Late Lead Not Enough Against Tigers in UConn Classic Opener

Wednesday, December 29

Storrs, Conn.

4:05 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Princeton

December 29, 2010 | Ice Hockey

By: by Ryan Gasser, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

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Holy Cross v. UConn box score (.htm)

STORRS, Conn. -- For the fourth time in the last five games the Bowling Green Falcon hockey team has taken a one goal lead into the third period and ended up on the losing end against its opponent. Wednesday night, the Falcons held a 2-0 advantage at one point in the final frame of regulation but surrendered four unanswered goals to the Princeton Tigers in a 4-2 defeat in the opening game of the 2010 Toyota UConn Classic.

Princeton's Kevin Lohry spotlighted the game with a three-point night. The senior notched two goals against the Falcons. Each was scored in the tenth minute of the second and third periods. He tied the game in the third period with his second goal of the night for the Tigers.

Six different Falcons found the scoring sheet including three freshmen. Marc Rodriguez (Aurora, Ill.) scored his fifth goal of the season with assists coming from Ryan Viselli (Windsor, Ontario) and Jake Sloat (Louisville, Colo.) early in the second period. Chad Sumsion (Woodstock, Ontario) scored his fourth power-play goal of the season with help from upperclassmen James McIntosh (Holland Landing, Ontario) and David Solway (Green Bay, Wisc.) at the mid way point of the second.

The score could have been shifted in the Falcons favor had a few shots not rang off the posts of the Tiger cage. Camden Wojtala (Trenton, Mich.) dinged the pipe while careening through the crease after being fed a leading pass from Solway early in the first period. The freshman forward went glove-side shoulder on Princeton goaltender Mike Condon but missed just a hair to high and hit the post with his shot. Teammates Andrew Wallace (Bedford, Nova Scotia) and Marc Rodriguez also hit post on their respective shots, both taken in the decisive third period.

Bowling Green and Princeton skated through a scoreless first period though each double posted double digit shot on goal totals. Both Condon and BGSU goaltender Nick Eno (Howell, Mich.) both went unscathed through the first period with Eno making 11 saves to Condon's ten.

Condon's first imperfection came within the first two minutes of the second period when Rodriguez benefitted from a loose puck on in front of the Tigers' net and lit the lamp with his fifth goal of the season, breaking a nine game goalless streak. After Ryan Viselli's shot was knocked down in front of Condon, Rodriguez found himself in the right place at the right time to plug home the game's first score directly out in front of the net.

Chad Sumsion added to the lead at 7:30 of the second period when another rebound bounced the Falcons' way. After a boarding call was administered to Andrew Ammon, the Falcons went on their first power play of the night and made the most of it. A shot by Falcon captain David Solway bounced off of Condon and wandered loosely around the crease. Sumsion corralled the puck and wasted no time to find the back of the net from the near post, giving Bowling Green a 2-0 lead before dipping into the second half of the second period.

Kevin Lohry answered the Bowling Green attack with the game's next two scores to even the contest. His first stemmed from a BGSU turnover by Ryan Peltoma (Brainerd, Minn.) in the neutral zone which Lohry intercepted and took the distance against Eno, landing his top-shelf shot against the senior. He then repeated the act almost during the same point of the third period to knot the game at two goals with a well-placed shot from the near-side circle.

On the Tiger's second goal by Lohry, Princeton defenseman Michael Sdao collided with Nick Eno after the goal was scored, forcing Eno to leave the game with an injury to his upper back/neck. Andrew Hammond (Surrey, British Columbia) entered the game to play out the remaining minutes of the game in Eno's absence.

Following disqualifications being handed to BGSU defenseman Max Grover (Kentwood, Mich.) and Sdao nearly two minutes later, a bench penalty against the Falcons and a cross-checking call against Andrew Krelove (Thunder Bay, Ontario) all within a 1:02 span, Bowling Green found themselves at a 5-on-3 disadvantage against Princeton. No more than a minute after administering the last of the BGSU penalties, Princeton defenseman Derrick Pallis recorded the eventual game-winning goal on Hammond. Princeton's Andrew Ammond made up for his earlier penalty that led to a BGSU goal with his fourth goal of the season less than a minute later, sealing a victory for the Tigers, 4-2.

Before leaving the ice due to injury, Eno finished the night saving 25-of-27 shots, including four shots while short-handed, through 50:58 of playing time. Hammond played 6:22 before allowing an extra skater take over for the last 2:40. He made a pair of saves and faced four shots in his first relief effort of the 2010-11 season.

Following the result of the later game of the UConn Classic, Bowling Green (6-13-2) will play the Holy Cross Crusaders (6-8-2) on Thursday afternoon in the tournament consolation game. This will mark the first time in either program's history that they will have played one another. The Crusaders and Falcons will take the ice at 4 p.m. ET in the early game of the tournament's final day. Coverage will be provided through radio and online audio streaming by 88.1 WBGU-FM and BGSUFalcons.com.