Friday, February 4
Kalamazoo, Mich.
7:35 p.m.
Bowling Green State University
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Western Michigan
Falcons Take Broncos the Distance; Win in Shootout
February 04, 2011 | Ice Hockey
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Bowling Green goaltender Andrew Hammond certainly was a shining star for the Falcons on Friday night, contributing a solid effort for 65:00 minutes before it all came down to three final shots. Bowling Green and Western Michigan played to a 1-1 tie through regulation and overtime but the extra point was awarded to the Falcons after they defeating the Broncos, 1-0, in the shootout.
Box score (.html) | Box score (.pdf) | Updated statistics (.html)
Andrew Hammond (Surrey, British Columbia) put together a 31-save performance and earned the game's first star honors after staying perfect in the ensuing shootout. Hammond was tested early and often in the first period. The sophomore, earning his first Friday night start of the season, stopped all 13 pucks directed his way in the opening frame. Included in that mix of shots was a shot he took off the mask that rattled his cage and forced him to take a breather but remained in the game after a short time out. The defense limited shot attempts in the second and third periods to a combined 15 shots on goal, but Hammond left regulation with only one blemish on a third period goal by Bronco forward Chase Balisy.
Hammond earned his Falcon stripes with four key saves in the overtime period, all challenging shots for the keeper to handle. Three times in the last 2:30 of the overtime Hammond made highlight reel saves, including two one-time attempts from Greg Squires and a point-blank attempt from Derek Roehl.
The shootout sent Bronco skaters Dennis Brown, Chase Balisy and Greg Squires to center ice to take shots against Hammond in the shootout. Brown chose to favor the far post before taking a wrist shot toward Hammond's glove side only to be stoned. Falcon sophomore Marc Rodriguez (Aurora, Ill.) followed by approaching the net straight on and making WMU goaltender Jerry John off-balanced before going five-hole on the keeper for the tally.
With a 1-0 advantage after the first round of the shootout, Western Michigan sent Balisy to center ice. Balisy lost the handle on the puck as he approached Hammond, ending in a missed opportunity. Falcon Mike Fink (Minnetonka, Minn.) followed but his shot sailed wide to the left, keeping the Broncos alive.
Squires, the Bronco's last shooter, had a good look towards the game-tying score but his shot sailed high and wide over Hammond's left side, ending the shootout and giving the Falcons the extra point with the shoot out win. The “SOW” was the first for Bowling Green this season after losing both of their previous attempts to Lake Superior, both in 1-0 efforts.
The game's third star, BGSU forward Ryan Viselli (Windsor, Ontario), used the second period to notch his first collegiate score as well as the Falcons' lone goal to create an early lead. After a scoreless first period, Bowling Green waiting no more than forty-five seconds to change that fact. Viselli scored the goal while the Falcons were taking advantage of a five-on-three power play. After a penalty from Western Michigan's Danny DeKeyser for roughing at the close of the first period, Ryan Watson added another body to the WMU penalty box on a tripping call after taking down Falcon captain David Solway (Green Bay, Wisc.) on their trip down the ice. Gaining a two-man advantage, it took BGSU twelve seconds from that point to make those penalties hurt. At 00:45, the power play unit made its charge and moved the puck around the right side of the ice and behind the cage. Stationed behind the net, Mike Fink made a quick pass into the slot where Viselli wristed his first collegiate score and the Falcons' first goal of the game. An assist was also credited to James McIntosh (Holland Landing, Ontario).
Hammond's only marker against him that tied the game came seconds after the two-minute mark of the third period. While both teams skated four players as a result of penalties on both ends, Balisy used speed and agility to create space between he and Andrew Krelove (Thunder Bay, Ontario) and drove a wide open slot toward the cage. Balisy made his mark at 2:18 from just outside the near-post, tying the game at one.
Bowling Green (8-18-3, 3-15-3-1) earned their first shootout win and earned two points for the effort. They return to Lawson Ice Arena on Saturday night for a rematch against Western Michigan (14-6-9, 8-5-8-4), who extended their unbeaten streak to 12 games with the tie. The puck drop is set for 7:35 p.m. Full coverage of Falcon hockey and all 18 varsity sports can be found on the official online home of BGSU athletics, www.BGSUFalcons.com.
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