GLI Semifinal Preview: No. 3 Michigan State Hockey takes on Ferris State
The No.3 Michigan State hockey team takes on Ferris State in Grand Rapids. We breakdown the matchup here.
Sunday evening in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the No. 3 Michigan State hockey team will continue an annual tradition it has been a part of since 1979, participating in the Great Lakes Invitational holiday tournament. The Spartans have won the GLI Championship 13 times, second only to former participant No. 1 Michigan in most titles secured. In the semifinal game on Sunday at 7 p.m. Eastern Time, the Spartans will compete against an opponent they first matched up against in, well 1979, with another in-state program, the Ferris State Bulldogs.
These teams last met in the 2023 GLI Championship game, a 4-1 victory for the Spartans, and Sunday's meeting marks the 133rd all-time meeting between the two programs, reigniting a former CCHA rivalry.
Ferris State Bulldogs (4-14)
The Ferris State Bulldogs enter the Great Lakes Invitational with a 4-14 record this season, in their first season with head coach Brett Riley at the helm. Riley, formerly of Long Island University, is replacing the godfather of the Ferris State program, Bob Daniels. Daniels had been the head coach in Big Rapids since 1992, and the change in power has been long coming, but is dramatic for the Ferris State program. The coaching change brought about a big roster fluctuation from a team who went 13-20-3 last season, including losing team captain defensemen Travis Shoudy to the transfer portal, who landed in East Lansing and will be suiting up for the Spartans this evening.
Riley brought over three players with him from LIU, including leading scorer Josh Zary. Zary, who scored 12-plus goals in each of his first three seasons in NCAA hockey, has seven goals and three assists in 18 games on the 2025-2026 season for the Bulldogs. Offense has been a struggle for the Bulldogs, as they score just 2.13 goals per game, which is 52nd in the nation. They also have struggled defensively, surrendering 3.72 goals against per game, 56th in the country. The recruiting pipeline has definitely taken a step up for the Bulldogs, including a commitment this week, but that has no impact on the growing pains of year one under Riley. Riley is a young coach, from a hockey family (his father was a long time coach at Army), and I believe the Bulldogs will get back to competing for the CCHA title sooner rather than later, but that will not help the Bulldogs on Sunday evening as they are overmatched against MSU, even though the Spartans may be depleted due to the World Junior Championship happening as well.
