March 30, 2012
NCAA Frozen Four

FERRIS STATE vs. UNION Thurs., April 5 • 4:30 p.m. ET • ESPNU HD

	Overall	Conference	Home	Away	Neutral
Ferris State	25-11-5	16-7-5-1 (1st)	15-4-2	8-6-3	2-1-0
Union	26-7-7	14-4-4 (1st)	10-2-4	11-5-3	5-0-0
	Goals/Gm.	GA/Gm.	PP Pct.	PK Pct.	PIM/Gm.
Ferris State	2.93 (21st)	2.17 (T-5th)	19.2 (25th)	85.8 (6th)	15.5 (10th)
Union	3.55 (4th)	1.80 (1st)	24.3 (4th)	84.8 (10th)	10.3 (56th)

FERRIS STATE: Midwest Regional second seed
Ferris State 2, Denver 1
Ferris State 2, Cornell 1

UNION: East Regional first seed
Union 3, Michigan State 1
Union 4, UMass Lowell 2

Heading into the season, coach Bob Daniels had a feeling that this year’s team might be able to crank out more goals than his typical Bulldogs. Thanks primarily to senior Jordie Johnston’s breakout season, that vision came true. Johnston has more than doubled his career point total, jumping from a total of 10 goals and 11 assists in three years to 20 goals and 16 assists, including a goal in each game of the Midwest Regional. Beyond Johnston, the Bulldogs have also seen career years from Matthew Kirzinger (10-24-34) and Kyle Bonis (18-11-29). Daniels has the ability to sprinkle these forwards—and a number of other 20-point scorers—throughout the lineup, making them a much harder group to defend than the last Ferris State team to score at this rate two years ago, a team that had just one productive line.

The top line of junior center Jeremy Welsh, with sophomore wingers Daniel Carr and Josh Jooris is Union's most dangerous offensive trio. That group has factored into at least one goal in each of Union's last five games. The other top names you need to know are Kelly Zajac—he leads the team with 34 assists and has played 158 games in his career—and Wayne Simpson, who has 34 goals over the last two seasons. They'll roll four lines and will be aggressive on the forecheck. There's good team speed and anyone among the top 12 forwards can make you pay after forcing a turnover.

Defense is typically the strength of the Ferris State program and despite the increased output of its forward lines, it was still the cornerstone of this squad’s success. Led by top pairing Chad Billins (7-22-29, +11) and Scott Czarnowczan (2-18-20, +15), this unit boasts three solid duos that can neutralize teams that have multiple scoring lines and like to prey on weak second and third defensive pairings. Veteran blue-liner Brett Wysopal (2-10-12, +5) has been steady throughout his career and rookie Simon Denis (1-12-13, +2)—his first career goal was the game winner against Denver in the first round of the tournament—emerged alongside Johnston as one of Daniels’ pleasant surprises for the year. Look for a responsible unit to execute Daniels’ meticulous game plan to perfection in its own end and to help push the envelope in the offensive zone as well.

Union's defensemen don't have great size, but they make up for it with strong positional play and excellent puck moving skills. There's good rapport with sophomore goalie Troy Grosenick, and the unit is led by the team's senior captain, Nolan Julseth-White. He's the lone senior on the blueline with three juniors—all of whom have played 75 or more collegiate games to bring significant experience. The two youngest members of the defense corps are the most dangerous offensive threats. Sophomore Mat Bodie has 61 points in his career, while freshman Shayne Gostisbehere (5-17--22) is garnering attention from NHL scouts prior to this summer's entry draft.

Taylor Nelson was a first-team All-CCHA selection and heads to the Frozen Four with numbers amongst the best in the country. His 2.10 goals against average ranked ninth in the nation and his .741 winning percentage was third. Nelson split time with Pat Nagle during his freshman season, but saw his playing time dwindle during his junior and senior seasons as Nagle grew into a regular starter and, eventually, and All-American. After sharing time with freshman C.J. Motte early in his senior season, Nelson emerged as the team’s starter and never looked back, putting together a season that will end up near the top of the school’s record books when all is said and done.

You already know the name: Troy Grosenick, was a Hobey Baker Award top-10 finalist and also earned the Ken Dryden Award as the best goaltender in ECAC Hockey. The numbers speak for themselves, as Grosenick's .936 save percentage and 1.64 goals-against average rank second nationally in both categories. He battled a late-season injury, but hasn't been bothered by that in the playoffs. He and the Dutchmen have allowed two goals or fewer in all six postseason games.

With a power play that’s effective but not particularly special, the key to Ferris State’s special teams is its elite penalty kill. The Bulldogs killed off 85.8-percent of opponents chances this year, good enough for sixth in the country. That success has been due to the same factors that drive the team defensively – depth, responsibility and detailed planning.

Union's special teams are truly a specialty. The Dutchmen rank fourth nationally on the power play at 24.3 percent and are 10th in the country on penalty kill at 84.8 percent. Union has scored at least one power-play goal in six of its last seven games, and has successfully killed off 18 of opponents' last 20 power-play chances. Carr and Welsh have nine PPGs apiece this season, and Carr had 12 power-play goals last year as a freshman.

Bob Daniels might not have the name recognition as other coaches with lengthy tenures at one school, but he’s crafted a steady program at Ferris State that bounces from respectability to contention from year to year due to his thoughtful and comprehensive game planning, ability to find diamonds in the rough when it comes to recruiting and the respect he earns from his players. In his 20th season as the head coach in Big Rapids, Daniels’ team advance to the Frozen Four for the first time in school history, giving credit to the coach for helping his team win the regular season CCHA title and bounce back from a disappointing early playoff exit to knock off two worth opponents in Green Bay.

While Rick Bennett is in his first year of calling the shots behind the Union bench, he's no newcomer to the program. Bennett served on former coach Nate Leaman's staff for six years prior to taking over the top spot on staff this year. His personality matches that of his team. There's a drive to succeed, but also a humility in recognizing and appreciating each step in the process. Bennett earned the ECAC Hockey Tim Taylor Coach of the Year award and is a finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award, which is given to the nation's top coach.

WHY FERRIS STATE WINS: A Ferris State win is going to come by staying within their means, building out from their own end and capitalizing on any chances that come their way in the transition game and offensively. The Bulldogs play tight, clean hockey and don’t make a lot of mistakes, and their depth defensively will help them combat a dynamic Union offense. Add in that ability of multiple lines to cash in on chances rather than one solitary scoring line and the Bulldogs are a team that can compete for Ferris State’s first-ever national championship.

WHY UNION WINS: It's a strong mix of the right kinds of ingredients needed to cook up postseason success. Union hasn't allowed more than two goals in any game through the ECAC Hockey playoffs and NCAA Tournament. The top line is clicking for the Dutchmen and a potent power play is dangerous on every opportunity. While many people don't know much about this team, they know what they do best and don't stray from a winning game plan.