Bowling Green State University
Michigan
Dramatic Comeback Falls Short for Falcons, 4-3, at #8 Michigan
March 15, 2003 | Ice Hockey
March 15, 2003
Ann Arbor, Mich. - A dramatic comeback by Bowling Green fell one goal short as the Falcons lost its second game, 4-3, in a best-of-three series to Michigan on Saturday night at Yost Ice Arena. Michigan was the No. 2 seed in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association tournament while BGSU was the No. 11 seed. BGSU's season ends with a record of 8-25-3 overall, while Michigan (26-9-3) advances to the CCHA Tournament's Super Six at Joe Louis Arena next week.
Michigan's Dwight Helminen scored an empty-net goal at 18:40 of the third period to give the Wolverines, what seemed to the UM faithful, an insurmountable lead of 4-1. After BGSU coach Scott Paluch called a timeout, freshman Ryan Barnett scored just 11 seconds later (18:51) for his fourth goal of the season and to bring the Falcons to within two, 4-2. Kevin Bieksa assisted on the goal.
The Falcons stayed on the attack, and pulled goalie Tyler Masters for the extra man. It payed off when senior Tyler Knight, playing in his final collegiate game, scored at 19:47 to bring BGSU to within one goal, 4-3. Don Morrison and Bieksa assisted on the goal.
As time ran out, and BGSU still with the extra attacker, the puck was on the stick of D'Arcy McConvey when the final buzzer sounded for the one-goal loss.
"The last couple minutes of the game was kind of a microcosm of the season in that we did a lot of things well, we improved in some areas," said Paluch of his team. "You saw that never-say-die attitude that we want to be our team identity. We want to be a team that's going to keep coming."
Michigan opened the scoring with a goal from captain Jed Ortmeyer at 5:01 of the first period. BGSU answered, though, when freshman Brett Pilkington scored at 7:08 to knot the score at 1-1. Pilkington couldn't handle a pass through the crease from Knight, but stayed with the puck and wristed a back-hander that went five-hole on Michigan goalie Al Montoya. Knight and Mark Wires earned the assists.
UM regained the lead at 16:45 of the first period with a goal from Milan Gajic and extended it to two goals with another score from David Moss at 18:57 for a 3-1 edge. UM held a 16-6 shot advantage in the first period.
Neither team scored again until Helminen's goal late in the third period, setting up the final flury by the Falcons. BGSU outshot the Wolverines 17-13 in the final period.
Masters, starting his final game as a Falcon in net, played well, stopping 32 of 35 shots faced.
"In the last stretch of the season, the last five or six games, Tyler has been strong for us and he has had good success in this building," Paluch said of Masters. "You can't say enough. The way things fell, to have the goals go in like they did, just to hang in there he had to make some tough saves. It's a great credit to Tyler."
"It was a great game, wasn't it," said Masters. "Most seniors end their career with a loss. Very few get to end their career with a win. It was a great game to go out on. It was exciting right down to the end."
Michigan held a 36-31 shot advantage for the game and were 2-for-6 on the power play. BGSU was 0-for-4 on its power play.
