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

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. 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.
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.

## Standings

2020–21 Western Collegiate Hockey Association Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall 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. ||||||||||

## 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 |

## 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 | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | 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.