This is the third straight season these teams have opened the season playing each other. Miami went 1-0-1 on its home ice last season and split its 2021 series vs. the Bulldogs in Big Rapids.
Overall the RedHawks are 4-2-1 vs. FSU in these teams’ last seven meetings, and Miami is three games over .500 against the Bulldogs all-time.
A look at this weekend’s matchup:
WHO: Miami RedHawks (8-24-4) at Ferris State Bulldogs (14-19-4).
WHERE: Ewigleben Ice Arena (2,493), Big Rapids, Mich.
WHEN: Saturday – 7:05 p.m.; Sunday – 5:05 p.m.
ALL-TIME SERIES: Miami leads, 48-45-17.
STREAMING: FLOhockey.tv ($).
MIAMI RADIO: Sunday — WMOH-AM (1450), Hamilton, Ohio.
NOTES: Like Miami, Ferris State struggled to defend last season, allowing 3.54 goals per game, the seventh-worst clip in Division I (MU was third-last at 3.81).
Noah Giesbrecht had a solid sophomore season in net for the Bulldogs, posting a .906 save percentage and 11 wins including a shutout in 28 appearances.
Senior Logan Stein logged 697 minutes and finished with a 3-7-3 record and an .879 save percentage.
On the blue line, Ferris State returns Brenden MacLaren, who went 4-12-16 last season but only two other returning defensemen — Drew Cooper (0-8-8) and Ben Schultheis (1-6-7) notched more than five points in 2022-23.
Up front, Stepan Pokorny and Jason Brancheau tied for Bulldogs’ points lead last season with 21, and both return in 2023-24. Pokorny went 6-15-21 and Brancheau was the team’s only double-digit scorer with 13 tallies.
Three other returning forwards returning forwards racked up at least 14 points last season — Tyler Schleppe, Antonio Venuto and Connor McGrath.
Miami is 2-5-1 in its last eight games in Big Rapids.
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