

Scoring statistics

Name	Position	Games	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM
Coale Norris	LW	25	8	9	17	4
Jake Transit	F	24	6	8	14	44
Ethan Stewart	F	25	6	8	14	2
Mitch Deelstra	LW	25	7	4	11	18
Justin Michaelian	F	14	6	5	11	17
Lucas Finner	LW	21	2	9	11	24
Blake Evennou	D	25	1	9	10	10
Antonio Venuto	RW	22	3	6	9	6
Štěpán Pokorný	F	24	2	7	9	8
Marshall Moise	F	21	4	3	7	16
Jake Willets	D	17	2	4	6	14
Liam MacDougall	F	24	1	4	5	18
Ben Schultheis	D	25	0	5	5	12
Jason Brancheau	F	16	1	3	4	4
Dallas Tuliks	F	13	1	2	3	4
Drew Cooper	D	20	1	2	3	0
Connor Fedorek	D	24	0	3	3	8
Max Finner	D	16	1	1	2	8
Jacob Dirks	F	18	1	1	2	4
Luke Farthing	D	20	1	1	2	6
Sam Skinner	D	6	0	2	2	2
Cade Kowalski	C/RW	10	0	2	2	21
Brenden MacLaren	F	12	1	0	1	10
Hunter Wendt	F	2	0	0	0	2
Carter McPhail	G	2	0	0	0	0
Justin Smith	D	5	0	0	0	0
Austin McCarthy	F	5	0	0	0	0
Logan Stein	G	12	0	0	0	0
Roni Salmenkangas	G	14	0	0	0	0
Brenden Rons	D	16	0	0	0	20
Bench	-	25	0	0	0	10
Total			55	98	153	292

^[5]

Goaltending statistics

Name	Games	Minutes	Wins	Losses	Ties	Goals Against	Saves	Shut Outs	SV %	GAA
Logan Stein	12	695	0	11	1	44	389	0	.887	3.80
Roni Salmenkangas	14	759	1	10	0	49	398	1	.877	3.87
Carter McPhail	2	52	0	2	0	5	31	0	.839	5.75
Empty Net	-	9	-	-	-	5	-	-	-	-
Total	25	1516	1	23	1	103	720	1	.875	4.08

Rankings

Poll	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21 (Final)
USCHO.com	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	-	NR
USA Today	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR

USCHO did not release a poll in week 20.^[6]

References

^ "NCAA approves blanket waiver for 2020 fall sports athletes to retain year of eligibility". CBS Sports. August 21, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
^ "DI Council grants waiver to allow transfer student-athletes to compete immediately". NCAA. December 16, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
^ "2020–21 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Ferris State University. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
^ "Ferris State Bulldogs (Men) 2020-2021 Schedule and Results". College Hockey Stats. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
^ "Ferris State Univ. 2020-2021 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.

[1] "NCAA approves blanket waiver for 2020 fall sports athletes to retain year of eligibility". CBS Sports. August 21, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.

[2] "DI Council grants waiver to allow transfer student-athletes to compete immediately". NCAA. December 16, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.

[3] "2020–21 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Ferris State University. Retrieved October 8, 2017.

[4] "Ferris State Bulldogs (Men) 2020-2021 Schedule and Results". College Hockey Stats. Retrieved December 5, 2019.

[5] "Ferris State Univ. 2020-2021 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 3, 2020.

[6] "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.

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v t e Ferris State Bulldogs men's ice hockey
Playing venues	Ewigleben Arena (1976–present)
Head coaches	Rick Duffett (1975–82) Dick Bertrand (1982–86) Peter Esdale (1986) John Perpich (1986–90) Bob Mancini (1990–92) Bob Daniels (1992–present)
Seasons	1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Conference affiliations	CCHA (1978–2013, 2021–Present) WCHA (2013–2021)
All-time leaders	Paul Lowden (208 Points) Paul Lowden (101 Goals) C. J. Motte (66 Wins)
Frozen Four appearances	2012
NCAA Tournament appearances	2003 2012 2014 2016
Conference Tournament titles	WCHA: 2016
Ferris State University Big Rapids, Michigan