Gould's Overtime Heroics Give No. 18 Huskies 5-4 Win vs. Ferris State
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ferris State (2-2-1 (1-1-1)) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
|
Michigan Tech (3-2-0 (3-2-0)) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCES - COACH PEARSON | MALCOLM GOULD | MATT ROY
HOUGHTON, Mich. – Malcolm Gould scored the game-winning goal 4:12 into overtime to give No. 18 Michigan Tech a 5-4 win over Ferris State in a wide-open contest in front of 3,195 at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena tonight (Oct. 30).
Four other Huskies – Tyler Heinonen, Alex Gillies, Joel L'Esperance and Matt Roy – also scored as Tech battled back from a pair of two-goal deficits to collect two Western Collegiate Hockey Association points.
Gould's clincher came just seconds after goaltender Jamie Phillips turned aside a Ferris State breakaway bid. Heinonen grabbed the loose puck following the pad stop by Phillips, looked up ice and hit Gould with an outlet pass at center. Gould skated into the zone on a two-on-one with CJ Eick, waited and fired a wrister between the arm and body of Bulldogs goalie Charles Williams.
The goal by Gould was his team-leading fourth career tally against Ferris State and gave Michigan Tech its 11th straight win on home ice.
"It was a tough game tonight," said head coach Mel Pearson. "There were mistakes both way but I'm happy we found a way to win the game. It was frantic out there tonight and there were a lot of things going on in the game. Overall, Jamie made some big saves and I thought our centers really did a good job. They were strong on faceoffs and defensive-zone coverage."
Ferris State built a 2-0 lead midway through the first frame, but Heinonen found the back of the net at 18:04 to get Tech on the board. After scooping up the puck at center ice, Heinonen turned into the zone, fought off a defender and went to the net before knocking the puck off a Ferris State skate and in for his third goal of the season.
Ferris State regained its two-goal lead by the first intermission, but the Black and Gold clawed back early in the middle stanza to knot the score at 3-3.
Gillies pulled Tech to within one 5:34 into the period when he wheeled into the zone, toe-dragged around a Ferris defenseman and sent a laser just inside the far post. Then, 33 second later, L'Esperance popped home the equalizer. The play started when Eick forced a turnover in the left circle, found the loose puck in his skates and fired it on net where L'Esperance redirected it over Williams' shoulder.
The Huskies surrendered a late goal in the second but rallied again in the third to force overtime. With Tech pushing for the tying goal, Ferris State coughed up the puck along the wall in its own end. The failed clearing attempt went right to Roy at the point and he sent a shot through traffic and in at 5:33 for his first-career goal.
Eick finished with two assists on the night while teammates Mark Auk and Dane Birks both collected single helpers in the contest.
Phillips made 33 stops in the game, including several huge saves late and the sprawling pad stop in overtime that led to Gould's game-winner.
Michigan Tech (3-2-0 overall; 3-2-0 WCHA) and Ferris State conclude the two-game weekend series tomorrow (Oct. 31) at 7:07 p.m. The contest will feature 300 gift bags for kids and a costume contest with the winner taking home free lunch at Joey's Seafood for one year. Tickets for the game can be purchased at the SDC Ticket Office.
NOTES: Ferris State outshot Tech, 37-31 … There were no penalties in the game … The win upped Tech's all-time record against the Bulldogs to 14-9-1, including a 7-2-1 mark at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena … Michigan Tech and Ferris State will wrap up their four-game regular-season series tomorrow. Tech and Ferris split (5-1, 2-3) on Oct. 16-17 in Big Rapids.
