Ferris State
2018-19 Record: 10-23-3 (7-18-3, 9th in WCHA)
Head Coach: Bob Daniels, 28th Year
Top returning scorer: Nate Kallen (7G-17A)
Top returning goaltender: Roni Salmenkangas (So.)
Well, the good news for Ferris State is that 2019-20 is an even year.
Even years this decade treated the Bulldogs well. Each of Ferris State's three most recent NCAA Tournament appearances came in seasons ending in an even year (2012, 2014, 2016). Bob Daniels' teams won NCAA Tournament games in all three, reaching the national championship game in 2012. One would need to go back to 2003-04 for the last time FSU failed to get more victories in an even year.
Just because it's an even year does not mean that the Bulldogs automatically will contend. Ferris State not only missed the NCAA Tournament, but the team also missed the WCHA playoffs. Getting more victories would mean bouncing back from the worst season Ewigleben Ice Arena has seen during Daniels' long tenure.
Before Ferris State's season off, the Bulldogs were thought preseason to be a middle-of-the-pack WCHA team with the majority of the team's offense returning. Starting 4-4 and having swept Alaska Anchorage, things went awry in November and December for the Bulldogs. Injuries and everything that could go wrong did during an 0-10-1 stretch snapped by beating Minnesota on the road. FSU was better in the second half, finishing the year 3-3-2, but not enough to make the playoffs.
What's New: A lot of what's new this year has to do with who is not around. For the first time in a while, Ferris State enters a year full of players without NCAA experience. The freshman class (including a vocal leader in Cory Mackin and Ryker Killins) who won the Broadmoor Trophy and were part of the 2016 NCAA Tournament team that upset St. Cloud State graduated.
The Bulldogs also lost one of the few bright spots of last season when WCHA Rookie of the Year Cooper Zech signed with the AHL's Providence Bruins rather than return to Big Rapids. Zech was one of the top offensive freshmen defensemen in college hockey, leading FSU in points and someone who could be built around if he stayed. Ferris State will need to find someone else instead. No one returns with double-digit goals.
Last, but certainly not least: New uniforms!
Welcome back UMD and FSU having similar yet not sweaters.
Closing Thoughts: Even year or not, it would be tough for Ferris State not to bounce back somewhat. Losing Zech hurts, but the Bulldogs do retain another sophomore bright spot in goaltender Roni Salmenkangas, who along with Justin Kapelmaster, replaced Darren Smith. Salmenkangas gained experience during Kapelmaster's injuries. Having both, along with fewer injuries and an older defensive core, should help.
At the end of the day, what matters is seeing a push towards a better season. Going from NCAA berths to three straight sub-.500 seasons is not what is to be expected from Ferris State. If this is the new normal for the Bulldogs, who began the decade in contention with Yale and UMD as the top school with the nickname and end it nowhere near, it's a change no program with a longtime head coach wants to see.
But the good news is there are two Bulldog teams entering 2019-20 on a win: the defending national champions...and Ferris State.
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