After Forcing Overtime in the Final Seconds, Hockey Falls to NMU 3-2

Sunday, March 11

Marquette, Mich.

7:07PM

Bowling Green State University

23-12-6, 17-6-5-2

Northern Michigan

25-14-3, 19-7-2-2

OT 1

Bowling Green

Northern Mich.

After Forcing Overtime in the Final Seconds, Hockey Falls to NMU 3-2

March 12, 2018 | Ice Hockey

Box Score

By: Jenna Jorgensen (Assistant Director of Athletic Communications)

MARQUETTE, Mich. – After senior captain Mitch McLain forced overtime with just 8.9 on the clock in regulation, the Bowling Green hockey program (23-12-6, 17-6-5-2 WCHA) fell to Northern Michigan (25-14-3, 19-7-2-2 WCHA) 3-2 in game three of the WCHA Semifinals after 15:53 of extra play.

Box Score
Johnson Goal Call 1-1
McLain Goal Call 2-2

Scoring Plays

Period 2 | 00:52 – The Falcons returned to the second period with 1:24 of action with the man advantage. Junior Stephen Baylis was able to send the puck across the Wildcats zone before a tip by senior Mitch McLain put the puck out front of the net for freshman Max Johnson. The backdoor goal tied the game at 1-1 early in the second period.
Period 3 | 19:52 – With an empty net, the Falcons newest century man in Mitch McLain hounded the Northern Michigan net and was able to shovel the puck past the Wildcats goaltender in the final seconds of regulation to force the overtime session. McLain's team-leading 18th goal of the season came with the critical assists by Baylis and sophomore defenseman Alec Rauhauser.

Statistical Standouts

Seven of the Falcons 11 goals scored in the 2018 WCHA Playoffs were scored by a freshman, including three of four against Northern Michigan. Additionally, of the Falcons 41 games this season, a freshman has appeared on the box score with a point in 39 of them.
Two Falcons recorded multi-point nights including senior Mitch McLain (1G, 1A) and junior Stephen Baylis (2A). McLain registered his seventh multi-point night of the season, and 20th of his career.
With the assist on Johnson's goal, senior captain Mitch McLain became the 71st Falcon in program history to notch 100 career points, and first since 2015 (Dan DeSalvo, 102). With his overtime forcing goal, McLain posted 101 points in his four years with the Bowling Green program.
Earning his team-leading 10th power play goal of the season, freshman Max Johnson notched his second goal of the weekend to tie the game at 1-1. With 10 of his 13 goals on the season coming on the man advantage, Johnson ranks sixth in the nation and first of all Division I freshmen in power play goals on the year.
With an assist on Johnson's goal, junior Stephen Baylis recorded his fifth point in the last three games.
Sophomore defenseman Alec Rauhauser registered a team-leading 39 points on the season, by nine goals and 30 assists. It is the most points by a single Falcon in a season since Dan Sexton tallied 39 in the 2008-09 campaign.
The Falcons are now 13-3 in best-of-three series games since joining the WCHA, being winners of six of seven series they have played in. Additionally, Bowling Green is 21-11 in best-of-three games all-time under Coach Bergeron, winning 10 of the 13 series spanning the last eight seasons.

Coach Bergeron's Take

"I want to talk about how proud I am of this group. After what happened on Friday night, and then for us to play the way we played the last two nights against a really good team … that team beat us four out of five times this year and all of them were in this building, which makes it difficult, but that series in January mattered. For our group to score, get it disallowed, and to score again to force overtime was big."
"In the overtime they probably had the better of the chances, which was probably the story of the weekend. I think they were a little bit better and they got what they deserved and so did we, but that doesn't take away how proud I am of our group. It was a great year and lost a bunch from last year. We're obviously sorry to see these seniors go, but that's college sports."
"The one main thing I am taking away is how proud we are of this group, and how resilient the Bowling Green hockey program is. I think that's something I want to be a part of and I'm proud of that."

Follow the Falcons

For more information on the hockey program, follow the Falcons on Twitter (@BGFalconHockey and @BGAthletics) and now on Instagram (bgfalconhockey) as well as on the web right here at BGSUFalcons.com.