Spartans Too Much For Falcons, Drop 5-2 Decision

Friday, February 26

East Lansing, Mich.

6:05 PM

Bowling Green State University

Michigan State

Freshman Marc Rodriguez (above) scored one of the Falcons two goals Friday night in their 5-2 loss to Michigan State.

February 27, 2010 | Ice Hockey

By: by Ryan Gasser, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

Box score
Dennis Williams post game quotes

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Bowling Green State University and Michigan State University both celebrate senior days in succession Friday and Saturday, and part one of the regular season wrap up commenced Friday night.

After the senior celebrations for the Green and White were over, the Spartans began applying the pressure offensively against the Falcons. Michigan State struck first blood when MSU senior Jay Sprague put the goal on the board. Coming down the ice with numbers on his side, Sprague put a shot on goal against junior netminder Nick Eno (Howell, Mich.) that was blocked with his pad for the save. On the rebound, Ryan Peltoma (Brainerd, Minn.) could not clear the puck out with a swift swing of the stick and Sprague collected his own rebound. The senior sent a wrist shot between Eno's skates for the 1-0 lead at 5:51 in the opening period.

Michigan State doubled up on their lead when at 14:25 in the first period, Matt Grassi put a shot on Eno that was bounced out to the side of the Falcon cage. With the rebound coming straight out to the far side faceoff circle, Zach Josepher made his home just outside of the ink and took a hard slap shot to beat Eno to the top-right corner of the net for the second Spartan goal of the game.

Before the end of the first period, the Spartans rang the bell again with under three minutes remaining in the period. While on the power play, the Spartans moved the puck around in the Bowling Green zone. Corey Tropp found Brett Perlini in the middle of the slot before Perlini recorded the third Spartan goal of the game. The goal also prompted a change in goal for the Falcons, prompting an early exit for Eno and the entry of Andrew Hammond (Surrey, B.C.).

The Falcons cut into the lead inside the first three minutes of the middle frame when Josh Boyd (Columbus, Ohio) marked his sixth goal of the season against Michigan State goaltender, Drew Palmisano. After a Spartan turnover at the top of the BGSU blue line caused by Andrew Krelove (Thunder Bay, Ont.), Kai Kantola (Raleigh, N.C.) set up Josh Boyd outside of the crease for a shot while on the move that hit the back of the net. The score reduced the lead to two goals, 3-1.

Toward the middle of the second period, Michigan State gained that goal back and extended the lead to three goals once again off of a rebound following a Corey Tropp shot attempt. After Tropp's shot was turned away by Hammond, three different Spartans closed in on the loose puck and began poking at it trying to knock it in. With traffic compiling out in front of the net, Daultan Leveille was credited with the goal and the rock slipped past Hammond while he tried to cover the puck up. After the goal at 9:25, Michigan State led 4-1.

At the turn of the third period, Michigan State again sounded the horns of the Munn Ice Arena when the second of three Spartan seniors scored the team's fifth goal while. From center ice, the Spartans started a breakaway along the far dashers. Turning into the slot, senior Nick Sucharski created a one-on-one matchup with Hammond and flicked a shot at point blank range through the Bowling Green goaltender's legs at 1:49 in the third period. The goal was scored while the Spartans were a man down due to a penalty, making that Bowling Green's third short-handed goal allowed this season.

Bowling Green marked their second score of the night on a tip drill courtesy of freshman Marc Rodriguez (Aurora, Ill.). While Bowling Green made an offensive move in the Michigan State zone, Reed Rushing (Seattle, Wash.) hit a slap shot from between the top of the faceoff circles that appeared to be heading right for Palmisano. Before it reached the net Rodriguez, who was camped out down low in front of the Spartan goalie, caught a piece of the puck mid-flight redirecting it past Palmisano. Despite the score, Bowling Green could muster no more offense and the game ended by a final of 5-2.

The loss is the second time the Falcons have come to Munn Ice Area and suffered a three-goal loss. Earlier this season before the holiday break, Bowling Green lost to the Spartans by a 4-1 mark.
Hammond did allow two goals in his 42-plus minutes of time between the posts, but staved off five Michigan State power plays and ten shots stemming from those opportunities. His opposition, Palmisano and Bobby Jarosz, combined for 18 saves on 20 shots. Jarosz, the last of three seniors honored during the pregame senior day ceremonies, played the final nine minutes of the game.

Bowling Green's loss gives the Falcons a 5-23-5 (4-18-5-4, CCHA) mark and with Western Michigan gaining only one point in their shootout loss to Ferris State this evening the Falcons still hold a two point edge over the Broncos for the 11th place position in the conference standings.

Michigan State improves to 19-11-5 (13-8-5-2, CCHA) and with Ferris State only gaining two points with their shootout win over Western Michigan, they now slip into sole possession of second place with one game remaining.

The regular season finale for all teams tomorrow will finalize the CCHA playoff slate, and only one position is locked into place, the number one seed belonging to Miami. Ferris State and Michigan State are jockeying for the second seed while three through seven can go to any one of five teams within the conference.

Tomorrow, the Falcons will bring the show back home to the BGSU Ice Arena to highlight their eight seniors (Josh Boyd, Phil Greer, Kyle Page, James Perkin, Kai Kantola, Tomas Petruska, Brian Moore and Tommy Dee) prior to their 7:05 p.m. ET game with the Michigan State Spartans. Former Falcon and Olympian Ken Morrow will drop the ceremonial first puck prior to the game beginning.

For tickets, call 1-877-BGSU TICKET, come to the BGSU Ice Arena or follow the Falcons by one of three ways: watching the television broadcast on BCSN (Buckeye Cable Network) with Greg Franke and Scott Paluch, listen to the Falcons on 88.1 WBGU-FM or track the Falcons through live stats on the BGSU athletic website. Both the audio and video of the Falcon season finale will be provided at BGSUFALCONS.com.