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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Minnesota-Duluth
Hard Fought Game Results in 5-4 Loss at Minnesota-Duluth
January 03, 2004 | Ice Hockey
Jan. 3, 2004
Duluth, Minn. - A hat trick by captain D'Arcy McConvey and 105 penalty minutes highlighted a 5-4 loss by Bowling Green at Minnesota-Duluth on Saturday night at the DECC in Minnesota. The game was the last of a two-game series between the two schools.
BGSU was whistled for 23 penalties and 54 penalty minutes while host UMD was whistled for 20 penalties and 51 PIM. A majority of the penalties came in the second period when 30 penalties were called for 79 total minutes. At one point in the period eight Falcons and seven Bulldogs were in the penalty box at one time.
"I thought it was a real spirited contest," understated BGSU Coach Scott Paluch. "The game had a lot of even flow to it. It was the type of game that you have to play in to be successful. There were a lot of tight, one-on-one battles. I think our guys competed extremely hard for 60 minutes. There are games throughout a college season that just happen to go that way where it turns into a lot of penalties. Whenever you've got five or six guys in the box a lot of guys are going to have to play and step up, and we had a lot of guys step up.
"I'm proud of the way our guys responded from last night, proud of the way we hung in there. It was a game that on even strength, five-on-five, it was as well as we played all year."
Luke Stauffacher got UMD on the board first with a PPG at 12:05. The Bulldogs were on the power play again several minutes later when McConvey netted his first shorthanded goal of his career. Mark Wires assisted on the goal that knotted the game at 1-1 at 15:56 of the opening period. Beau Geisler gave the home team a 2-1 lead at 18:16 of the first period with another UMD power-play goal.
The second period began with McConvey notching his second goal of the game at 1:21 with a power-play tally. Kevin Bieksa and James Unger assisted. UMD then scored at 9:53 and 12:22 of the second period for a 4-2 advantage. After a whistle stopped play at 13:33 of the second period all five Falcons and Bulldogs on the ice were whistled for roughing after the play.
Stauffacher gave UMD a 5-2 lead at 17:04 and the Bulldogs appeared to be on its way to another multiple-goal victory. However, the Falcons fought back and Brett Pilkington netted a four-on-four, unassisted goal at 18:23 to bring BGSU to within two, 5-3. Then McConvey completed his three-goal night with just five seconds remaining in the second period with a power-play tally and a one-goal Falcon deficit. Pilkington and Taylor Christie assisted on the final goal of the game.
Both teams played a tight, scoreless third period for the final 5-4 verdict. BGSU played the final 1:46 of the game with an empty net and an extra attacker.
UMD held a 36-23 shot advantage for the game. Jordan Sigalet had a game-high 31 saves and Isaac Reichmuth had 19 stops. The Bulldogs were 4-for-9 on the power play while BGSU was 2-for-8.
McConvey's hat trick was the first by a Falcon since Ryan Murphy netted three goals on Feb. 3, 2001, vs. Lake Superior. The three goals by BGSU in the second period were the most by the Brown and Orange in one period this season.
BGSU falls to 4-10-6 overall while UMD improved to 11-8-2. The Falcons return to league play when they host Notre Dame in a home-and-home series next weekend beginning in Bowling Green on Friday, Jan. 9 at 7:05 p.m.
