Falcons Push Series To Game Three With 6-3 Win Over LSSU

Saturday, March 9

Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. (CCHA First Round)

7:05 p.m.

Bowling Green State University

Lake Superior State

Photo by: Todd Pavlack / BGSUHockey.com

March 09, 2013 | Ice Hockey

By: John Enright - BGSU Athletic Comm

BOXSCORE | Photo Gallery
Postgame Audio: Coach Chris Bergeron | Ryan Carpenter | Ryan Peltoma

SAULT STE. Marie, Mich. – The Bowling Green State University ice hockey team (14-19-5) defeated Lake Superior Saturday night, dropping the Lakers by a score of 6-3 to push the series to a decisive third game. Ryan Peltoma, Cam Wojtala, Bryce Williamson and Ryan Carpenter all scored for the Falcons, with Carpenter netting two on the evening. Senior goaltender Andrew Hammond turned away 21-of-24 shots in the win, including five on the penalty kill. Bowling Green was held scoreless on the power play for the third-straight game, going 0-for-4 on the night. The Lakers fared better with the man advantage, going 2-for-6 in the game.

Lake Superior scored the first goal of the contest, coming at the 7:48 mark of the first period on the power play. The Lakers moved the puck around the Falcon zone with the man advantage, eventually sending the puck to the point. Lake Superior's Eric Drapluk took the pass at the blue line and fired a shot towards the net, sending the puck through a mass of bodies in the slot. Drapluk's point shot beat Hammond, giving Lake Superior the early 1-0 lead.

Bowling Green answered with its first goal of the series, coming with a little over six minutes left in the opening frame. The Falcons took possession of the puck in the Laker zone, cycling the puck below the hash marks. After over a minute of sustained pressure, the puck found its way to the Peltoma at the far point. Peltoma fired a seeing-eye shot through a screen, beating Lake Superior net-minder Kevin Murdoch to tie the contest at 1-1.

Just over six minutes into the middle frame, freshman Brent Tate took possession of the puck behind the Lake Superior net. Tate banked a pass back to Wojtala on the side of the net, allowing Wojtala to fire home his seventh goal of the season, giving BG the 2-1 lead.

The Falcons scored their third-straight goal at the 9:32 mark of the second period, coming off the stick of Williamson at even strength. Wojtala and junior Brett Mohler started the play, fighting for possession of the puck along the far boards of the Lake Superior zone. Wojtala came out of the scrum with the puck, and sent a pass to Williamson across the slot. Williamson muscled his way through a check, and fired the puck through Murdoch for his 10^th goal of the season.

The Lakers finally broke the Falcons' scoring streak at 11:08 of the middle frame, as Drapluk netted his second goal of the contest on a shot from the point, putting the score at 3-2.

Bowling Green answered right back with two-straight goals to close out the second, the first coming with a little under seven minutes left in the frame. Freshman Dajon Mingo took possession of the puck towards the bottom of the Laker's zone after a faceoff win, eventually pushing a pass to sophomore Rusty Hafner at the point. Hafner fired a shot on the Lake Superior net, handcuffing Murdoch with the puck. Murdoch's rebound popped out into the slot, where Berkle was waiting to fire home the rebound for his sixth goal of the season.

With 4:17 left in the second, Carpenter netted his team-leading 16^th goal of the season on a feed from Mingo to cap the scoring in the frame. Mingo sent a shot towards the Lake Superior net, deflecting the puck off a Laker defender in the slot. The puck found Carpenter at the side of the cage, where he jammed home the Falcons' fourth goal of the period for a 5-2 Bowling Green lead.

Lake Superior cut into the Falcon lead in the third period, scoring a goal just under eight minutes into the final frame on the power play. Laker Chris Ciotti scored the goal on a rebound after a deflection from the point, putting the score at 5-3 in favor of Bowling Green.

With just under three minutes left in the game, Lake Superior pulled their goaltender in favor of an extra attacker. Carpenter took possession of the puck near the bottom of the Falcon zone, and banked a shot off the high glass and into the Lake Superior net. Carpenter's second goal of the night and 17^th of the season was all the Lakers could handle, giving Bowling Green the 6-3 win.

The Falcons' decisive victory pushes the CCHA Playoff Series to a third game, with the winner going on to the second round. The puck is set to drop at 7:05 p.m. on Sunday at the "Taffy" Abel Ice Arena.