After three seasons in Plymouth, Michigan, Daniels returned to college, this time attending Miami University and earning a Master's in sports organization while serving as a graduate assistant for the RedHawks in 1986–87.
With their superb record, Ferris State received an at-large bid to the 2003 NCAA Tournament, their first appearance in the championship, and downed perennial power North Dakota in the regional semifinal before being eliminated.
[6][7] Over the course of the next decade the Bulldogs hovered around the .500 mark until 2011–12 when Daniels got Ferris State its second regular season title, and NCAA Tournament appearance.
The season did finish with a silver lining as Daniels received his second CCHA Coach of the Year and Spencer Penrose Awards.
[8] They joined the WCHA beginning in 2013–14 and got off to a fast start, winning the regular season title with a 29-win year and making their third NCAA berth, losing a double overtime game to North Dakota in the regional finals.