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Bronco Hockey downs No. 20 Ferris State, 5-3

Posted at 11:52 PM, Oct 06, 2016
and last updated 2016-10-06 23:52:05-04

BIG RAPIDS, Mich. – Five different Broncos scored as the Western Michigan hockey team earned first win of the season with a 5-3 victory on the road against No. 20 Ferris State on Thursday night.

Corey Schueneman, Frederik Tiffels, Wade Allison, Lawton Courtnall and Sheldon Dries all lit the lamp, while freshman goalie Ben Blacker made 31 saves to earn his first career win. WMU (1-0-0) outshot FSU 42-34 on the night, including a pivotal 14-8 edge in the third period.

The game was deadlocked 3-3 heading into the third period until Courtnall netted his first collegiate goal at 11:31. Aaron Hadley won a draw in the Bulldog zone and the freshman forward skated into the slot and fired it past Ferris State (0-3-0) goalie Darren Smith to give the Broncos a 4-3 lead.

WMU’s senior captain put the game away at 17:23 when Dries brought the puck into the FSU zone and fired a wrist shot on net. Smith got a piece of it with his glove, but then watched it hop over and trickle past the goal line. With a 5-3 lead Western Michigan killed off the remaining 2:37.

The Broncos never trailed the entire game and took a 1-0 lead late in the in the first period on Schueneman’s first goal of the season at 14:30. Cam Lee took the puck into the FSU zone on the power play and found Aidan Muir near the net. Muir passed it back to Schunemean and the sophomore defenseman faked an initial shot before firing it past Smith.

The Bulldogs tied it up at 1-1 just minutes later at 17:47 when Mitch Maloney punched in a rebound on a shot by Craig Pelfey.

Western Michigan responded at 18:58 on a goal by Tiffels. Junior defenseman Scott Moldenhauer played Tiffels in behind a FSU defenseman and the speedy German got one shot off and then put in his own rebound for his first goal of the season.

The Broncos maintained a 2-1 lead until late in the second period when Ferris State’s Jared VanWormer scored his first goal of the season after being set up by Chad McDonald.

Less than a minute later Allison tallied his first collegiate goal to give Western Michigan the lead back, 3-2. Taylor Fleming connected on a home-run pass to Allison after picking up the puck from Blacker. The Philadelphia Flyers draft pick got in behind the Bulldog defense and ripped one past Smith. Fleming tallied his first assist of the season and Blacker also notched his first collegiate helper.

At 17:19 Ferris State took advantage of a 5-on-3 power play to tie the game up at 3-3. Pelfey found Ryan Lowney open in the right circle and Blacker didn’t get back to the other side of the net in time to stop Lowney’s shot.

WMU finished 2-for-9 on the power play, while the penalty kill turned in a solid night after going 6-for-7.

The two teams square off on Friday at Lawson Ice Arena at 7 p.m.