Special Teams Carry Falcons to 4-3 Victory

Sunday, October 3

Bowling Green, Ohio

4 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Wilfrid Laurier

October 03, 2010 | Ice Hockey

By: by Ryan Gasser, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

Bowling Green hockey took to the ice for the first time for the 2010-11 season with an exhibition match against Wilfrid Laurier University Sunday evening and came away with a 4-3 win over the Golden Hawks. The Falcons were paced by tight defense early in the contest and solid special team throughout the game, including a perfect penalty kill on the night and three power-play goals.

Box score (.html) | Box score (.pdf) | Post game video | Photo gallery
Post game audio - Chris Bergeron | David Solway

The Falcons jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead after one period, including their first goal scored within the first two minutes of the contest. Freshman forward Brett Mohler (Yorba Linda, Cali.) began his multi-point night by beginning the scoring with a score just 1:24 into the game. On a feed from sophomore Max Grover (Kentwood, Mich.) coming from the far side of the ice, Mohler set up shop in front of the net and flipped the puck into the top-right corner of the cage to give the Falcons a 1-0 advantage early.

Bowling Green put a second freshman on the scoring sheet when later in the period Jake Sloat (Louisville, Colo.) lit the lamp while on a 5-on-3 power play. After two Golden Hawk players were whistled for variation of roughing penalties, the combination of Sloat and David Solway (Green Bay, Wisc.) went to work and scored the second goal for the Brown and Orange.

The Falcons continued with their special teams success when Jordan Samuels-Thomas (South Windsor, Conn.) scored the team's second power-play goal. As a part of a major roughing penalty allowing the previous 5-on-3 opportunity, Samuels-Thomas capitalized on the remaining man advantage with a laser delivered from between the circles and hit top shelf net for the 3-0 lead.

The Golden Hawks broke their offensive drought with a goal early in the second period when Ryan Bellows and Ian Ruel (Ann Arbor, Mich.) tangled up behind Nick Eno (Howell, Mich.) in the Bowling Green net. After the skirmish, Ruel lost possession of his stick while Bellows went straight for the loose puck and took a low shot on Eno, hitting the back of the net to make the score, 3-1.

Bowling Green scored three goals while on the power play, including the game-winner by James McIntosh (Holland Landing, Ontario). The junior led the power play unit down the ice after a Wilfrid Laurier elbowing call gave the Falcons an extra attacker. On a storm toward the Golden Hawks net, McIntosh took a point blank shot that was kicked out by goaltender Ryan Daniels. The rebound bounced back to McIntosh and the six-foot, one-inch forward pounded the puck home for the eventual game-winner.

The team finished 3-for-7 while on the man advantage. On the other end of the Falcons' special teams success, they shut out the Golden Hawks on five power play tries on the night.

Wilfrid Laurier scored twice in the third period less than two minutes apart to make the contest a one-goal difference. The Bowling Green defense held off a six-man attack for the last 1:35 of the game to seal the win. At one point in the third period, the Falcons outshot Wilfrid Laurier 9-1 before the halfway point of the period.

Senior goaltender Nick Eno (Howell, Mich.) stopped 11 of the 12 shots taken against him while counterpart Andrew Hammond (Surrey, British Columbia) stopped 11-of-13 shots against.
Bowling Green controlled much of the tempo for the first two periods with a aggressive defense and puck control. The Falcons outshot Wilfrid Laurier in the first two periods by a total of 23-14 and for the game as a whole, 31-25.

The 4-3 victory for the Falcons signals the end of the off-season and the official beginning of the 2010-11 regular season. Bowling Green will host the University of Michigan both Friday (Oct. 8) and Saturday (Oct. 9), both for 7:05 p.m. EST start times. Friday's game will be broadcast on the Comcast family of networks and air on local radio, 88.1 WBGU-FM. Both audio and video can be acquired at BGSUFalcons.com.