Bowling Green State University
NORTHERN MICHIGAN
BG Hockey Team Completes Sweep Of NMU With Late Goal
November 15, 2008 | Ice Hockey
Nov. 15, 2008
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BOWLING GREEN, OHIO - For the second consecutive night, a late Bowling Green State University goal proved to be the difference in a 2-1 win over Central Collegiate Hockey Association foe Northern Michigan.
The Saturday victory completed a weekend sweep of the Wildcats after the Falcons took the opening game of the series Friday, by an identical score, with a goal at 18:40 of the third period to tie it, and a marker just 1:57 into overtime to collect the two points.
Saturday night's contest was much like the previous night with both goalies making several outstanding saves to keep their teams in the contest, and then late-game heroics deciding the outcome.
The Falcons opened the scoring on a Josh Boyd unassisted goal at the 19:05 mark of the second stanza when he picked up a loose puck and beat Wildcat goalie Brian Stewart with a high shot while almost sitting on the ice having already drawn a penalty.
Northern Michigan tied the game about midway through the final period, at the 9:50 mark, on a goal by Gregor Hansen, who also had the only goal for NMU Friday night.
But, like the previous night, the Falcons' top line of senior Brandon Svendsen and sophomores Dan Sexton and David Solway combined on the game-winner.
This time it was Sexton getting the goal at the 17:46 mark off a shot attempt that was tipped by NMU and turned into a pass from Svendsen that set up Sexton for a shot from between the circles. Solway also drew an assist on the Sexton's second game-winner of the season.
The Falcon trio combined on both goals Friday night with Solway scoring both goals and his linemates drawing the assist on each marker.
Falcon senior goaltender Jimmy Spratt made 30 saves in the contest, just the third time this season he has had to make 30 or more saves, while Stewart, who made 48 saves Friday night, was credited with 41 stops.
The lone NMU goal came on the power play, one of their four chances in the contest with man-advantage, while Bowling Green did not convert on any of their five chances.
With the win the Falcons improve to 5-5-2 overall and 4-3-1-0 in the CCHA while NMU falls to 2-7-1 and 1-6-1-0. The Falcons will play a home-and-home series against Notre Dame next weekend with the Friday contest on the road and the two teams playing at the BGSU Ice Arena on Saturday.
"Josh (Boyd) was very good tonight, obviously the goal was very important," head coach Scott Paluch said. "That whole line, Tiesling (Patrick), Dee (Tommy) and Boyd were as good a line as we had tonight. They kept the puck in the offensive zone strong and the play on the first goal was real big for us.
"Notre Dame is obviously a very good hockey team and we will have good feelings going into next week. We have to prove ourselves against Notre Dame, it's been a long time since we've had success against them. We'll enjoy this one, but with our next four league games against Notre Dame, it's a real important stretch for us. We have to earn some points against them."
"We really didn't play the best game of the our season, but we did enough to get by and that is what good teams do, they find a way to win even when they don't have their best night," sophomore Dan Sexton said.
