Falcons Celebrate Dramatic 2-1 Win Over NMU

Friday, November 12

Marquette, Mich.

7:35 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Northern Michigan

Photo by: Todd Pavlack / BGSUHockey.com

November 12, 2010 | Ice Hockey

By: by Ryan Gasser, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- Falcon hockey tested every pacemaker and individual with heart problems with the dramatics they displayed inside the Berry Events Center (Marquette, Mich.) on Friday night. The Northern Michigan Wildcats put on a late offensive charge to make the game more interesting than many would have liked, but with the stellar play of goaltender Nick Eno and the rest of the Falcon defense stepping up late Bowling Green held on for a 2-1 win and bringing BGSU within one win of its 800th program victory.

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Post game audio (.mp3) - Chris Bergeron
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After the Falcons jumped out to a 2-0 lead after two periods of play, both teams came out of the second intermission with an added energy level to bring the fans to their feet for the entire final twenty minutes.
Northern Michigan halved Bowling Green's lead early in the third period on a Phil Fox score that followed a blocked shot out in front of the net. Scott Macaulay tossed a shot toward the Falcon net that was blocked out in front, but Fox's follow-up through traffic found the back of the cage. The goal was Fox's first of the season.

The intensity picked up shortly thereafter with Bowling Green tighten up the defense and senior goaltender Nick Eno (Howell, Mich.) stood tall to thwart any oncoming NMU attack. Near the midway point of the final frame, Eno made two key saves off shots Fox and Kyle Follmer within seconds of each other. The game only intensified further from that point.

At the 18:09 mark of the final period, Northern Michigan nearly equalized the match when the horns sounded and the Wildcats celebrated what they thought was their second goal of the match. After the puck was dumped in past the Bowling Green net, the rock took a hard bounce back out to Eno who tried to cover up and stop the play. As a whistle was blown citing the play stopped, Jared Brown and Justin Florek were crashing the net and poked home the puck. However the referee immediate waived the goal off and put an end to the NMU celebration and incited a rain of jeers from the crowd. Upon official review, the call on the ice stood and the goal was ruled no good.

With the final 1:51 to be played four-on-four after simultaneous penalties on both teams for roughhousing after the play, NMU pulled Reid Ellingson out of the net to give the Wildcats a man advantage for the final 1:26 of the contest. Two shot attempts by Brown and one by Greger Hanson were all turned away by the Falcon defense. The final buzzer sounded when BGSU cleared the puck one final time and skated to a 2-1 win.

The win gives the Falcons all-time victory number 799, one away from the 800 win milestone.

Bowling Green took the game's first lead and did so on the power play in the fifteenth minute of the first period. Freshman Brett Mohler (Yorba Linda, Calif.) posted the team's fourth power-play goal of the season in the one and only penalty of the first period. After calling Kory Kaunisto for a charging penalty, the Falcons took advantage of their second approach to the Wildcat net. Sitting in the near-side circle, Mohler received a cross-ice pass from defenseman Jake Sloat (Fr., Lousiville, Colo.) and took aim with a wrist shot that tickled the twine on the top shelf of the Wildcat cage.

The Falcons had multiple chances to increase the lead but NMU goaltender Reid Ellingson made two crucial stops, both on senior David Solway (Green Bay, Wisc.) out in front of his own net. His counterpart across the ice, Nick Eno stopped all eight of the Northern Michigan shots he faced in the first period.

After the all-freshman goal scored in the first period, the second-year players got involved by scoring goal number two with all point-getters coming from, you guess it … the sophomore class. The all-sophomore goal put BGSU ahead 2-0, a lead they would take with them into the locker room for the second intermission.

The front line of Jordan Samuels-Thomas (So., South Windsor, Conn.), Marc Rodriguez and Solway pushed forward while skating five-on-five. Samuels-Thomas took the puck into the slot and fought through two Wildcat defenders to attempt a shot on Ellingson. Clanging sticks with the defense, Samuels-Thomas caught Rodriguez streaking toward the far post with a pass across the crease where the Aurora, Ill. native finished the drive with the goal, his career-high fourth of the season. Bobby Shea (Harrison Township, Mich.) was also credited with an assist on the play, his second of the year.

Eno finished the night as the first star of the contest with a 26-save performance and making multiple clutch saves throughout the game to give his team every opportunity to win. Five of his 26 saves were while the Wildcats were on the power play and 11 of his total 26 saves were made during the second period. He now has a personal record of 3-3-0 this season.

Bowling Green's special teams units were much improved Friday both scoring on their own power play and keeping the Wildcats from making a dent on their four power play chances. The Falcons went 1-for-6 while a man up, putting 11 shots on goal during that time.

Bowling Green (5-6-0, 2-5-0) will finish the weekend set with Northern Michigan (3-6-1, 3-4-0) and strive for a sweep Saturday night. With their fifth win this year, the Falcons through 11 games have already equaled their win total from the 2009-10 season. The finale will begin at 7:35 p.m. EST and can be followed on BGSUFalcons.com with live stats, free audio or viewing the America One video feed.