Midway through the second period of Tuesday’s Michigan Tech-Ferris State tilt down in Big Rapids, MI, local play-by-play man Harrison Watt gave a shout out to Ferris long-time assistant coach Mark Kaufman, the man in charge of the Bulldogs’ PK unit. His group had just killed off its second straight penalty to keep Ferris State within a goal of Michigan Tech.

Despite Ferris’s struggles — and they have been much more competitive despite the mounting losses, just ask Tech’s Joe Shawhan and Bemidji’s Tom Serratore — it’s been a year of recognition for coach Kaufman. Last month he added the prestigious Terry Flanagan award to his mantle, recognizing his outstanding years of service to American hockey. Nine years earlier, fellow Ferris assistant Drew Famulak won the same award, no coincidence when you consider the sense of family behind the Bulldogs bench.

“I’m very fortunate to have two guys that have been with me for such a long time,” said head coach Bob Daniels. “A lot of it starts with friendship. It seems to be such a positive that we are a very close staff, and that includes our strength coach Dave Cencer as well.”

College hockey insiders are impressed that the Ferris boat has not taken on water this year. Despite a nearly disastrous start that included both heavy losses and aggravating COVID-19 shutdowns, the Bulldog players remain committed to improvement, both personally and as a group. Much of that is due to Daniels’ staff. He credits Kaufman with taking care of the defensive side of the puck.

“Where I really think he excels is his ability to work with our defensemen,” said Daniels. “And also his ability to help the players individually. Mark’s really good at the nuances of the game. He’ll watch a lot of video, call the players in individually, and I think they very much appreciate his help. They like the one-on-one time, they like the ideas he has for individual improvement, and I am certainly very appreciative of that. I find it very complementary, a great asset.”

Kaufman’s wisdom, which he shares so freely with the Bulldogs, comes from having led several hockey lives. He was a head coach in juniors (USHL) and the minors (ECHL) before returning to Daniels’ staff for a second time in Big Rapids. That experience buttresses Daniels when he endures the ritual — and often lonely — trials of being a Division I head coach.

“He’s been in this seat , he’s got scars to prove it,” said Daniels. “Because of that, it allows you to sit down with staff, with Mark in particular, and he knows what I might be going through at a given time; he’s a good sounding board.”

Ferris State’s recent improvement is often ignored because of all the schools ahead of them in the WCHA standings, but they are no easy mark. They posed very difficult tests for nationally recognized Michigan Tech the past two Tuesdays, and sandwiched in an overtime win over then eighth-ranked Bemidji State between those games.

Their team bus now points north to Houghton, to face the Huskies once again, this time with historic hardware as an incentive. Michigan Tech is staging their annual Winter Carnival, with a two-game hockey series the major highlight. This year Ferris is the Huskies’ opponent, and the winner of the series (total goals if a split) earns possession of the historic MacInnes Cup, named after Tech’s legendary coach John MacInnes.

Thanks to Daniels’ coherent staff, his players remain committed to team goals over individual accolades. Outsiders might presume that the Bulldogs’ quest to mine precious silver in Copper Country will be beyond their grasp, but that is not a sentiment shared within the Tech locker room. The Huskies have been punctured for four goals in one recent game with Ferris, and had their power play stymied in the other. Look for Daniels and company to make a legitimate bid to wrest the MacInnes Cup from the paws of the Huskies.

Tim Rappleye is the author of two books: Jack Parker's Wiseguys and Hobey Baker, Upon Further Review. You can find him on Twitter.