[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 4855-4856]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                CONGRATULATING THE FERRIS STATE BULLDOGS

 Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, we in Michigan love hockey, at all 
levels, from the Detroit Red Wings of the NHL to early mornings spent 
at local rinks watching our kids in youth league games. But even in 
Michigan, at the start of the men's college hockey season last winter, 
few eyes were on Big Rapids, MI, where Coach Bob Daniels was preparing 
for his 20th season leading the Ferris State Bulldogs.
  In a preseason poll, the Bulldogs were ranked ninth in the 11-team 
Central Collegiate Hockey Association. Ferris State had made it to the 
NCAA tournament only once in its history. And even in our home State, 
hockey teams from the larger schools tend to get more attention than 
the team in Big Rapids. But the players at Ferris, a campus of fewer 
than 15,000 students in a town of just over 10,000 residents, were 
determined to let neither history nor expectations get in their way. 
They just started winning--eight games in a

[[Page 4856]]

row to start the season, in fact, on the way to the CCHA regular season 
championship, two weeks as the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, 23 
victories and a berth in the NCAA tournament.
  Despite a phenomenal regular season, few picked the Bulldogs to go 
far in the NCAA tournament. Experts pointed to the fact that the team 
had no players who had been drafted by the professional teams in the 
National Hockey League, one of only three teams in the 16-school field 
without an NHL draftee. Top-rated Boston College, for example, had 
nine. But by now, exceeding expectation was nothing new. The Bulldogs 
defeated the University of Denver, and then Cornell, each by a single 
goal, to reach the Frozen Four in Tampa.
  In the national semifinals, Ferris State was locked in a tight match 
with Union College. The Bulldogs were behind 1-0 late in the second 
period when senior Aaron Schmitt scored to tie the game, and it 
remained tied until just under five minutes remained in the third and 
final period, when junior Kyle Bonis scored the go-ahead goal.
  That victory set up a championship match with Boston College, the 
odds-on favorite for the championship. The Eagles had outscored their 
opponents in three previous tournament games by a combined 12 goals to 
1. Again, few gave Ferris a chance. But there they were, in the waning 
moments of the third period, down by just a goal and battling to tie 
the game.
  The Bulldogs fell just short. Still, it was a historic season, one 
that brought immense joy and considerable pride to everyone in 
Michigan, but especially to Big Rapids and the Ferris State family.
  I hope my colleagues will join me in congratulating Coach Daniels, 
seniors Aaron Schmitt, Chad Billins, Derek Graham, Michael Trebish, 
Jordie Johnston, Brett Wysopal, Tommy Hill and Taylor Nelson; their 
teammates, Scott Czarnowczan, Travis White, Jason Binkley, Cory Kane, 
Travis Ouellette, TJ Schlueter, Nate Milam, Garrett Thompson, Eric 
Alexander, Andy Huff, Justin Demartino, Matthew Kirzinger, Justin 
Buzzeo, Dom Panetta, Simon Denis, Kyle Bonis, CJ Motte and Rob Granett; 
coaches Drew Famulak, Mark Kaufman and Dave Cencer; and Ferris State 
fans everywhere. Thanks to the Bulldogs for a magical season.

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