MSU, Michigan Tech Win GLI Semifinals

Charlie Stramel scored two goals and assisted on another as third-ranked Michigan State defeated Ferris State, 5-1, in a Great Lakes Invitational semifinal on Sunday at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich. Trey Augustine made 20 stops for the Spartans (13-4-0 overall), who are seeking their second consecutive GLI title. Hobie Hedquist stopped 18 of 19 shots in relief for the Bulldogs (4-15-0).

MSU will face Michigan Tech (11-6-2) in the final tonight ( 7 p.m. ET, BiG+). The Huskies defeated Miami, 5-2, in the others semifinal, as Stiven Sardarian scored two goals and set up another, and Owen Bartoszkiewicz stopped 26 shots. Matteo Drobca made 28 saves for the Red Hawks (10-7-2), who will face Ferris in the consolation game.

ADDENDUM: Stramel scored two more goals, including the game-winner, and earned tournament MVP accolades as MSU topped MTU, 4-1, to win its second straight GLI title. Miami won the consolation game over Ferris, 4-2.

RPI, Ferris Hire New Men's Head Coaches

The coaching carousel began spinning last week in the NCAA Division I men's hockey ranks.

Rensselaer tabbed Eric Lang earlier today as its new bench boss. Lang, 49, an American International College graduate, spent the last nine seasons at his alma mater, which is reclassifying the AIC men's hockey program to NCAA Division II next season. He led the Yellowjackets to an overall mark of 153-139-30, which included four Atlantic Hockey regular-season championships, three Atlantic Hockey conference tournament titles, and three NCAA tournament berths. 

A former men's assistant at Army West Point, Lang, 49, also spent one year as the men's head coach at Manhattanville College, guiding the Division III Valiants to a 13-9-3 finish in 2011-12. Prior to that, he coached the Manhattanville women's team for three seasons, going 58-22-3 overall and leading the Valiants to two ECAC East titles and their most recent NCAA tournament appearance to date. He succeeds former RPI coach Dave Smith, who over saw the Engineers the last eight years.

Ferris State hired Long Island University head coach Brett Riley on March 31, the only coach LIU had known since the program began play in 2020-21. In four seasons at the helm of the Sharks, Riley, a Hobart graduate, led them to an overall record of 42-73-5, including a program-best 20 wins in 2024-25. He also coached Wilkes for one NCAA Division III season, fashioning a 16-8-2 mark in 2018-19, before serving one year as an assistant at Colgate. Riley, 34, succeeds long-time Ferris head coach Bob Daniels, who had led the Bulldogs the past 33 seasons.

ADDENDUM: LIU has hired Brendan Riley, cousin of Brett Riley, as the Sharks' new men's hockey coach. The son of longtime Army West Point head coach Brian Riley, Brendan Riley, 29, has served the past three years as an assistant coach at AIC. A native of West Point, N.Y., he skated at forward for Mercyhurst from 2016 to 2020, notching five goals and 11 assists for 16 points in 91 career games.

NCAA Hockey Coaching Ranks Changing

The head coaching carousel has begin spinning in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey.

Longtime Ferris State head coach Bob Daniels oversaw the final game of his long career with the Bulldogs' 4-1 loss at St. Thomas in the first round of the CCHA tournament. Daniels, a Michigan State graduate, began coaching FSU in 1992-93 and amassed a 510-625-117 record with the Bulldogs. Included among those numbers were six years with 20 or more victories, three CCHA regular-season championship, one CCHA tournament title, and four NCAA tournament appearances, including a national runner-up finish in 2012.

Rensselaer recently relived Dave Smith of his duties after eight years at the helm of the Engineers, as he compiled an 87-152-19 mark overall. An Ohio State graduate, Smith and his 2019-20 RPI team went 17-15-2 overall and sat fifth in ECAC Hockey at 13-8-1 before the remainder of that season was cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic. He had previously manned Canisius from 2005 to 2017, taking the Golden Griffins to the 2013 NCAA tournament while also earning one Atlantic Hockey regular-season title and one tournament championship. His career record stands at 259-375-78.

