Ferris State’s NCAA Tournament run comes to an end with Easter loss to Denver

By @MichaelCaples –

After three straight upset wins, Ferris State finally ran into a foe they couldn’t solve.

The Bulldogs lost to the University of Denver in an Easter Sunday showdown at the West Regional Final in St. Paul, Minn., by a final score of 6-3.

With the loss, Ferris State’s tournament run comes to a close a day after the Bulldogs beat No. 1-seeded St. Cloud State in overtime.

Bob Daniels’ squad had played their way into the NCAA Tournament with upset victories over Michigan Tech and Minnesota State in the WCHA Final Five, and continued their Cinderella run into St. Paul with yesterday’s overtime thriller.

On Easter, they couldn’t find a way to to get in front of the Pioneers.

The Bulldogs erased 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 deficits by continuing to find goals when they needed to even the score, but in the third period, DU seized control with two goals 25 seconds apart around the 15-minute mark. The Pioneers scored again two minutes later to put the game well out of reach for the Bulldogs in the final minutes of play.

Gerald Mayhew, Corey Mackin and Kyle Schempp scored for Ferris State, while Darren Smith made 36 saves in goal.

The Bulldogs conclude the season – one in which they earned the right to raise a WCHA Final Five tournament title banner to the rafters – with a 20-15-6 record.