BOX SCORE

BIG RAPIDS, Mich. (1/6/12) – The nationally-ranked Colgate men's hockey team had its seven-game unbeaten streak stopped by No. 17 Ferris State as the Raiders couldn't hold on to a third period lead in a 4-3 loss.

Colgate (12-5-2) got goals from Corbin McPherson, Spiro Goulakos and Joe Wilson, but Kevin McNamara tallied two assists for the team's high scorer. Austin Smith extended his career-long point streak to 10 games. Eric Mihalik tied a career-high with 40 saves in the loss and it stops a four-game winning streak for the goaltender. The Raiders lost their first game of the season when leading after two periods as they had a 3-2 lead going into the final 20 minutes.

Ferris State (12-8-1) saw Jordie Johnston tally a hat trick, including the gamewinner with 2:30 left in the game. Aaron Schmit was the other goal scorer for the Bulldogs, while Matthew Kirzinger added two helpers. Taylor Nelson made 22 stops in net to earn the win.

The Raiders took advantage of their first power play opportunity of the game as McPherson scored his second of the year and second in as many games. McNamara slipped a pass to John Lidgett at the blueline and the rookie skated into a shot that was blocked, but McPherson was there for the rebound at the left of the scrum. The senior defenseman chipped the puck over Nelson's pad for the 1-0 lead, 7:06 into the frame.

Ferris State evened the score as Jordie Johnston buried a rebound into the back of the net with 6:11 left in the period. Matthew Kirzinger took a shot from just about the faceoff circle and Mihalik made the stop, but the puck came to Johnston and the Colgate netminder couldn't react fast enough to make the save. The Bulldogs had a huge advantage in shots at 18-4.

The Ferris State pressure continued early in the second period and it paid off as Johnston put home another rebound. Kirzinger took a shot from the right circle and Mihalik came out to challenge. He made the save, but the puck came out to Johnston and he hit the open net. The goal was almost identical to the first that Johnston scored. The Raiders fired back as Goulakos scored his first collegiate goal with a screen shot from the high slot. Mark Nasca slid a pass that got to Goulakos and he put the puck through traffic. McNamara was given his second assist of the night on the play. The goal came 1:41 after Ferris State took its first lead of the contest.

Colgate regained the lead with four minutes left in the second period after Wilson jammed home a rebound. Smith had a great individual effort, going into the zone 1-on-3 and got behind the net. He put a wrap around shot on Nelson, but the netminder couldn't cover the puck and Wilson swooped in to jam the puck home for the 3-2 lead. Colgate won the shot advantage in the second period by a 16-11 margin.

The Bulldogs evened the score for the second time as Schmit added a power play goal with 6:59 left in the game to make it 3-3. Colgate won the faceoff in its own end, but couldn't collect the puck and Garrett Thompson got it, found Schmit and he beat Mihalik during a scrum. Ferris State then got a hat trick from Johnston as he scored with 2:30 left in the game to give the home team a 4-3 lead. The Raiders had poor transition defense and Johnston made them pay for it.

Colgate had a great chance in the final 10 seconds as Smith got behind the defense and found himself in the front of the net. Unfortunately, Nelson was able to turn him away with his 22nd save of the night and the game ended with the Bulldogs taking the 4-3 lead.

Ferris State controlled most of the game and it was shown on the shot totals as the Bulldogs had a 44-35 advantage. Colgate went 1-for-5 on the power play with McPherson scoring, while Ferris State got one score on the man-up in four chances.

These two teams will go at it again tomorrow, as the second game will be played at 4:05 pm on Saturday afternoon. It will be the final non-conference game of the year for the Raiders.

NOTES: Smith extended his point scoring streak to a career-long 10 games … McPherson scored his second of the year after going scoreless in the last calendar year … Lidgett tallied his first point in five games … Mihalik's 17 stops in the first period were the most in a period for him this season and second-most for the Raiders this season … tied his career-high with 40 stops as the other came in last year's playoffs at RPI … reminder to fans that Skate with the Raiders is set for Jan. 18 from 6-7 … Goulakos became the 15th skater to score a goal this season … Colgate is now 10-1-0 when leading after two periods and 12-2-0 when scoring at least two goals … the Raiders have four power play goals in their last 12 chances … Ferris State leads the series 5-4-1 and Colgate takes its 17th loss all-time in the state of Michigan.