Box Score
BIG RAPIDS, Mich. -- Cody Chupp scored his second goal of the night with 7:32 remaining in overtime to give Ferris State a 4-3 victory on Friday night at Ewigleben Arena in front of 1,598 fans.
A flurry of shots were fired at Western Michigan (8-26-3, 4-22-2 CCHA) goaltender Riley Gill and a bad bounce off the glass slid to Chupp and he put it past Gill's lower glove side for his second goal of the game to give Ferris State a 4-3 victory, in game one of a best-of-three series in the opening round of the CCHA Playoffs. Gill made 40 saves, including 10 in overtime but dropped their sixth overtime game and 10th one-goal loss of the season.
The Broncos drew first blood on the power play with 6:22 remaining in the first period. Jeff Pierce scored from the far circle and had the puck bounce off the far post and into the net for his eighth goal of the season. Max Campbell picked up his 15th assist on the season and the first playoff point in his career and Kevin O'Connor added his fourth to give the Brown & Gold a 1-0 lead.
Ferris State answered back on the power play with 1:09 remaining in the first period. Blair Riley took the puck in the corner and passed it to Justin Menke behind the net. Menke centered it to Chupp to put it in the net for his ninth of the season and allowed the teams to skate into the locker rooms knotted at one.
Western Michigan was able to hold off a five-on-three power play and then kill the following man-advantage early in the second period. However the Broncos soon found themselves on the penalty kill again and this time the Bulldogs were able to capitalize. A slap shot by Brendan Connoly went wide of the net but the puck bounced off the boards directly to Riley left of the net. Riley shot the puck off the back of Gill's leg and into the net for his 13th of the season and put FSU up, 2-1.
Western Michigan tied the game at two-all after Chris Clackson intercepted a pass in the neutral zone and skated in on net with a two-on-one advantage. Clackson made the pass through a FSU defender to Cam Watson and Watson batted the puck out of the air and into the net for his 10th of the season.
Ferris State capitalized on another power play at the 9:00 mark during the third period. Adam Miller shot the puck from the left circle and it went right between Gill's legs and into the net. Justin Lewandowski picked up his third assist on the season on the third power play goal of the game for the Bulldogs.
Just minutes later the Broncos tied the game at three. Watson sent the puck in behind the net to Patrick Galivan. Galivan brought the puck out from behind a net and found a charging O'Connor who put it in the net for his second of the season. Galivan earned his team-leading 23rd assist on the season and Watson picked up his sixth and second point of the game.
The Broncos put forward a last ditch effort to win the game and had the puck in the Bulldog zone for nearly the final minute but Ferris State's defense held tough to send the game into overtime.
Western Michigan faces Ferris State on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. for the elimination game of the serires, with Sunday's game at 7:05 p.m. if necessary.
