The 2023–24 Ferris State Bulldogs men's ice hockey season was the 49th season of play for the program and the 38th in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). The Bulldogs represent Ferris State University, played their home games at Ewigleben Arena and were coached by Bob Daniels in his 32nd season.
| 2023–24 Ferris State Bulldogs men's ice hockey season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conference | 8th CCHA |
| Home ice | Ewigleben Arena |
| Rankings | |
| USCHO | NR |
| USA Hockey | NR |
| Record | |
| Overall | 10–24–2 |
| Conference | 6–17–1 |
| Home | 5–10–2 |
| Road | 5–12–0 |
| Neutral | 0–2–0 |
| Coaches and captains | |
| Head coach | Bob Daniels |
| Assistant coaches | Drew Famulak Mark Kaufman Dave Cencer |
| Ferris State Bulldogs men's ice hockey seasons « 2022–23 2024–25 » | |
Season
editFerris State began the year with a stretch of up-and-down hockey. In the first two months of the season, the offense was middling but consistent. The goaltending duties were split between Logan Stein and Noah Giesbrecht with both providing reliable netminding. By early December, the team was near .500 and had shown signs of improvement. Unfortunately, that was when their season began to unravel. A dip in scoring resulted in seven game losing streak that set the team at the bottom of the standings, where they would remain for the rest of the year.
The team recovered a bit after the Great Lakes Invitational, earning a split with league champion Bemidji State and then winning four in a row to close out January. However, the scoring faltered for a second time afterwards and the team was unable to win any of its final nine games.
Despite its poor finish, Ferris State was nearly able to pull off an upset in the first round of the conference tournament. Twice the team was able to get a 2-goal advantage in their opening game against Bemidji State but they were unable to hold onto either of their leads. The overtime goal appeared to sap whatever energy the team had left and they were swept out of the conference tournament with an 0–4 loss.[1]
Departures
edit| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitchel Deelstra | Forward |  Canada |
Transferred to Northern Michigan |
| Blake Evennou | Defenseman |  United States |
Graduation (signed with Atlanta Gladiators) |
| Luke Farthing | Defenseman | United States |
Transferred to Canisius |
| Cade Kowalski | Forward | Canada |
Graduate transfer to Prince Edward Island |
| Bradley Marek | Forward | United States |
Signed professional contract (San Jose Barracuda) |
| Brenden Rons | Defenseman | United States |
Graduate transfer to Lindenwood |
| Matt Slick | Defenseman | United States |
Graduation (signed with Adirondack Thunder) |
| Dallas Tulik | Forward | United States |
Graduate transfer to Robert Morris |
Recruiting
edit| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luigi Benincasa | Forward | Canada |
20 | Edmonton, AB |
| Nico DeVita | Defenseman | United States |
22 | Bellevue, WA; transfer from New Hampshire |
| Holden Doell | Forward | Canada |
19 | Martensville SK |
| Emerson Goode | Forward | United States |
20 | Anaheim, CA |
| Nick Hale | Defenseman | United States |
24 | Raleigh, NC; graduate transfer from Holy Cross |
| Jack Mesic | Defenseman | United States |
20 | Plymouth, MI |
| Trevor Taulien | Defenseman | United States |
20 | Crystal Lake, IL |
Roster
editAs of September 18, 2023.[2]
| No. | S/P/C | Player | Class | Pos | Height | Weight | DoB | Hometown | Previous team | NHL rights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
|
Logan Stein | Senior | G | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 212 lb (96 kg) | 2001-04-26 | Suwanee, Georgia | Waterloo (USHL) | — |
| 2 | 
|
Travis Shoudy | Sophomore | D | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 173 lb (78 kg) | 2002-03-15 | Marysville, Michigan | Cedar Rapids (USHL) | — |
| 3 | 
|
Ben Schultheis | Junior | D | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 207 lb (94 kg) | 2000-02-17 | Mount Juliet, Tennessee | Dubuque (USHL) | — |
| 4 |
|
Drew Cooper | Senior | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 193 lb (88 kg) | 2000-08-28 | Ann Arbor, Michigan | Coquitlam (BCHL) | — |
| 6 | 
|
Nico DeVita | Junior | D | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 202 lb (92 kg) | 2001-05-24 | Bellevue, Washington | New Hampshire (HEA) | — |
| 6 |
|
Jack Mesic | Freshman | D | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 176 lb (80 kg) | 2002-10-18 | Plymouth, Michigan | North Iowa (NAHL) | — |
| 7 | 
|
Connor McGrath | Sophomore | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 184 lb (83 kg) | 2003-09-04 | Leroy, Saskatchewan | Humboldt (SJHL) | — |
| 8 |
|
Austin McCarthy | Senior | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 1999-03-01 | Ludington, Michigan | Topeka (NAHL) | — |
