BOX SCORE
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Freshman J.J. Crew netted his second goal of the series to ignite a flurry of third period goals, but the Broncos fell to Ferris State, 4-2, on Saturday night in front of 2,407 fans at Lawson Ice Arena.
After a pair of Mike Embach goals put the Ferris State Bulldogs up 2-0, Crew got a pass in the slot from Patrick Nagorsen and buried the puck in the net past FSU goaltender Pat Nagle. The goal was just the second of Crew's breif career at WMU, with Nagorsen and Kyle O'Kane notching assists and bringing WMU within one.
Two minutes later Embach netted his third goal of the night on a five-on-three advantage to put FSU up 3-1. Embach picked up a rebound on a shot by Zach Redmond and put it past WMU goaltender Riley Gill for his eighth of the season and first-career hattrick.
Just 23 seconds later Evan Case netted a power play goal to extend the lead to 4-1. Case fired a shot from just in front of the middle of the blue-line and past Gill for his first on the season. Blair Riley and Chad Billins picked up assists on the goal, the assist would be the third for Billins on the night.
Only 10 seconds later, Chris Frank fired a slap shot from the left point to bring WMU within two goals. Nagorsen passed the puck to Frank from behind the goal line and Frank fired it past Nagle for his first goal of the season. Crew also picked up an assist on the goal, giving him his first career multi-point game. However the Broncos were unable to finish the comeback and the FSU defense held strong for the final six minutes.
Western Michigan was held scoreless on six power plays, while the Bulldogs converted on three-of-11. The two teams finished the game deadlocked at 34 shots each, with Gill making 30 saves in the loss. Cam Watson led the Broncos with a career-high eight shots on goal, while Max Campbell and Frank each finished with four.
The Broncos host its final non-conference series of the season on Friday and Saturday when Alabama Huntsville heads to Lawson Arena. Both games are slated for a 7:35 p.m. start.
