Bowling Green State University
NORTHERN MICHIGAN
NMU Snaps BGSU's Winning Streak, 3-1.
January 21, 2005 | Ice Hockey
Jan. 21, 2005
Marquette, Mich. - Despite cutting the deficit to one goal midway through the third period, Bowling Green had its two-game winning streak snapped by host Northern Michigan, 3-1, in Marquette, Mich., on Friday night. The win moved NMU five points ahead of the Falcons in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association standings.
"Both teams worked extremely hard," said BGSU Coach Scott Paluch. "We just didn't convert any power-play chances. I thought their penalty kill was the key to the game. Going 0-for-9 on the power play was a big factor.
"They took away the shooting lanes, and when we did break them down their goalie was outstanding. We played a game that up here gives you a chance to be successful. We did a good job of keeping the momentum in check. It wasn't a game that we were under fire for long stretches."
Andrew Contois gave the home team a 1-0 lead at 9:53 in the first period when he knocked in a rebound near the crease past BGSU's Jordan Sigalet. Mike Santorelli picked up the assist. NMU held on to its 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission despite being outshot by the Falcons, 12-10, and holding BGSU scoreless on four power plays in the opening period.
Santorelli then scored at 9:48 in the second period on the NMU power play to give the Wildcats a 2-0 lead. Zach Tarkir and Geoff Waugh assisted. However, junior Mike Falk scored on a smooth backhander around five feet above the crease at 10:02 of the third period to cut the NMU lead to one, 2-1. Freshman Alex Foster picked up the assist.
Just over five minutes later, Contois scored his second of the night at 15:47 for a 3-1 Wildcat advantage. BGSU pulled Sigalet at 18:19 after Contois was called for interference, giving the Falcons a two-man advantage for the final 1:41 of the game, but failed to convert.
NMU had a slim 35-33 shot advantage for the game, including a 16-6 edge in the second period. The Wildcats were 1-for-5 on the power play while BGSU was 0-for-9, the fifth time this year the Falcons have been held scoreless on the power play (0-3-2).
NMU's Tuomas Tarkki stopped 32 of 33 shots faced while Sigalet stopped 32 shots on 35 faced. The Wildcats are now 11-7-5 overall and 9-5-3 in the CCHA. BGSU falls to 10-8-3 overall and 7-6-2 in the league.
The two teams conclude their series on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. in the Berry Events Center.
Game Notes... BGSU is now 1-5-3 when the opponent scores first.
It was the fifth-straight game that BGSU has had 30-plus shots on goal.
JR Mike Falk improved his point streak to four games (2-2--4), tying a career-best. FR Alex Foster is currently on a three-game point streak (1-4--5), a career high.
NMU is now 8-0-2 when scoring first and 8-0-1 at the Berry Events Center this season.
NMU's power-play goal snapped a 0-for-21 stretch for the Wildcats, covering four games.
FR defenseman Mike Nesdill appeared in his first collegiate game on Friday night. The Phoenix, Ariz., native had missed the first 20 games this season due to a shoulder injury.
