BIG RAPIDS, Mich. - At Ferris State University, intercollegiate hockey is a big deal. It's an even bigger deal when the home team, the Bulldogs, is doing well. The 2002-2003 season was exceptionally successful, resulting in the Bulldogs making plans to compete in the national collegiate tournament.
The Bulldogs play their home games at the Robert Ewigleben Ice Arena. In the spring of 2003, the facility suffered major breakdowns on two of its three reciprocating chillers used for making ice. A popular spring tournament was scheduled for the first week of April, and unless repairs could be made or another solution found, the tournament would have to be cancelled.