American International's Eric Lang saw his NCAA Division I tenure at his alma mater end with Sunday's 4-3 loss at Holy Cross in the second round of the Atlantic Hockey tournament. The Yellowjackets are reclassifying to Division II beginning next season. In nine years, Lang led AIC to an overall mark of 168-148-33, plus four Atlantic Hockey regular-season championships, three tournament titles and three national tournament appearances, including an upset of No. 1 St. Cloud in the 2019 NCAAs.

Mercyhurst's Rick Gotkin, who has guided the Lakers since 1988-89, has announced that he will retire following the 2025-26 season. The only coach to take a school to the NCAA tournament at the Division I, II and III levels, Gotkin, who played collegiately at Brockport, has fashioned a 611-551-111 record through 37 seasons so far. His ledger includes four MAAC/Atlantic Hockey regular-season titles, three conference tournament crowns, and six NCAA tournament berths overall, plus 11 seasons with 20 wins or more.

GLI to Remain in Grand Rapids Through 2026

The venerable Great Lakes Invitational has found a new regular home, at least for the next few seasons.

It was announced last week that the GLI will continue to be played at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich., where it was contested last year after more than a half-century of being played largely in the Detroit area. The new agreement runs through 2026, with the tournament to be played in the month of December. 

Next year's field will include Ferris State, Michigan Tech, Western Michigan and first-time participant Alaska (Fairbanks). Last year's participants included Ferris State, Michigan State, Michigan Tech, and Western Michigan, with WMU winning the tournament.

The GLI fields for the following three seasons are as follows:

2024 - Michigan State, Michigan Tech, Northern Michigan, Western Michigan

2025 - Ferris State, Miami, Michigan State, Michigan Tech

2026 - Michigan State, Michigan Tech, Notre Dame, Western Michigan

Michigan, which holds the record with 17 GLI championships, is not scheduled to participate in any of the upcoming years, after also sitting out last season for the first time since 1973.

Home of the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins since its opening in 1996, the VAA seats 10,834 spectators for hockey. It has also hosted several NCAA men's hockey regionals in its existence, along with several non-tournament college contests.

Western Michigan Wins 2022 GLI

The first Great Lakes Invitational held outside Detroit is done.

18th-ranked Western Michigan took home the crown earlier this week by winning both of its games, 8-1 over No. 17 Michigan Tech in the first round, and 8-2 over Ferris State in the championship contest. MTU finished in third place by edging 11th-ranked Michigan State, 3-2, in the consolation game. FSU had beaten MSU, 4-2, in the first round.

WMU senior forward Jason Polin scored three goals in each game for the Broncos (10-9-1 overall), giving him five hat tricks on the 2022-23 season, and a nation-leading 19 goals through 22 games. His scoring efforts also garnered him the Jack Tompkins Trophy as this year's GLI MVP. Cameron Rowe stopped 52 of 56 shots over two games for the Broncos, who also got five assists in all from Ryan McAllister, the top scorer in NCAA Division I with 28 assists and 38 points through 22 outings..

The victory was WMU's fourth GLI title in six appearances, the last coming in 2016. WMU also won the GLI in 2013 and 1986.

All four games this year were held at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich., home of the AHL's Griffins. It was the first time the tournament had been held since 2019, with the 2020 version being canceled due to COVID-19, and last year's version being played on campus sites in what was a non-traditional, non-championship format. The GLI began in 1965 at the old Olympia, before later being played at now-demolished Joe Louis Arena, Comerica Park (outdoors) and Little Caesar's Arena, all in Detroit.

GLI Moving to Grand Rapids for 2022

The Great Lakes Invitational is moving west.

For the first time ever, the annual holiday college hockey tournament will be played outside Detroit, as the 2022 version will be contested on Dec. 27-28 at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich., home of the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins. 

The semifinals for the 57th incarnation of the GLI will feature Michigan Tech against Western Michigan, and Michigan State versus Ferris State, with the winners meeting on the second day for the title. Longtime GLI participant Michigan, which holds the tournament record with 17 championships, will not be a part of the field for the first time since 1973. 

The GLI began in 1965 at the Olympia in Detroit, before moving to Joe Louis Arena in 1979 and then Little Caesars Arena in 2017. The 2018 version was contested outdoors at Comerica Park, home of Major League Baseball's Detroit Tigers, while the 2020 edition was canceled due to COVID-19. Last year's tournament was held on campus sites, with MSU hosting Western and Tech, and Michigan hosting MTU before the Wolverines bowed out the next night against WMU due to extenuating circumstances. 

