Sunday, March 4
Marquette, Mich. (CCHA First Round)
7:35 p.m.
Bowling Green State University
4
at
1
Northern Michigan
Photo by: Todd Pavlack / BGSUHockey.com
Falcons Move On In CCHA Playoffs With 4-1 Win Over Wildcats
March 04, 2012 | Ice Hockey
BOXSCORE | Coach Bergeron Audio | Adam Berkle Audio| Dan DeSalvo Audio|
MARQUETTE, Mich. -- The Bowling Green State University ice hockey team defeated Northern Michigan 4-1 Sunday night, earning a trip to the second round of the CCHA playoffs. The victory marks the second straight season that Bowling Green defeated Northern Michigan in the opening round, and only the second time in the history of the CCHA that an 11th seed moved to the second round.
Unlike the previous two games in the series, both teams were held scoreless in the opening frame. While the play was fairly even, Northern Michigan held the lead in shots after one period of play, edging Bowling Green 9-5. Both teams were 0-for-3 with the man advantage in the opening frame, collecting two shots a piece on the power play.
The goal drought was broken just under five minutes into the second period, when Wildcat defenseman Mitch Jones accepted a pass in the slot, and fired a wrist shot that barely snuck in under the crossbar. The goal marked Jones sixth tally of the season, and gave Northern Michigan the 1-0 lead.
The Falcons showed their mental toughness for a second straight night, evening the contest at the 8:10 mark of the second frame. Northern Michigan turned the puck over in their zone, allowing freshman Dan DeSalvo to scoop up the puck in the slot, and fire it past Wildcat goaltender Jared Coreau.
Bowling Green continued to pour on the pressure, and scored the go-ahead goal just 2:29 after their first tally. Freshman Adam Berkle collected a pass from junior Bobby Shea, and worked his way past the Northern Michigan defense for a partial breakaway. Berkle was stopped on the initial shot, but Desalvo was there to slam home his second goal of the game on the rebound. The goal marked DeSalvo's ninth of the year, and gave Bowling Green the 2-1 lead.
Just over two minutes later, the Falcons added a third-straight tally, giving Bowling Green the 3-1 lead. Berkle carried the puck into the Northern Michigan slot, and fired a wrist shot on the Wildcat cage. Coreau made the original save, but left a huge rebound at the side of the net. Berkle flew in, and buried his seventh goal of the season on the rebound, marking the final goal of the second period.
The Wildcats continued to throw shots on the Bowling Green net, outshooting the Falcons 12-5 in the closing frame. Northern Michigan was limited on second chance opportunities however, as the Bowling Green defense cleared a large majority of Wildcat rebounds away from the front of the net.
With just under eight minutes left to play in the game, the Falcons added an insurance goal, pushing the score to 4-1. Sophomore Ryan Viselli collected a cross ice pass from freshman Ryan Carpenter, and skated into the Northern Michigan zone. Viselli ripped a shot from the low far circle, and beat Coreau for his fourth goal of the season, solidifying the Bowling Green win.
Goaltender Andrew Hammond stopped 34-of-35 shots in the win, and earned his career best 12th win of the season.
DeSalvo finished with five goals and one assist in the series, including two-goal games in back-to-back nights. DeSalvo only scored four goals during the entire regular season. Berkle led the Falcons in points over the weekend, recording seven (2G, 5A) over the three game series.
Viselli's goal Sunday night snapped a personal 18-game point drought, dating back to the Falcons 3-3 tie with Western Michigan at home (Dec. 9).
The Win improves the Falcons' overall record to 12-22-5, marking the first time Bowling Green has recorded 12 wins in a season since 2008-2009, when the Falcons finished the year 12-24-3.
The Falcons will now go to Ferris State to take on the top ranked Bulldogs in the second round of the CCHA tournament. The Falcons are 0-4-0 against Ferris State this season.
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