Falcons Downed by Spartans in Overtime, 3-2

Friday, December 11

Bowling Green, Ohio

7:05 PM

Bowling Green State University

Michigan State

Photo by: Todd Pavlack / BGSUHockey.com

December 11, 2009 | Ice Hockey

By: by Ryan Gasser, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

Box score
Post game audio - Dennis Williams
Post game audio - Kyle Page

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- Bowling Green hockey was back in action Friday night hosting the No. 14/13 Michigan State University Spartans in game one of a home-and-home series at the BGSU Ice Arena. Despite a two goal lead going into the third period, the Spartans rallied and took the game into overtime where they prevailed, 3-2.

The Falcons rode into the third period with a two goal lead with scores from Wade Finegan and Nathan Pageau and controlled the puck for much of the final period. Michigan State, however, scored three unanswered goals, two of which by freshmen Zach Josepher and Torey Krug, to win in overtime.

Finegan and the Falcons scored their first goal while on the power play stemming from a Matt Grassi interference penalty called at 12:56 in the first period. With the final seconds of the power play winding down, the Falcons sent the puck into the Michigan State end where Spartan goaltender Bobby Jarosz scooped it up and tried to send it down the ice. A hustling Finegan intercepted the toss on the near-side boards and took it to the net. His wrist shot at 14:53 beat Jarosz top-shelf to give the Falcons a 1-0 lead. The score was unassisted and Finegan's first goal of the season and third career marker.

Nearly seven minutes later, the freshman-senior connection was back in full affect when freshman Nathan Pageau streaked the length of the ice with senior line mates Tomas Petruska and Kyle Page serving up perfect passes for the rookie. Pageau took it to the blocker-side of Jarosz and shot the puck past the senior netminder giving the Falcons a 2-0 advantage. Pageau scored his third goal of the season while Petruska and Page picked up their tenth and sixth assists on the year, respectively.

Bowling Green took a lead into the third period for only the second time this season, but the Spartans were not finished. Both team exchanged penalties early, though neither team could convert when being spotted the extra man. Junior goaltender Nick Eno lost the shut out when freshman Zach Josepher positioned himself in the near-side circle and slapped one over Eno's left shoulder for his third goal of the season, halving the Falcon lead at 7:58 in the third period.

Bowling Green repelled a Michigan State opportunity to tie the game midway through the third when back-to-back Falcon penalties gave the Spartans 1:46 of a three-on-five power play chance. In that time, the Falcons special teams unit cleared the puck three different times to burn time off of the clock and only allowed two shots by the Spartans, both sailing wide of the net. Bowling Green killed the two-man advantage and with the crowd on its feet had the momentum heading into the final nine minutes of play.

The tide turned against the Falcons soon after the impressive penalty kill when assistant captain Corey Tropp turned in the game-tying goal at 14:20. Derek Grant put a shot on net from inside the far circle that bounced off of Eno's blocker and was loose in front of the cage. Tropp scooped up the free puck and put it home to tie the game at two with 5:40 remaining in the contest.

With the game recently tied, Jarosz stopped an onslaught of BG offense by making six saves in the final five minutes to take the game into overtime. Coming into the contest, Bowling Green held an 0-1-2 record in overtime games in 2009-10 and would be tested as it would take an extra frame to settle a winner in the game.

It only took thirty-five seconds to find the winner when Michigan State led a charge down the ice and freshman Torey Krug scored his first collegiate goal to give the Spartans the win, 3-2, on a one-timer in front of Bowling Green net.

The Falcons did not allow a power-play goal to their opponent on five Spartan chances, breaking a seven game streak of having allowed at least one power-play goal to the opposition. The Falcons scored a power-play goal for their third consecutive game by going 1-for-4 on the evening.
For the second straight contest, Bowling Green outshot their opponent. Friday night, they put 31 shots on Jarosz while the Spartans shot 24 on goal against Eno. The Falcon goaltender made 21 saves on the night as opposed to Jarosz who made 29.

Bowling Green falls to 2-13-2 on the year and 2-9-2-2 in CCHA play while the Spartans will take an 11-7-2 (8-3-2-0) record back to Munn Arena to finish the weekend series. Saturday the two teams will square off in Munn Arena (East Lansing, Mich.) for the final game in 2009. The Falcons and Spartans will drop the puck at 7:05 p.m. EST for the weekend finale.