Written by Tyler Kuehl
 
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The D3 hockey team was back home on Saturday afternoon. They were trying to avenge a 7-1 loss the night before, and looked to feed off the energy from the home crowd.
 
It ended up being another exciting game between the Clubdawgs and the Panthers. There were 95 shots on goal between the two teams. The teams traded goals throughout the contest, but Ferris took over in the third period en route to their 11^th consecutive win.
 
QUICK STATS
 
Final Score: Davenport 4 – Ferris State 7
Shots: DU 34 | FSU 61
Power Play: DU (2/6) | FSU (1/5)
Records: DU (7-9, 5-7) | #1 FSU (13-2, 9-2)
 
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
 
Austen Strauss did everything he could to keep the Panthers in the game. The junior made 54 saves. Charlie Bonser picked up a couple of assists, while Alexander Brown scored his team-leading 19^th goal of the season.
 
EARLY STRIKE
 
Davenport looked to have a much better start than they did the night before, and they would cash in on an early power play. Just over two minutes in, Bonser took a shot from the point that was blocked in the slot. Brown found the loose puck, and took backhander that soared over the shoulder for Ferris' Bryson Stutesman and into the net to give DU the early lead.
 
QUICK REPLY
 
Less than a minute later, Nathan Rieman would strip Parker Schmitt of the puck, and deked out Strauss to score his 17^th goal of the season to tie the game at one. Later on in the period, Ferris' attack was getting the Panthers out of sorts in their own end. This gave an opportunity for Austin Gawronski to take a shot from the point that beat Strauss through a screen to give the Clubdawgs the lead. Rieman would score his second of the game 22 seconds later in almost identical fashion to his first goal.
 
NO GOAL…WAIT
 
Just 30 seconds later, Cole Ott rushed the puck down the right wing and took a shot that looked like it hit off the crossbar and stayed out. After discussion between the refs, it was deemed the puck it the back crossbar, and bounced out, giving Ott his second goal of the season, and bringing DU within one.
 
BACK AND FORTH
 
Ferris was able to extend their one-goal lead early in period two as they would convert on a power play of their own just five minutes in. Rieman made a nice move to get open into the slot, drawing all of the attention of the Panthers to him. In doing so, that left Ethan Peitz open back door. Rieman fed him a pass and he buried his eighth of the season to put Ferris up 4-2.
 
The Panthers would answer back a little over a minute later as Bonser sprung Aiden Dion on a breakaway, and he beat Stutesman to bring DU back within one. DU would get a power with only minutes left in the middle stanza. DU would get a couple close calls, including a mad scramble around the Clubdawg net. The puck squirted out to Christopher Heath, who threw a wrist shot towards the goal, and it somehow slipped through everyone in front and into the back of the net, and Davenport had clawed back to tie the game.
 
DAWGIN' TO VICTORY
 
DU was within striking distance heading into the third period, but the Clubdawgs would not allow the upset to happen. Nick Cloud scored just over two minutes into the final frame to give Ferris their second lead of the night. Then, Lance McLean scored just passed the eight-minute mark to put the Dawgs up by two, before Joe Carney put the game away with his 14^th goal of the season just over a minute later. Ferris State would complete the weekend sweep with the 7-4 victory.
 
WHO'S NEXT?
 
The Panthers are off the rest of the semester, and return to action against Hope College on Jan. 10. The Sailors are currently the #2 in the North Region, and are 18-9 against the Panthers all-time. The Panthers last win over the Sailors came back in the 2014 MCHC Playoffs.
 
First game of the first weekend set for DU in 2020 will come on Friday the 10^th at Patterson, with a scheduled 8:30 p.m. puck drop.