f to a hotter start than nationally-ranked Ferris State University's Blair Riley.For goal scorers, like Riley, the sport of college hockey is not always the fairest game. You can do everything right and not hit the back of the net. Then, from time to time, you get lucky on a shot that takes a couple of weird bounces and skids across the line and lights the lamp. In Riley's case, however, he seems to be doing just about everything write and creating his own luck as part of a brilliant start to the 2009-2010 college ice hockey season.
The 6-foot, 220-pound senior forward has scored 16 points on 12 goals with four assists as he has led Ferris to one of its best starts in recent memory at 9-2-2 overall and 4-2-2-2 in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association standings. Riley, the Inside College Hockey National Player of the Week (Nov. 23) has been a big part of this great start to the season.
"I am shooting the puck a lot more I guess and just getting lots of scoring chances and fortunately pucks are going in right now," said Riley, who is leading the Bulldogs with 66 shots as his aggressive mindset is paying dividends so far. "Friday, against Ohio State (in a stunning 8-1 victory that saw Riley record a hat trick), there were a lot of pucks going in for a lot of guys. We were getting a lot of bounces."
Riley has been the leader among those getting the bounces. He has six multiple-point games and ranks prominently among the nation's best as he is fourth in goals per game (0.86) and tied for 39th in points per game (1.14) this season.
"I am shooting the puck a lot more I guess and just getting lots of scoring chances and fortunately pucks are going in right now," said Riley, who is leading the team with 66 shots as his aggressive mindset is paying dividends.
The team's top line of Riley, captain Cody Chupp and Casey Haines has been superb throughout the young season. While Riley leads with 16 points, Chupp has 14 (four goals and 10 assists) and Haines has 11 (three goals and eight assists). Zach Redmond, a top-notch defenseman for the Bulldogs, also is a double-digit scorer with 11 points (one goal and 10 assists) and forward Brett Wysopal, a productive newcomer (who transferred in from Colorado College) to competition has 10 points (one goal and nine assists).
It's that high-scoring line of Riley, Chupp and Haines that has opened a lot of eyes so far this season. Riley, as a senior, understands it's do-or-die time for his class to make something happen in Ferris State University's crimson and gold colors. There's no next year for this group and, so far, this group of seniors (led by the line) is playing like a team hungry to take advantage of opportunities this season.
"We're all in our senior year and we want to go out with a bang and we're all trying to do our best and we've been playing well early on in the season and hopefully we can keep it going," said Riley, the CCHA Offensive Player of the Week (Nov. 23). "We're four lines deep, we're playing strong on the back end and we're getting solid goaltending. Hopefully we will keep it going."
"Blair Riley is just coming into his own right now and you can see it each and every game that he is getting better and better. Every night he's coming away with six or seven shots on goal," Ferris head coach Bob Daniels said. "To me, it looks like he's going to be a difficult player to stop for the remainder of the season if he continues to play like this he has the skill level and ability where he can be a leading goal scorer in this league by the end of the year."
Veteran leadership, through words and play, has sparked this team. Winning breeds confidence and confidence breeds winning.
"When you string a few wins together it seems like pucks are going in for you and confidence starts building and that's where we're at right now," said Riley, a native of Kamloops, British Columbia.
Where the Bulldogs are right now is in third place in the CCHA standings entering Thanksgiving week, ranked 17th in the nation by U.S. College Hockey Online and ranked 18th nationally by Inside College Hockey.
Check out Blair Riley being highlighted by the Detroit Free Press for being named Inside College Hockey's National Player of the Week (Nov. 23).
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