After going 15 straight games without a loss to start the 2012 calendar year, Ferris State suffered three losses in its next four games. The Bulldogs dropped their regular-season finale against Western Michigan and then lost two out of three games against Bowling Green en route to being eliminated from the CCHA playoffs. To say the least, they were not going into the 2012 NCAA hockey tournament with a ton of momentum on their side.
The good news for Ferris State is that the slide it experienced at the end of the regular season and in the CCHA playoffs did not carry over to the NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs opened the tournament on Friday night against Denver and won by a score of 2-1.
Ferris State jumped out to a 2-0 lead in Friday's game against Denver. Jordie Johnston scored the first goal of the game 4:30 into the second period. 2:54 into the third period, Simon Denis scored to make it 2-0. Suddenly Denver was in a lot of trouble, but the Pioneers responded with a goal a few minutes later to cut the lead in half. That was as close as they got, as Ferris State staved off Denver in the final 15 or so minutes of the game to hold on for the 2-1 victory.
This victory means Ferris State is one win away from clinching a trip to the Frozen Four. The Bulldogs will play either Michigan or Cornell on Saturday in the Midwest Region final.
You can check out a full bracket for the NCAA hockey tournament on the NCAA's official website.
For more on the 2012 NCAA hockey tournament, check out SB Nation Detroit's StoryStream.