60 Days. 60 Teams. 600 Words (or Less): Ferris State

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!

View this post on Instagram

Our New Reds From the design team: We wanted to change our look by embracing our school colors on the whole. The coaching staff was excited about having our Bulldog back on our dark uniforms after a bit of a hiatus. The white text /numbers is the most major change from our previous look and definitely one we’re excited to show off. Disclaimer: the black lining you see on the uniform is stitching, you will not see it in reality. There may be very minor adjustments made between these proofs and the final product.

A post shared by Ferris State Hockey (@ferrishockey) on Jul 8, 2019 at 8:01am PDT

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.

Recent 60 Days. 60 Teams. 600 Words (or Less) Features
Alabama Huntsville
St. Lawrence
Alaska Anchorage
Intro

--
If you enjoyed this blog, you can follow Nate on Twitter and like/subscribe to his Facebook page. Thanks!

BLOG: Welcome to the Next Chapter of Conference Realignment

Turns out the next chapter of college hockey realignment began, not with a shot across the bow, but with a Friday afternoon news dump.

There was no massive declaration. Instead, it took a six-paragraph press release put out at the latest possible time to watch the whole idea of western conference stability disappear.

Seven like-minded WCHA teams - Bemidji State, Bowling Green, Ferris State, Lake Superior State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State, and Northern Michigan - are exploring forming a new men's hockey conference beginning in 2021-22.

Each would be leaving at the expense of the conference's two Alaska schools and Alabama Huntsville, all of whom were surprised to find out they were not on the Midwest cool list despite years hanging out together. So was longtime parent WCHA. All four have been left with questions of their future.

Honestly, the same can be said about the departing group of 7. With this newest realignment saga, all is new and up in the air. Yet it feels like history has repeated itself. Schools not happy with the direction of the conference leaving the WCHA to form an elite hockey conference, letting the smaller ones fend for themselves.