Frozen Four 2012: Ferris State Bulldogs Lack Experience to Surge to Finals

Ferris State's road to the Frozen Four has been a great one to watch, and while everyone loves an underdog, can a team that's only been to the tournament once really make it through to the championship game?

Ferris State will have to get by Union to do it, and it won't be easy.

The last time the Bulldogs from Big Rapids, Michigan, made it to the NCAA postseason, it was 2003 and they didn't last long. It seems that most of the pundits expected similar futility from them this season, picking them to finish ninth in the CCHA this preseason.

But against the odds, Ferris State finished 16-7-5, above the traditional heavy-hitters like Michigan, Michigan State and Notre Dame. Particularly impressive was a 15-game unbeaten streak that started on January 6.

But the Bulldogs' performance following that streak has been a bit worrisome. After dropping a series to Western Michigan at the end of February, Ferris State lost to Bowling Green in the CCHA tournament, which is certainly not how they wanted to close out their season heading into the NCAA tournament.

Wins over Denver and Cornell got the Bulldogs to the Frozen Four, where they will face a Union team that finished 14-4-4, atop the ECAC. Though both are underdogs in this year's field, Union's performance of late is what sets it a step ahead of the Bulldogs.

Since January 7, the Dutchmen have just two losses on their record, and they've won their last seven. They swept through the ECAC Tournament, taking down Rensselaer, Colgate and Harvard en route to a championship. In the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, they've beaten Michigan State (3-1) and UMass-Lowell (4-2).

Simply put, the Dutchmen are playing better right now. And in the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world of college tournaments, that may be all that matters.