MTU won the last regular GLI title in 2019, defeating Michigan in the final.

Van Andel Arena has previously hosted a number of college hockey games, including Ferris State-Michigan State and Michigan-Western Michigan regular-season contests in its first season of operation (1996-97). The facility has also hosted NCAA men's hockey regionals in 1997, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2013. 

CCHA to Return in 2021-22

The Central Collegiate Hockey Association appears to be coming back—at the expense of the current Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

Bemidji State, Bowling Green, Ferris State, Lake Superior State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State and Northern Michigan will be leaving the WCHA to start up the new CCHA in 2021-22, according to several published reports. The original CCHA disbanded in 2013, after more than 40 years of prestigious NCAA Division I men's hockey, following the formation of both the new Big Ten Hockey Conference and the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, and the loss of CCHA member schools to those two leagues plus the WCHA.

The logo, commissioner, playoff format and other details of the new CCHA have yet to be determined. The seismic shift to the WCHA at the end of next season will leave Alaska Anchorage, Alaska (Fairbanks) and Alabama-Huntsville without a conference home. All three were previously Division I independents in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The only current NCAA Division I men's ice hockey independent is Arizona State.

FSU's Kunitz Ends Four-Cup NHL Career

Chris Kunitz (Ferris State) has called it a career. The four-time Stanley Cup champion retired from NHL play on Tuesday after 15 seasons with Anaheim, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay and Chicago.

A native of Regina, Sask., Kunitz collected 268 goals and 351 assists for 619 points and 746 penalty minutes in 1,022 NHL regular-season outings from 2003 until 2019. A six-time 20-goal scorer, his highest-scoring NHL campaign came in 2013-14 with Pittsburgh, when he registered career highs of 35 goals and 33 assists for 68 points in 78 games to earn NHL First Team All-Star status. He also tallied 27-66—93 points in 178 career Stanley Cup Playoff contests, winning his first Cup with Anaheim (2007) before following up with three more titles with Pittsburgh (2009, 2016, 2017).

Kunitz, 39, also won a silver medal with Canada at the 2008 World Championships, and earned gold with the Canadians at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. He also notched 41 goals and 87 points along with 184 PIM in 118 American Hockey League regular-season appearances with Cincinnati and Portland.

Kunitz prepped with both Yorkton and Melville in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League prior to skating four seasons at Ferris State (1999-2003). As a senior at FSU, he recorded career highs of 35-44—79 points in 42 outings in leading the Bulldogs to the 2003 Central Collegiate Hockey Association championship game, and an at-large berth in the 2003 NCAA Tournament.

He was also an NCAA First Team All-America selection and a Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalist his senior season, and was additionally tabbed as the 2002-03 CCHA Player of the Year. In 152 career collegiate outings, he put up 99-76—175 points and 275 PIM, and twice earned All-CCHA First Team accolades. His 99 career goals rank him second all-time at FSU.

Kunitz, who spent last season with Chicago where he played in 1,000^th NHL regular-season game, has joined the Blackhawks as a player development adviser.

Seven Schools Plan to Leave WCHA

Seven of the 10 schools in the current Western Collegiate Hockey Association are seeking to leave and form a new NCAA Division I men's ice hockey conference, according to published reports.

The seven schools making the proposed move include Bemidji State University, Bowling Green State University, Ferris State University, Lake Superior State University, Michigan Technological University, Minnesota State University (Mankato), and Northern Michigan University. The new league would begin play in the fall of 2021, and according to bgsufalcons.com, the seven schools have already independently submitted formal letters of notice to the WCHA office regarding their intent to leave the conference.

The "original" WCHA split up in 2013 when Minnesota and Wisconsin went over to the new Big Ten conference, and Colorado College, Denver, Minnesota-Duluth, Nebraska-Omaha, North Dakota and St. Cloud State joined the new National Collegiate Hockey Conference. Bowling Green, Ferris State Lake Superior and Northern Michigan all left the dissolving Central Collegiate Hockey Association that year and transferred to the new WCHA.

The loss of the seven aforementioned schools would leave the WCHA with just three members in Alabama-Huntsville, Alaska Anchorage, and Alaska (Fairbanks).

