Saturday, January 16
Marquette, Mich.
7:35 PM
Bowling Green State University
3
at
3
Northern Michigan
Falcons Land Short in Shootout with Wildcats
January 16, 2010 | Ice Hockey
Box score
MARQUETTE, Michigan -- Bowling Green hockey returned to the ice inside the Berry Events Center to even the score following a 6-0 Friday night loss to the Northern Michigan Wildcats. Saturday night the Falcons hopped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first and took a two goal lead into the third period, but it was not enough to hold off the Wildcats who brought the game back to a 3-3 tie, before sending the game to a shootout after a scoreless overtime. The Wildcats top goal-scorers notched two scores while the Falcons could not register a score. The game ended in a 3-3 tie and the extra point being awarded to NMU with their shootout win.
Period number one featured each team's special teams units highlighting play, both on the penalty kill and power play. Bowling Green was tested early when two consecutive Falcon penalties put the Wildcats up two men on the ice. Tommy Dee (Sr., F) came up with two key blocks while junior goaltender Nick Eno made a pair of saves to squelch the five-on-three Wildcat power play.
Before either team put home a power-play goal on the night, Bowling Green struck first blood when each team had a man in the penalty box resulting in four-on-four play. A shot by Bowling Green's senior forward Tomas Petruska was stopped by NMU goaltender Brian Stewart but he could not control the rebound. Petruska poked his own rebound home over Stewart's right shoulder for his sixth goal of the season and a Bowling Green 1-0 lead. Assisting were assistant captain David Solway (Jr.,F) with his tenth helper of the season and Max Grover (Fr., D) with his third. The goal marks the first time since their win over Clarkson on Jan. 3 that the Falcons have opened the game's scoring.
Bowling Green kept the crowd silent when on its third power play of the game it broke a streak of 18 consecutive power plays killed when Petruska lit the lamp for the second time on the night. Following an Alan Dorich roughing call, Pertruska and the Falcons power play unit streaked down the ice where a Bowling Green shot taken by the senior struck Stewart on the initial save. The blocked puck took a hard bounce out into the center of the ice where Petruska was patiently waiting. Stationed between the faceoff circles, Petruska took a hard one-timer and beat Stewart top-shelf to double the Bowling Green lead, 2-0. Assisting was Jordan Samuels-Thomas (Fr., F) and Solway.
The Falcons did surrender one first period goal when Northern Michigan went on the power play in the thirteenth minute of the period. With the power play winding down, Northern's Tyler Gron took advantage of an Andrew Cherniwchan shot that Eno blocked out in front. The puck was not controlled and with bodies flying in front of the net and Eno off-balance, the rock trickled around the red line before Gron poked it towards the back of the net to get the Wildcats on the board, 2-1.
Going into the second period, both teams sported good defenses and went 0-1 on the power play in the middle frame. Bowling Green has a prime chance to extend their lead at 12:54, and extend the lead they did. Northern Michigan attempted to make a move down the near-side boards before Petruska poked the puck away at the Bowling Green blue line. On the turnover, Petruska scooted the puck forward and got a step on his man as he sprinted toward the NMU cage. With Samuels-Thomas trailing the play on the other side of the ice, Petruska unselfishly sent a perfect lead pass to the post Samuels-Thomas was heading for. The freshman forward made the same read and in stride nudged in the Falcons' third goal of the game. Bowling Green took the 3-1 lead with them into the locker room before coming out for the final frame, the fourth time they've taken a lead into the third period this season.
The lead did not last for the Falcons after the Wildcats retaliated with two unanswered goals in the third period to tie the game up at three.
The first Northern goal was scored at 6:12 while both teams skated five men. NMU forward Billy Smith and the rest of the 'Cats raced toward the Falcon cage while Smith took three shots in succession on Eno. His first two Eno stopped but the rebound but could not coral the rebound before Smith put his third shot high and above the falling Eno to make the game 3-2.
Two minutes and twenty-one ticks later, Northern tied the game up on their second power-play goal of the night. After Dee was put in the penalty box for tripping, the Wildcats went back to work on special teams. With traffic mounting in front of the Falcon net, Greger Hanson found a hole leading to the back of the net when he poked home the game-tying goal at 10:13 in the third period.
The action mounted in the waning minutes of the third period when Samuels-Thomas was whistled for a high-sticking call, putting the Wildcats on the power play. However a minute later, Northern committed a penalty of their own to kill their advantage and give Bowling Green the final 41 seconds of regulation with an extra skater. The Falcons only shot was blocked with the extra man, leading both teams into overtime.
Both teams' defenses stonewalled their opposing offenses and no goals would determine a winner in the finale. The game would be decided for conference points by a shootout.
The visiting Falcons would lead the shootout off with Samuels-Thomas heading to center ice first. On his approach he went low, glove side on NMU goaltender, Brian Stewart. He made the pad save to lead into the first Northern shot, taken by Mark Olver.
Olver faked left on Eno then put a shot high and to the right but right inside the top post to give the Wildcats and 1-0 lead in the shootout. Petruska followed for BGSU who after faking both ways dragged left and went high with his shot but it rang the post, no good.
Greger Hanson took the puck for the final time of the shootout when he crashed the net hard then went left on Eno. As the Falcon netminder went to defend a low-bound shot, Hanson curled his shot inside the far post, beating Eno and recording the game-deciding tally. Northern Michigan won the shootout by a final of 2-0, giving them two points with the shootout win.
Bowling Green takes away the lone point awarded with their participation in the shootout, moving them into sole possession of eleventh place in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, ahead of Western Michigan. With the tie and shootout loss, Bowling Green now has a record of 3-18-3 overall and 2-13-3-2 in conference play.
Bowling Green is now 2-1 in shootouts and have a 0-2-3 mark in overtime games this season. With their 31 shots, the Falcons put the most shots on goal since their Dec. 11 game at home against Michigan State, also their last overtime game.
Two Falcons were also named Perani Cup Stars of the Game. Petruska with his three-point night and Nick Eno, who finished with 34 saves on the night, earned the first and second stars, respectively. After Solway, Petruska and Samuels-Thomas all picked up assists Saturday night, there is now a three-way tie for the team lead in assists (11) among them.
The weekend finale wraps up a seven game road trip the Falcons began Dec. 12 at Michigan State. The Falcons will bring their play back to the BGSU Ice Arena on Jan. 22 when Western Michigan will come to Bowling Green for a pair against the Falcons in a Friday and Saturday set. Friday night's game will begin at 7:05 p.m. and Saturday will feature a 5:05 p.m. opening faceoff.
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