| 9 |
|
Nick Nardecchia | Junior | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 177 lb (80 kg) | 2001-01-01 | Macomb, Michigan | Lincoln (USHL) | — |
| 10 |
|
Holden Doell | Freshman | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 2003-12-01 | Martensville, Saskatchewan | Battlefords (SJHL) | — |
| 11 | 
|
Jacob Dirks | Senior | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 1999-09-15 | Mindoro, Wisconsin | Chippewa (NAHL) | — |
| 12 | 
|
Luigi Benincasa | Freshman | F | 5' 7" (1.7 m) | 159 lb (72 kg) | 2002-10-07 | Edmonton, Alberta | Spruce Grove (AJHL) | — |
| 15 | 
|
Tyler Schleppe | Sophomore | F | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | 2001-11-11 | Vancouver, British Columbia | Langley (BCHL) | — |
| 16 | 
|
Caiden Gault | Sophomore | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 2002-04-16 | Oakbank, Manitoba | Spruce Grove (AJHL) | — |
| 18 |
|
Kaleb Ergang | Junior | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | 2000-12-31 | Spruce Grove, Alberta | Whitecourt (AJHL) | — |
| 19 | 
|
Štěpán Pokorný | Senior | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 196 lb (89 kg) | 2000-06-08 | Kolín, Czech Republic | Madison (USHL) | — |
| 20 | 
|
Andrew Noel | Sophomore | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 2001-01-02 | Maynard, Massachusetts | Nanaimo (BCHL) | — |
| 21 |
|
Jason Brancheau | Graduate | F | 5' 8" (1.73 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 1999-08-15 | Brownstown, Michigan | Amarillo (NAHL) | — |
| 22 | 
|
Nick Hale | Senior | D | 5' 8" (1.73 m) | 168 lb (76 kg) | 1999-05-07 | Raleigh, North Carolina | Holy Cross (AHA) | — |
| 23 |
|
Antonio Venuto | Senior | F | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | 2000-02-26 | Whitmore Lake, Michigan | Dubuque (USHL) | — |
| 24 |
|
Brenden MacLaren | Graduate | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 196 lb (89 kg) | 1998-11-30 | Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | Fairbanks (NAHL) | — |
| 25 |
|
Zach Faremouth | Junior | F | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | 2000-01-04 | Jackson, Michigan | Des Moines (USHL) | — |
| 26 |
|
Jacob Badal | Sophomore | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | 2001-10-05 | Flushing, Michigan | Johnstown (NAHL) | — |
| 27 | 
|
Emerson Goode | Freshman | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 2002-10-16 | Anaheim, California | Odessa Jackalopes (NAHL) | — |
| 28 | 
|
Trevor Taulien | Freshman | D | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 217 lb (98 kg) | 2003-04-14 | Crystal Lake, Illinois | Odessa Jackalopes (NAHL) | — |
| 30 |
|
Joey Henson | Sophomore | G | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 196 lb (89 kg) | 2001-08-15 | Troy, Michigan | Philadelphia Little Flyers (EHL) | — |
| 31 |
|
Noah Giesbrecht | Junior | G | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | 1999-04-18 | White Rock, British Columbia | Windsor (OUA) | — |
| 34 |
|
Nick Grimaldi | Junior | F | 5' 7" (1.7 m) | 140 lb (64 kg) | 1999-06-26 | Plymouth, Michigan | Odessa (NAHL) | — |
Standings
edit| Conference record | Overall record | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | ||
| Bemidji State † | 24 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 48 | 82 | 64 | 38 | 20 | 16 | 2 | 117 | 111 | |
| St. Thomas | 24 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 68 | 62 | 37 | 15 | 20 | 2 | 97 | 105 | |
| #19 Michigan Tech* | 24 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 63 | 54 | 40 | 19 | 15 | 6 | 109 | 102 | |
| Minnesota State | 24 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 38 | 73 | 62 | 37 | 18 | 15 | 4 | 111 | 96 | |
| Northern Michigan | 24 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 36 | 57 | 67 | 34 | 12 | 16 | 6 | 83 | 105 | |
| Bowling Green | 24 | 11 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 35 | 60 | 69 | 36 | 13 | 22 | 1 | 86 | 116 | |
| Lake Superior State | 24 | 11 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 79 | 73 | 38 | 17 | 20 | 1 | 114 | 113 | |
| Ferris State | 24 | 6 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 49 | 80 | 36 | 10 | 24 | 2 | 83 | 125 | |
| Augustana ^ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 12 | 18 | 4 | 90 | 105 | |
| Championship: March 22, 2024 † indicates conference regular season champion (MacNaughton Cup) * indicates conference tournament champion (Mason Cup) ^ Augustana is playing a transition schedule of 16 games against conference opponents that are not counted in the standings Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll | |||||||||||||||||
Schedule and results
edit| Date | Time | Opponent# | Rank# | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | |||||||||||
