Junior defense Jake Ratzlaff pushes past Junior defense Travis Shoudy. The Tommies beat Ferris State 7-3 on Friday March 8, 2025 at the Saint Thomas Ice Arena. (Sumaii Gemechu/The Crest) 
Senior forward Zach Faremouth rushed towards the puck. (Sumaii Gemechu/ The Crest) 
Freshman defense Christopher Lie attempted to block sophomore defense Cole Miller from advancing toward the goal. (Sumaii Gemechu/The Crest) 
Junior forward Caige Sterzer took a shot on Ferris State’s goal. (Sumaii Gemechu/The Crest)
St. Thomas men’s hockey’s dominant performance led to a 7-3 victory over Ferris State University Friday night at St. Thomas Ice Arena.
The No. 3 seed Tommies took the first game of a best out of three series against the No. 6 seed Bulldogs in the Mason Cup. They are now set to square off in game two Saturday night. The game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start.
High scoring games between both teams have become the norm. In two regular season matchups this season, both teams combined for 22 goals. Today’s game followed a similar game flow.
“Their transition game is top 20 in the country, the numbers prove it and their goals early were exactly that. So we had to do a better job,” coach Rico Blasi said, “Neither team wanted to play defense.”
It did not take long for goals to come by. Both teams traded seven goals in the first period, with St. Thomas coming out on top with a 4-3 lead.
Hobey Baker Award nominee, senior forward Liam Malmquist, added 2 goals to his record-breaking campaign. Both goals came in the first period.
Malmquist caught a high arching chip by graduate defender Ethan Gauer in stride and rocked the far post for the Tommies’ first goal.
“It was a great chip by Gauer. I was able to get a step, just try to put it on net. It was great to see your team get going early like that. Hopefully we can continue that tomorrow,” Malmquist said.
Junior forward Cooper Gay eliminated any possibility of a Bulldog comeback in the third period after scoring the sixth and seventh goals of the night. He now leads all CCHA players with 18 goals.
“You can see the pace and probably intensity was boosted tonight given its playoffs,” Malmquist said. “(We are) playing for our season.”
The Tommies’ opportunism can be attributed to Ferris State’s inability to secure rebounds and to cover along the goal line.
“They gained the back of our net and when they brought the puck out I thought the two other forwards crashed down hard,” Ferris State coach Bob Daniels said, “We had a hard time kicking those guys out, right around the front of the net area.”
Junior forward Quinton Pepper closed out the high-volume period with his first goal of the season and his first goal since December 2023, also against the Bulldogs.
The Tommies were able to settle down in the second period. After allowing 3 goals in 9 shots, senior goaltender Jake Sibell cleaned out his statline in the second frame with 12 saves and no goals allowed. Sibell now carries a 10-game winning streak.
“Who knows what was going on the first for … both sides, but I think we were able to loosen up in the room a little bit, build on the confidence,” Malquist said. “I think everybody was dialed in on that and (Sibell) played really well.”
After the first period mayhem, Ferris State struggled and failed to convert another goal. The Bulldogs tallied 22 shots the rest of the game but without results.
The Tommies added their fifth score with a shorthanded goal by junior forward Lucas Wahlin with 15:56 on the clock. St. Thomas is tied sixth in the nation with six shorthanded goals in the season. The Tommies then rounded the score 7-3 after two late goals.
Wahlin dashed through the middle of the ice and outpaced a Ferris State defender before beating the goalie on a one-on-one.
“When we’re on our toes, I think we’re reading plays … you got guys like Malmquist and Wahlin that can anticipate things. When they’re on, they can do that,” Blasi said.
Ten different Tommie skaters recorded points, and their seven goals mark the second highest goal input of the season.
If St. Thomas defeats Ferris State in game two, it would be the program’s first playoff series win. Last year, the Tommies fell short in the playoffs after being upset by Lake Superior State University in three games.
This could also be the end of an illustrious, 36-year Bulldog career by Bob Daniels. In January, Daniels announced his retirement from coaching after the 2024-25 season. During that span, he became the winningest coach in program history.
“We don’t want this to be our last weekend … we want to move on. We gotta come ready tomorrow,” Ferris State senior forward Zach Faremouth said.
Juan Del Valle can be reached at delv9625@stthomas.edu.
