Bowling Green State University
FERRIS STATE
BGSU Jumps Out Early, But Drops 4-3 Contest to #5 Ferris State
March 08, 2003 | Ice Hockey
March 8, 2003
Bowling Green, Ohio - Bowling Green jumped out to a 2-0 lead on #5-ranked Ferris State Saturday night, but the Bulldogs responded with four unanswered goals over the final two-and-one half periods to post a 4-3 win over the Falcons. It was the final game of the regular season for both teams. FSU clinched the Central Collegiate Hockey Association championship last night.
The same two players that scored for BGSU on Friday night got netters within a span of 58 seconds in the first period to give the Falcons an early 2-0 lead. First, junior Mark Wires scored an unassisted goal when he sizzled a slapshot past the FSU goalie at 6:29 for his team-leading 13th of the season and a 1-0 BGSU lead. Just seconds later, freshman Mike Falk scored his 10th goal of the year (PPG) at 7:27 for a 2-0 Falcon advantage. Defensemen Brian Escobedo and Taylor Christie earned the assists. For Christie, it was his first point of the season.
The Bulldogs answered several minutes later, though, with two goals of their own within a span of 1:16. Mike Kinnie brought the visitors to within one with a goal at 10:38 of the first period. Then, Kevin Caudill scored a power-play goal at 11:54 to knot the game at 2-2. It was the first PPG of the weekend for the Bulldogs.
FSU held a 13-8 shot advantage in the first period and neither team scored again until the third. In the scoreless second period, BGSU held a 12-9 shot advantage.
In the third period, FSU got a short-handed goal by Derek Nesbitt at 8:40 to go up 3-2. Nesbitt then scored his second goal of the period at 17:50 to give FSU a 4-2 advantage. In the final minute of the game, BGSU was on the power play and pulled goalie Tyler Masters for an extra attacker. Kevin Bieksa answered at 19:44 with his eighth goal of the season to bring the Falcons to within one. D'Arcy McConvey and Wires assisted on the goal. BGSU held a 16-9 shot advantage in the final period.
Masters, getting the start in his final home game of his career, made 27 saves on 31 shots faced, including several odd-man rushes. Matt Swanson made 33 saves for the Bulldogs on 36 shots faced.
BGSU was 2-for-11 on the power play while FSU was 1-for-9.
The Bulldogs improved their record to 27-8-1 overall and 22-5-1 in league play. BGSU dropped to 8-23-3 overall and 5-20-3 in the CCHA. BGSU, the No. 11 seed in next week's CCHA Playoffs, will travel to Ann Arbor, Mich., on March 14 to begin a best-of-three series with No. 2 seed Michigan in Yost Ice Arena. Faceoffs will be announced early next week.
