Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Providence
Falcons Continue Hot Start, Down Friars 4-2
October 20, 2006 | Ice Hockey
Oct. 20, 2006
Final Stats | Quotes
PROVIDENCE, RI - The Bowling Green State University hockey team opened the weekend road trip with a 4-2 win over the Providence Friars of the Hockey East. Four different Falcons recorded goals helping BGSU head coach Scott Paluch to his 50th career win and the Falcons first road win of the season.
BGSU (2-0-1) opened the scoring just 3:04 into the first period with junior Derek Whitmore's fourth goal of the season. Freshman Kyle Page threw the puck forward, which bounced around several PC defenders, directly onto the stick of Whitmore. The Rochester, New York native skated to his right and roofed the puck into the twine.
Providence looked to have tied the score off a Friar shot that was heading to the back of the, but Jonathan Matsumoto swung at the puck, which was in mid-air at the 6:35 mark of the opening period, to preserve the lead.
The Orange and Brown extended their lead to 2-0 at the 14:34 mark of the first period when Rich Meloche tipped a Jon Erickson pass past PC netminder Tyler Sims. Junior captain Michael Hodgson also picked up an assist on the goal with a great hustle play to avoid an icing call, one of his three assists on the night.
PC (1-2-0) cut the lead in half following Colin McDonald's fifth goal of the season at the 13:51 mark of the second period, the only goal of the period.
Bowling Green regained the all-important two-goal advantage with the help of freshman Tomas Petruska, just 28 seconds into the final 20 minutes. The puck bounced off a BG forward as well as two PC defenseman directly onto the tape of Petruska, who recorded his first career collegiate goal.
At the 13:25 mark of the third, Hodgson rang a wrister of the crossbar. Just seconds later Providence raced down ice and fired a shot past Eddie Neville as it slowly crept towards the goal line. Fellow classmate Kyle Page saved the day, swiping the puck aside, just inches shy of a 3-2 game.
Nick Mazzolini got Providence to within one at the 8:36 mark with a shot from the let boards that snuck past Neville.
PC pulled Sims with 1:30 remaining, but Matsumoto recorded an empty-net goal with just 51 seconds remaining to give the Falcons a 4-2 win.
BGSU outshot the Friars 28-25. Freshman Eddie Neville, making his first career collegiate start, stopped 23-of-25 PC shots for his first win as a Falcon. Tyler Sims had 24 saves in the loss.
Bowling Green was 0-for-6 on the power play, while the Friars were held scoreless on five attempts with the man advantage.
The Falcons will square-off with the #1 team in the land tomorrow night when they travel to Chestnut Hill, Mass. for a 7:05 face-off with the Eagles of Boston College.