| October 7 | 7:07 pm | Miami* | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | FloHockey | Giesbrecht | W 5–4 OT | 1,678 | 1–0–0 | |||
| October 8 | 5:07 pm | Miami* | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | FloHockey | Giesbrecht | L 2–5 | 1,250 | 1–1–0 | |||
| October 12 | 7:00 pm | at #12 Western Michigan* | Lawson Arena • Kalamazoo, Michigan | Giesbrecht | L 4–6 | 3,640 | 1–2–0 | ||||
| October 13 | 7:07 pm | #12 Western Michigan* | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | FloHockey | Stein | T 3–3 OT | 1,675 | 1–2–1 | |||
| October 20 | 7:07 pm | Grand Valley State* | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan (Exhibition) | FloHockey | Stein | W 9–0 | 1,910 | ||||
| October 27 | 7:07 pm | at Northern Michigan | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan | FloHockey | Giesbrecht | W 2–1 OT | 4,040 | 2–2–1 (1–0–0) | |||
| October 28 | 6:07 pm | at Northern Michigan | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan | FloHockey | Stein | L 1–4 | 4,135 | 2–3–1 (1–1–0) | |||
| November 3 | 7:07 pm | St. Lawrence* | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | FloHockey | Giesbrecht | L 2–5 | 1,640 | 2–4–1 | |||
| November 4 | 6:07 pm | St. Lawrence* | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | FloHockey | Stein | W 2–1 OT | 1,712 | 3–4–1 | |||
| November 10 | 7:07 pm | Minnesota State | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | FloHockey | Giesbrecht | L 2–6 | 1,537 | 3–5–1 (1–2–0) | |||
| November 11 | 6:07 pm | Minnesota State | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | FloHockey | Stein | L 2–3 OT | — | 3–6–1 (1–3–0) | |||
| November 17 | 7:07 pm | at Michigan Tech | MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, Michigan | FloHockey | Stein | W 3–2 OT | 2,379 | 4–6–1 (2–3–0) | |||
| November 18 | 6:07 pm | at Michigan Tech | MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, Michigan | FloHockey | Stein | L 2–3 | 2,279 | 4–7–1 (2–4–0) | |||
| December 1 | 7:07 pm | St. Thomas | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | FloHockey | Stein | W 5–2 | 1,754 | 5–7–1 (3–4–0) | |||
| December 2 | 6:07 pm | St. Thomas | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | FloHockey | Giesbrecht | L 1–7 | 1,834 | 5–8–1 (3–5–0) | |||
| December 8 | 7:07 pm | at Bowling Green | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | FloHockey | Stein | L 0–1 | 1,836 | 5–9–1 (3–6–0) | |||
| December 9 | 7:07 pm | at Bowling Green | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | FloHockey | Stein | L 3–4 | 1,816 | 5–10–1 (3–7–0) | |||
| December 16 | 6:07 pm | Lake Superior State | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | FloHockey | Stein | L 1–5 | 1,492 | 5–11–1 (3–8–0) | |||
| Great Lakes Invitational | |||||||||||
| December 28 | 7:00 pm | vs. #7 Michigan State* | Van Andel Arena • Grand Rapids, Michigan (Great Lakes Invitational Semifinal) | FloHockey | Stein | L 1–4 | 7,950 | 5–12–1 | |||
| December 29 | 3:30 pm | vs. Alaska* | Van Andel Arena • Grand Rapids, Michigan (Great Lakes Invitational Consolation Game) | FloHockey | Giesbrecht | L 2–3 | — | 5–13–1 | |||
| January 5 | 7:07 pm | Bemidji State | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | FloHockey | Stein | L 1–4 | 1,504 | 5–14–1 (3–9–0) | |||
| January 6 | 6:07 pm | Bemidji State | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | FloHockey | Giesbrecht | W 5–3 | 1,734 | 6–14–1 (4–9–0) | |||
| January 12 | 8:07 pm | at Minnesota State | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota | FloHockey | Stein | L 2–4 | 4,244 | 6–15–1 (4–10–0) | |||
| January 13 | 7:07 pm | at Minnesota State | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota | FloHockey | Giesbrecht | L 0–4 | 4,615 | 6–16–1 (4–11–0) | |||
| January 19 | 7:07 pm | Lake Superior State | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | FloHockey | Stein | W 3–5 | 2,040 | 7–16–1 (5–11–0) | |||
| January 20 | 6:07 pm | at Lake Superior State | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | FloHockey | Giesbrecht | W 3–2 OT | 1,112 | 8–16–1 (6–11–0) | |||
| January 26 | 8:07 pm | at Augustana* | Midco Arena • Sioux Falls, South Dakota | FloHockey | Stein | W 5–2 | 3,183 | 9–16–1 | |||
| January 27 | 7:07 pm | at Augustana* | Midco Arena • Sioux Falls, South Dakota | FloHockey | Giesbrecht | W 4–3 OT | 3,141 | 10–16–1 | |||
| February 2 | 7:07 pm | Bowling Green | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | FloHockey | Stein | L 3–4 | 1,901 | 10–17–1 (6–12–0) | |||
| February 3 | 6:07 pm | Bowling Green | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | FloHockey | Giesbrecht | L 1–3 | 2,275 | 10–18–1 (6–13–0) | |||
| February 15 | 8:07 pm | at Bemidji State | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota | FloHockey | Stein | L 2–3 OT | 1,256 | 10–19–1 (6–14–0) | |||
