Ferris State University's Stepan Pokorny scored in the first round of the shootout and Noah Giesbrecht saved all three Northern Michigan attempts as the Bulldogs won their second shootout of the season Saturday (Feb. 24) in the Ewigleben Ice Arena.
The Bulldogs (10-21-2) played a tightly contested game against Northern Michigan that was tied 1-1 after the first three periods. When neither team scored in overtime, the Bulldogs had their second shootout of the year, winning it 1-0 in their final home game of the season.
Before the game, Ferris State honored 11 players for senior night. Those players were Logan Stein, Ben Schultheis, Drew Cooper, Austin McCarthy, Jacob Dirks, Pokorny, Jason Brancheau, Nick Hale, Antonio Venuto, Brenden MacLaren and Giesbrecht.
Zach Faremouth scored the first goal of the game at 11:33 in the first period on the power play. Pokorny and Brancheau had the assists on Faremouth's second power play goal this year, giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.
Northern Michigan tied the game at 1:59 in the second period. Rylan Van Unen scored with assists from Tyrell Boucher and Kevin Marx Noren, the final goal of the game.
Giesbrecht made 24 saves in regulation, while Northern Michigan goaltender Beni Halasz stopped 12 shots through the first 60 minutes. In overtime, Giesbrecht denied both Wildcat shot attempts and Halasz made five saves.
Grant Slukynsky was the first shooter in the shootout, and he was turned away by Giesbrecht. Pokorny went first for the Bulldogs and beat Halasz, giving FSU a 1-0 advantage in the shootout.
Matvei Kabanov went next, and he too was denied by Giesbrecht. Brancheau had a chance to win it for Ferris State in the second round, but Halasz made the save.
Mikey Colella was the last chance for Northern Michigan, but Giesbrecht stood tall for a third time in the shootout and won it for Ferris State.
Giesbrecht finished the game 26-27 and officially earned a tie. Halasz turned away 17-18 shots.
Northern Michigan won 31 faceoffs compared to 25 for Ferris State. The Bulldogs went 1-3 on their power play tries and killed all four of their penalties.
The Bulldogs have one game remaining in the regular season. They will visit Lake Superior State University Friday (March 1) for a 7:07 p.m. (ET) puck drop against the Lakers. Pregame coverage will begin at 6:30 p.m. (ET) on Sunny 97.3 FM.