Photo credit: Katey Ladika
Brady Ferguson is key to RMU’s playoff success
March 1, 2018
There is little doubt that Brady Ferguson is one of the best players in all of college hockey. The senior from Carrollton, Texas, has been nominated for the Hobey Baker award for the past two seasons and finished fifth in the NCAA in points as a junior. However, how important is Ferguson to the success RMU hockey? The answer: very important, and in Ferguson’s own words, “If I produce we win.”
The Texan has the numbers to support this claim as well. For instance, Ferguson’s 40 points have placed him second in the AHC in scoring and ninth in all of Division I hockey. These points have been extremely valuable for the Colonials because when the senior fails to etch his name onto the nightly scoresheet, RMU has a pitiful 3-10 record this season. This means that Ferguson has scored in nearly 80 percent of the team’s victories this season.
As one could imagine, the more Ferguson scores, the better off the Colonials perform. This season the senior has tallied two or more points in 12 games. During this impressive scoring streak, Ferguson and the Colonials have posted a strong record of 7-3-2.
In addition to this strong mark is the Colonials’ record when Ferguson registers three points or more in a game. When the Texas native has achieved this feat over the past two seasons, RMU has boasted a staggering 11-1 record (4-1 this season).
While this record reflects positively upon the impact of Ferguson, it also displays how important Daniel Leavens was to the success of the Colonials last season. As the deadly duo of Leavens and Ferguson were able to lead the Colonials to 10 more victories than this season. Leavens was also crucial in enabling Ferguson to score 18 more points as the former Colonial’s 35 assists saw him finish in third place in all of Division 1 hockey.
With this type of production missing from the lineup, it is no surprise that RMU has taken a step back this season. However, the incredibly sharp drop off that the Colonials had this season was not expected. Although the 2017-2018 regular season is in the books, the postseason gives the RMU offense its chance to turn the tides and show that they can make a deep playoff run without Leavens’ production.
Timmy Moore and Alex Tonge are two returning players that need to continue their successful seasons. Both players have continued their success from last season, and Timmy Moore has even picked up five more points despite playing four fewer games. As for Tonge, he currently sits in second place on the Colonials in goals, assists and points.
This offensive success will need to fall on the shoulders of a coalition of forwards. The obvious pick for carrying the offensive load is Ferguson. However, Michael Louria and Luke Lynch will need to pick up the slack on the attack. Louria will need to do what he was brought into RMU to do, and that replaces Leavens to the best of his abilities. His 26 points account for just slightly over half of Leavens’ points from a year ago. One area where Louria needs to improve is his playmaking abilities. The forward has just 14 assists, which currently puts him in fifth place on the Colonials.
As for Lynch, the sophomore has found plenty of success in his second season with RMU as he is currently tied with Ferguson for first on the team with goals. While he has been integral to the Colonials’ success so far, Lynch needs to continue to grow and follow in his brother Zac’s footsteps.
If the Colonials can put all of their offensive pieces together, a deep run in the AHC playoffs is very possible. However, this run will have to revolve around Ferguson. The numbers show that when he performs, the Colonials win, and hopefully for RMU, faithful winning is what is in store for them in the coming weeks.