WEEK 12: Ferris State at Northern Michigan; Lake Superior State at Michigan Tech

0
232

Hard to imagine that we’ve already reached the halfway point in the 2017-18 college hockey season. This is the final week of play for the majority of teams around the country before taking a week off for the holidays.

Some teams effectively played their final first-half series last weekend and won’t resume play until roughly around New Year’s. This will be a very light schedule this week. Michigan, Michigan State and Western Michigan are all on extended byes.

Michigan won’t play again until the annual Great Lakes Invitational on January 1 and 2; same for MSU, sans an exhibition with the USA U-18 team this Saturday. And Western Michigan will resume play on December 28.

So what’s on tap for this weekend? Well a pair of WCHA in-state rivalry series, of course.

FERRIS STATE BULLDOGS at NO. MICH WILDCATS

RECAP: Ferris State (9-10-1) collected a third straight win in the first of two games against Michigan Tech before dropping the back end of the double dip with the Huskies. Northern Michigan (8-8-2) meanwhile played to not one but two stalemates on the road against Bemidji State.

UP NEXT: These two conference foes will meet up in Marquette this weekend, where the Wildcats of NMU have a chance at a rare four-game season sweep of the Bulldogs. Northern Michigan has not won four straight against FSU since their old CCHA times back in 2010-11.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Ferris senior forward Andrew Dorantes potted two goals in the series opening win vs. Michigan Tech last Friday, giving him three on the season to match his entire total from all of last season. That’s already the fifth multi-point game for the Waterford-native, and his first career multi-goal game.

Northern Michigan sophomore Darien Craighead also tallied two scores last week, giving him seven on the year to equal his freshman mark from a year ago. Craighead earlier this year against Ferris notched two points (G, A) in the two games against the Bulldogs.

SCHEDULE: Friday (12/15) and Saturday (12/16) | 7:07 p.m. ET

BROADCAST: WCHA.tv | 97.3 FM WDEE (FSU) | 100.3 FM WUPT (NMU)

LAKE SUPERIOR ST. LAKERS at MI-TECH HUSKIES

RECAP: Lake Superior (4-11-3) did not fare well at all last week at home No. 8 Minnesota State last weekend. The Lakers were outscored 12-1 in their two defeats by the Mavericks. On the other side, Michigan Tech (8-7-4) salvaged a split and subsequently stalled a surging Ferris State team.

UP NEXT: Somewhat similar to our first series above, Michigan Tech has a chance to go virtually unblemished against Lake Superior this season after going 1-0-1 in their first meeting earlier this year (MTU won the shootout in the tie). In fact, LSSU will be eyeing their first win over the Huskies since January of 2014.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Lakers freshman Hampus Erikkson scored his first collegiate goal last week, giving him now four points in 15 games played. Erikkson could be slowly starting to figure things out, all four of his points have come in his last eight games.

Michigan Tech junior Jake Jackson recorded three points (2 G, A) in the two games vs. Ferris State, giving him now 14 on the year for the team lead through 19 contests. Jackson is already two points shy of his season mark from last year, and has earned points in six straight games.

SCHEDULE: Friday (12/15) and Saturday (12/16) | 7:07 p.m ET

BROADCAST: WCHA.tv | 99.5 FM WYSS (LSSU) | Pasty.net (MTU) | 93.5 FM WKMJ (MTU)