Toledo Still Alive in ECHL Kelly Cup Final

The Walleye just won't die.

Toledo's ECHL team staved off elimination in the league's 2019 Kelly Cup Final with a 3-2 win over the visiting Newfoundland Growlers on Saturday night at the Huntington Center in Ohio. Newfoundland now leads the best-of-seven series, three games to two.

Ryan Obuchowski (Yale) and Tyler Spezia (Bowling Green) scored goals for the Walleye, while Pat Nagle (Ferris State) made 28 saves. Michael Gartieg (Quinnipiac) finished with 22 stops for the Growlers, who outshot Toledo, 30-25, on the night.

Game Six is set for Newfoundland's Mile One Center on Tuesday, with Game Seven slated for the following night, if necessary.

NCAA Alumni Change NHL Teams as Free Agency Period Begins

A number of former NCAA players changed NHL teams on Saturday, the first day of the NHL’s free-agent signing period.

The biggest coup was perhaps defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk (Boston University) leaving the Washington Capitals to sign with the New York Rangers for four years at $6.65 million per year, according to NHL.com. Shattenkirk, who has also played with Colorado and St. Louis in his pro career, tallied 13 goals and 56 points this past season, and helped BU to the 2009 national title.

Shattenkirk wasn’t the only former Terrier on the move Saturday. Nick Bonino (BU), who just won his second consecutive Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins, has joined the team that Pittsburgh beat in the final. Bonino, also a member of BU’s 2009 NCAA title team, signed with the Nashville Predators for four years and $16.4 million total. Chris Kunitz (Ferris State), a member of three championship teams in Pittsburgh, inked a one-year deal for $2 million with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Longtime NHL goaltender Ryan Miller (Michigan State) has moved from the Vancouver Canucks to the Anaheim Ducks, while netminder Brian Elliott (Wisconsin) went from the Calgary Flames to the Philadelphia Flyers, and Chad Johnson (Alaska Fairbanks) returned to the Buffalo Sabres after playing last season in Calgary. Miller won the Hobey Baker Memorial Award in 2001, while Elliott backstopped the Badgers to a national title in 2006.

Veteran NHL forward Patrick Sharp (Vermont) has rejoined the Chicago Blackhawks, with whom he won three Stanley Cups, after spending the past two seasons with the Dallas Stars. Tommy Wingels (Miami) went from the Ottawa Senators to the Blackhawks, while Brian Boyle (Boston College) will play for the New Jersey Devils after spending last season with Tampa Bay and Toronto. Former Devils forward Mike Cammalleri (Michigan) joined Los Angeles from New Jersey, while Beau Bennett (Denver) left New Jersey to sign with the St. Louis Blues.

Kenny Agostino (Yale) who helped the Bulldogs to the 2013 NCAA championship, led the American Hockey League in scoring this past season with the Chicago Wolves, St. Louis’ AHL affiliate. He signed a one-year contract with the Boston Bruins. Matt Taormina (Providence), who led all AHL defenseman during the 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs with 20 points for Syracuse, has left Tampa Bay for the Montreal Canadiens.

A full list of free-agent signings is listed here.

Penguins Escape Game One, 5-3

Jake Guentzel (Nebraska-Omaha) scored with 3:17 remaining in regulation on Monday night as the Pittsburgh Penguins outlasted the visiting Nashville Predators, 5-3, in Game One of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final.

Guentzel's goal was Pittsburgh's first shot on net in more than 30 minutes, after the Penguins had built a 3-0 lead in the first period. Nashville then battled back to tie with two third-period scores before Guentzel's heroics. A game-opening goal by Nashville was elminated by an offside infraction.

Nick Bonino (Boston University) had two goals for the Pens, including an empty-net tally in the final minute of regulation. Chris Kunitz (Ferris State) had two assists for Pittsburgh, which was outshot, 26-12.

Game Two of the NHL championship will be held on Wednesday night at PPG Paints Arena in Pennsylvania.

Penguins to Meet Predators in Stanley Cup Final

Chris Kunitz (Ferris State) scored his second goal of the game 5:09 into the second overtime to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 3-2 victory over the visiting Ottawa Senators. Defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh will now host the Nashville on Monday at PPG Paints Arena in game One of the 2017 Stanley Cup final.