| February 16 | 7:07 pm | at Bemidji State | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota | FloHockey | Giesbrecht | L 1–4 | 2,153 | 10–20–1 (6–15–0) | |||
| February 23 | 7:07 pm | Northern Michigan | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | FloHockey | Stein | L 2–3 | 1,950 | 10–21–1 (6–16–0) | |||
| February 24 | 5:07 pm | Northern Michigan | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | FloHockey | Giesbrecht | T 1–1 SOW | 2,389 | 10–21–2 (6–16–1) | |||
| March 1 | 7:07 pm | at Lake Superior State | Taffy Abel Arena • Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan | FloHockey | Giesbrecht | L 1–4 | 1,122 | 10–22–2 (6–17–1) | |||
| CCHA Tournament | |||||||||||
| March 8 | 8:07 pm | at Bemidji State* | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota (Quarterfinal Game 1) | FloHockey | Giesbrecht | L 4–5 OT | 1,725 | 10–23–2 | |||
| March 9 | 7:07 pm | at Bemidji State* | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota (Quarterfinal Game 2) | FloHockey | Stein | L 0–4 | 2,176 | 10–24–2 | |||
| *Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. Source:[3] | |||||||||||
Scoring statistics
edit| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antonio Venuto | RW | 36 | 12 | 14 | 26 | 44 |
| Luigi Benincasa | F | 33 | 6 | 16 | 22 | 6 |
| Travis Shoudy | D | 36 | 4 | 17 | 21 | 14 |
| Štěpán Pokorný | F | 36 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 26 |
| Jason Brancheau | F | 35 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 16 |
| Kaleb Ergang | RW | 34 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 10 |
| Zach Faremouth | F | 34 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 24 |
| Emerson Goode | C/W | 32 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 24 |
| Jack Mesic | D | 36 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 8 |
| Tyler Schleppe | F | 25 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 11 |
| Nick Hale | D | 34 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 12 |
| Trevor Taulien | D | 27 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 20 |
| Nick Nardecchia | RW | 34 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 27 |
| Jacob Dirks | F | 27 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 |
| Austin McCarthy | F | 20 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
| Caiden Gault | F | 19 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Drew Cooper | D | 24 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Connor McGrath | C | 28 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| Holden Doell | F | 24 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 12 |
| Andrew Noel | D | 35 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Brenden MacLaren | F | 27 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 11 |
| Ben Schultheis | D | 21 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Jacob Badal | LW | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nico DeVita | D | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Noah Giesbrecht | G | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Logan Stein | G | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 83 | 140 | 223 | 303 |
Goaltending statistics
edit| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Logan Stein | 22 | 1219:18 | 5 | 13 | 1 | 59 | 595 | 0 | .910 | 2.90 |
| Noah Giesbrecht | 19 | 960:41 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 62 | 480 | 0 | .886 | 3.87 |
| Empty Net | - | 14:57 | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 36 | 2194:56 | 10 | 24 | 2 | 126 | 1075 | 0 | .895 | 3.44 |
Rankings
edit| Poll | Week | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 (Final) | ||
| USCHO.com | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR | |
| USA Hockey | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | |
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 11 and 25.[5]
Note: USA Hockey did not release a poll in week 12.
Awards and honors
edit| Player | Award | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| Luigi Benincasa | CCHA Rookie Team | [6] |
References
edit- ^ "SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2024". College Hockey Inc. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "2023-24 Ferris State Hockey Roster". Ferris State Bulldogs. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
- ^ "2023-24 Ferris State Ice Hockey Schedule". Ferris State Bulldogs. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
- ^ "Ferris State Univ. 2023-2024 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
- ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
- ^ "CCHA All-Rookie Team Revealed". CCHA.com. March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2024.