Special DElivery: One shootout, but two winners at Lawson

Welcome to MiHockeyNow’s new blog, starring Darren Eliot. The famed TV analyst and Sports Illustrated columnist will discuss all things hockey in this exclusive blog for Michigan Hockey.

By Darren Eliot –

Not often two teams can celebrate at the end of a game, but that was the situation at Lawson Ice Arena on Friday night. The hometown WMU Broncos won a seven-round shootout to gain two points and celebrate that fact, as Freshman goaltender Frank “the Big” Slubowski was perfect against the top-ranked team in the country – rival Ferris State Bulldogs. They may have ended up with a 1-1 tie in the standings, but that single point meant the Bulldogs were top dogs in the CCHA for the first time since 2002-03. The bench exploded at the conclusion of OT, as the unlikely bunch from Big Rapids knew the title was theirs alone.

The game itself featured hard hockey, with lots of  bodychecks, blocked shots and battles for every inch of ice. Scoring chances came at a premium, yet senior goaltender Taylor Nelson for the Bulldogs – the busier of the two netminders – and Slubowski came up with tough, timely saves. The teams traded goals in the second period, with the Bulldogs leading scorer Jordie Johnston counting first. Ferris’ captain, defenseman Chad Billins, assisted on the tally, extending his point streak to 12 games. The Broncos countered on the power play, as Shane Berschbach potted the equalizer with Chase Balisy assisting on the play, pushing his point streak to five games.

It wasn’t until senior Greg Squires snapped a quick shot just inside the goalpost barely above Nelson’s catching glove, though, that the Lawson Lunatics got to celebrate one last time on the evening. I was there covering the game for FS Detroit and it was my first trip to Lawson. The atmosphere didn’t disappoint, as the Lunatics stood and chanted in unison from start to finish. The sign held high of play-by-play partner Ken Daniels circa 1993 with a hairdo out of Anchorman and a pencil ‘stache out of Magnum PI was priceless.

When Daniels signed the likeness and posed for pictures post-game with a large gathering of “Lunatics”, it was a fitting ending to a fun night at the rink: All the best elements of college hockey on display in one evening.

Editor’s Note: On Saturday, the rivalry series shifted to Ferris State’s rink, but the Broncos prevailed 3-0. The win wrapped up third place in the CCHA standings for WMU. Both teams have a bye for the first round of the league playoffs.