Conor Sheary (Massachusetts) set up Kunitz for the game’s opening goal in the second period, before Ottawa came back to tie it just 20 seconds later. Justin Schultz wristed home a power-play goal midway through the third period off assists from Kunitz and Phil Kessel (Minnesota) to put the Penguins up, 2-1, but Ryan Dzingel (Ohio State) knotted it for the Senators with just over five minutes remaining in regulation.

Kunitz slapped a pass home in double OT to send the Penguins back to the final for the second straight season, almost a year after Pittsburgh defeated San Jose in six games to win its first NHL championship since 2009 and fourth overall. Schultz drew the second assist on the winning goal.

The Penguins outshot the Senators on Thursday, 42-29 and scored on their only power-play opportunity.  Ottawa, which went scoreless on two man-advantage opportunities, was seeking is first Stanley Cup Final berth since 2007, when it lost to Anaheim in five games.

Appert Out at Rensselaer

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is looking for a new men's hockey mentor for the first time since 2006. RPI relieved head coach Seth Appert of his duties on Monday after he went 152-221-48 over 11 seasons at the helm of the Engineers.

Appert's best season came in 2010-11 when RPI finished 20-13-5 overall and qualified for the NCAA Tournament. His tenure in Troy, N.Y. was the third-longest in program history, behind Dan Fridgen and the legendary Ned Harkness. The Engineers went 8-28-1 this just-completed campaign, and were swept in the first round of the ECAC Tournament by Clarkson.

Appert, a Cottage Grove, Minn. native, lettered in goal at Ferris State in the mid-1990s when I was the Hockey SID at Michigan State, before he served nine years as an assistant coach at Denver. He was always gracious and giving of his time when I covered RPI as a reporter over the past decade, and I wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors.

Penguins Force Game Seven

Bryan Rust (Notre Dame) and Chris Kunitz (Ferris State) combined on an insurance goal with just over two minutes remaining in regulation, and Nick Bonino (Boston University) tallied an empty-net goal to make it official as the Pittsburgh Penguins survived with a 5-2 win at Tampa Bay on Tuesday night in Game 6 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference final of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Game 7 is set for Thursday night in Pittsburgh (NBCSN, 8 p.m. ET).

Phil Kessel (Minnesota) scored the first goal of the game on a first-period power play for the Penguins, who built a 3-0 advantage after 40 minutes. Brian Boyle (Boston College) scored both Tampa Bay goals in the third period to pull the Lightning to within 3-2, before Kunitz sent Rust in on a successful breakway with 2:08 left to send the now-tied series back to Pennsylvania for a deciding game.

In the Western Conference final, the San Jose Sharks can clinch their first-ever trip to the Stanley Cup Final with a victory in Game 6 tonight (NBCSN, 9 p.m. ET) over the visiting St. Louis Blues. The Sharks lead the series, three games to two. San Jose captain Joe Pavelski (Wisconsin) has three goals in the last two games for San Jose, and has tallied a league-leading 12 goals and 21 points in 17 playoff contests so far this spring.

Fairbanks Wins NAHL Title

Brown University commit Gavin Nieto made 31 saves for the shutout as the Fairbanks Ice Dogs won their third Robertson Cup as champions of the North American Hockey League. The Ice Dogs bested the Wichita Falls Wildcats, 2-0, in Edina, Minn. yesterday to win their second Cup in three seasons.

Reggie Lutz tallied the game-winning goal on Sunday, and was named the tournament MVP after scoring five of Fairbanks' seven total goals in three games, including a two-step semifinal sweep of the Aston (Pa.) Rebels. The Ice Dogs, who also finished as this year's NAHL regular-season champion with a 48-9-3 record (101 points), bested the Coulee Region Chill in four games and the Minnesota Wilderness in five outings en route to the semifinals.

Justin Kapelmaster, who is committed to Ferris State, stopped 29 shots for the Wildcats, who were seeking their first NAHL crown, in the championship contest. Fairbanks won its inaugural NAHL title in 2011.

Half of Frozen Four Filled, Half to Go

Half of the 2016 NCAA Men's Division I Hockey Frozen Four bracket has been filled.

