Six Unanswered Goals Doom Falcons in Game One

Friday, March 5

Omaha, Neb. (CCHA First Round)

8:35 PM

Bowling Green State University

Nebraska Omaha

Reed Rushing (left) and Nick Eno (right) will rebound from the Falcons 6-1 loss Friday night for Saturday rematch against the Mavericks.

March 05, 2010 | Ice Hockey

By: by Ryan Gasser, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

Box score

OMAHA, Neb. -- After a 14 hour bus ride heading straight west, the eleventh-seeded Bowling Green Falcons were ready to take on fifth-seeded Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks (No. 20, USCHO.com) signaling the beginning of the CCHA Tournament.

Both teams wasted no time in lighting up the scoreboard inside the Qwest Center Omaha (Omaha, Neb.). For the first time since Jan. 22 against Western Michigan, Bowling Green scored the opening goal and who else more fitting than Tomas Petruska (Presov, Slovakia) to continue his hot play with the opening score?

After James Perkin (Calgary, Alb.) sent a backhanded shot towards Maverick goaltender Jeremie Dupont, the puck was tossed aside and along the back boards only to be scooped up by the Slovakian senior. Wrapping his stick around the far goal post, Petruska lifted the puck up and clanged it off the post but it skid inside the crossbar and silenced the crowd by creating the 1-0 lead.

UNO was quick to return fire and shifted the momentum on a power-play goal that lit the lamp at 12:09, merely 1:06 after Bowling Green's score. After a Marc Rodriguez (Aurora, Ill.) tripping call, the Mavericks scored on the Eric Olimb put a shot on net tossed aside by Falcon postmaster Andrew Hammond (Surrey, B.C.). With bodies crashing all around the freshmen tender, Terry Broadhurst followed up the loose puck and sneaked it in under Hammond, tying the game at one.

The Mavericks were not done in their opening period. A Bowling Green turnover in their own zone would add another UNO goal, breaking the tie at 10:54 in the first period. After a pass was intercepted by Dan Swanson, the senior had no one between him and Hammond. With a one-on-one opportunity, Swanson juked right but shot left to beat Hammond and give the Mavericks a 2-1 lead.

Going into the second period, UNO continued their game of rapid fire on the Falcons and scored two quick goals to take a 4-1 lead within the first five minutes of the middle frame. After a scrum along the near dashers, the puck was kicked out across the ice to Alex Hudson who took a slap shot, beating Hammond for goal number three at 1:48.

Less than a minute later at 2:29, good puck movement inside the BGSU defensive zone lead to their second of four goals in the second period. A pass from the near-side halfboards from Joey Martin met Mark Bernier, setting up for a one-time shot that connected, extending the Maverick lead to three goals.
Nebraska-Omaha tacked on their third goal of the period on a rebounded shot that turned into a wide open look for an open Maverick. After Eric Olimb fired one wide of the Falcon cage, the puck bounced hard out in front of Hammond and the Falcon cage. Slipping behind the defense was UNO's John Kemp, who beat Hammond to the loose puck and slid it past the diving goaltender extending the lead to 5-1. The goal prompted a BGSU change in net as Nick Eno (Howell, Mich.) took to the posts for the duration of the contest.

While on the power play, UNO added to their lead with a goal from John Kemp. Stemming from a Ryan Peltoma (Brainerd, Minn.) penalty, Kemp tossed in UNO's sixth goal of the night at 16:51, giving the Mavericks a five goal advantage.

The third period featured tough defenses from each bench, as the period was held scoreless from each side. Nick Eno allowed no goals on 13 shots on goal against him. Bowling Green challenged Dupont by more than tripling their shot-on-goal total from the second period, firing 13 shots toward the senior keeper, all resulting in saves.

With the loss in game one of a best-of-three series with UNO, the Falcons face elimination from the CCHA tournament should they lose Saturday night. Game two will be played Saturday at 7:05 CST (8:05 EST) inside Qwest Center Omaha. Fly with the Falcons through BSGUFalcons.com, the online home for Bowling Green State University athletics.