The Ferris State Bulldogs and Michigan Wolverines were in a battle for CCHA playoff seeding on Friday and Saturday night. After falling to Michigan on Friday night, the Bulldogs needed a win to get home ice against Ohio State in the playoffs. Ferris State pulled their goalie in overtime because a win in a shootout wouldn’t help them move past Ohio State. I don’t know how they got away with it, but if you pay careful attention to the number of players on the ice at the 1:31 mark, they have seven players on the ice and that is how they got the breakaway against Michigan. There were six players in the defensive zone and then one player streaking through center ice. It wasn’t just for this play though, Ferris State played the last 25 seconds of overtime with seven players on the ice. Personally, I think they did this on purpose. Ferris State knew they had to win and probably figured they could risk it and if the refs called a penalty, it wouldn’t matter because they would have still lost.
I can’t believe that none of the announcers or the officials noticed the number of players that they had on the ice, but it’s an embarrassment on the officials part. This would have cost Michigan the game and would have given Ferris State home ice advantage in the playoffs. Luckily for Michigan, and Ohio State for that matter, they didn’t score and Michigan won in a shootout. Michigan will face Northern Michigan in the first round of the playoffs starting March 8th.
[@Michiganhockey]