North Dakota punched its ticket to Tampa with a 5-2 victory over Michigan on Saturday in the Midwest Regional final in Cincinnati, while Boston College outlasted Minnesota-Duluth, 3-2, in the Northeast Regional in Worcester, Mass. UND, which last won the national title in 2000, will be playing in its third straight Frozen Four, while 2012 NCAA champion BC will return to the national semifinals after a one-year hiatus.

Two other NCAA regionals will conclude today, after getting underway yesterday. Ferris State advanced to the West Regional final in St. Paul, Minn. with a 5-4 overtime victory over St. Cloud State, while Denver ousted Boston University by a 7-2 score. Ferris and Denver will meet today at 5 p.m. ET for the right to face North Dakota in Florida on April 7.

At the East Regional in Albany yesterday, top overall seed Quinnipiac blanked RIT, 4-0, while UMass-Lowell edged Yale, 3-2, in OT. Quinnipiac and UMass-Lowell will face-off tonight at 7:30 p.m., with the winner to play BC in Tampa in two weeks time.

ADDENDUM: Denver scored three unanswered third-period goals to break a tie with Ferris in a 6-3 victory, while Quinnipiac spotted UML a one-goal lead before going on to win, 4-1. Quinnipiac will now face BC at 5 p.m. ET at Amalie Arena on April 7, followed by Denver-North Dakota at 8:30 p.m. ET, with both games to be shown on ESPN2.

Ferris Alum Blashill Takes Over Red Wings

Former Ferris State University goaltender and Western Michigan University head coach Jeff Blashill made it official on Tuesday, when he became the newest head coach in the storied history of the NHL's Detroit Red Wings.

Blashill, a Sault Ste. Marie native, spent the last four seasons coaching Grand Rapids (AHL), whom he led to a Calder Cup championship in 2013. He signed a four-year contract with the Wings to succeed former mentor Mike Babcock, who moved over to the Toronto Maple Leafs last month.

Blashill played junior hockey with Des Moines (USHL) before backstopping Ferris from 1994 to 1998, winning 27 games with the Bulldogs, according to hockeydb.com. He joined the coaching ranks with his alma mater in 1999, and moved on to Miami (Ohio) in 2002. In 2009 he became head coach and general manager with Indiana (USHL), winning the Clark Cup his first year there, before finishing 19-13-0 in 2010-11 in his lone campaign at WMU. He then spent the next season as an assistant to Babcock in Detroit, before going to Grand Rapids in 2012.

Blashill went 134-71-12-11 in his tenure with the Griffins, leading them to a league title his second season before earning AHL Coach of the Year accolades in 2013-14, according to mlive.com. His 137 career regular-season wins rank second in franchise history, and he also sent 24 players on to the NHL.

One Done, One Almost, One Tied

For the third time in their history, the Alaska Aces are the champions of the ECHL.

The Aces finished off the host Cincinnati Cyclones, 4-0, in last night's Game 6 of the Kelly Cup final. Aces captain Nick Mazzolini (Providence) scored the game-winning goal in the first period at U.S. Bank Arena as the Aces tied the league record for most Kelly Cups by one franchise, having also won in 2006 and 2011. The Aces have also won four consecutive ECHL regular-season championships, according to the Anchorage Daily News.

In that "other" series out east, Jonathan Quick (UMass) made 32 saves and the Los Angeles Kings moved within one win of a sweep with a 3-0 victory over the New York Rangers in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final at Madison Square Garden. Game 4 is tomorrow night in Manhattan. The Kings are looking to claim their second NHL crown in three seasons.

Down south, the visiting St. John's Ice Caps knotted the AHL's Calder Cup Final at a game apiece with a 2-1 win last night over the Texas Stars. Blair Riley (Ferris State) tallied the game-winning goal early in the second period at the Cedar Park Center for the former Manitoba Moose. Game 3 is tomorrow night in Newfoundland. Both squads are seeking their first-ever Calder Cup.

Irish Seek to Bounce Back Against Ferris

 
Notre Dame has been sailing along pretty smoothly this season in this, the final campaign of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.

UND is 15-9-0 overall, ranked No. 7 in the nation, and is tied with Western Michigan for first place in the CCHA with an 11-5-0 league mark.

So what if the Irish are winless in their last four games?

Entire story can be found here.