Box Score

ESTERO, Fla. – Florida native Brian Ferlin had two goals and an assist to pace the men's hockey team to a 5-3 victory over Ferris State on Friday in the opener of the Florida College Hockey Classic at Germain Arena. Linemate Greg Miller also had three points with a goal and two assists, and Andy Iles made 22 saves to help stave off a Bulldogs comeback attempt before Erik Axell's shorthanded empty-netter sealed it.
 
Cornell (7-3-2), ranked 11th in both major national college hockey polls, rallied from a slow start which saw Ferris State (7-8-3) take the lead just 1:22 into the game.

The Big Red was able to equalize in dramatic fashion with Ferlin's first goal just 1.4 seconds before the first intermission. Ferris won a faceoff in its own zone with four seconds remaining and controlled the puck on top of the crease. But as he tried to flip out a clearance to run out the clock, Greg Miller got a stick to it and deflected the puck to a wide-open Ferlin in the slot. The Jacksonville, Fla. native who used to play youth hockey at Germain Arena picked a spot inside the right post for his first goal of the season.
 
Cornell took total control of the game territorially by the second period, but didn't enjoy its first lead until late in the frame. Iles made a big save on Kyle Bonis' breakaway at the 10:55 mark, then stoned Garrett Thompson twice from close range at 16:10. Thompson got a third whack at the puck with Iles scrambling, but defenseman Braden Birch was positioned on the line to make a goal-saving stop.
 
A little more than a minute later, John McCarron gave the Big Red a 2-1 lead. Nick D'Agostino kept the puck in at the right point, then Dustin Mowrey chipped the puck to the middle for McCarron. The sophomore winger walked into a slap shot that sailed past the blocker of Bulldogs goalie C.J. Motte with 2:24 left in the period.
 
Ferlin's second goal came on the power play, 2:59 into the third period. Joel Lowry and Greg Miller combined on passes from behind the net to send Ferlin free across the slot, where he again beat Motte to the glove side. Miller scored at the 6:04 mark off a Lowry pass deflected by Ferlin, and Cornell suddenly enjoyed a three-goal lead.
 
But Ferris State, ranked 19th in the USCHO.com poll, didn't fade away quietly. After making a goaltending change, the Bulldogs pulled to within one goal with 4:51 left to play, then drew a major power play with 1:39 left. The Big Red's penalty kill stood tall, then Axell locked up the game with a shorthanded empty-net goal from 175 feet.
 
Cornell will play defending champion Maine in the championship game at 7:35 p.m. Saturday. The Black Bears defeated Minnesota-Duluth, 1-0, in Friday's second first-round game. UMD and Ferris State will face off at 4:05 p.m. Saturday in the consolation game.