Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
13-12-6, 10-9-4
Alaska Anchorage
14-11-4, 10-9-4
Falcons Earn One Point After 2-2 OT Tie With UAA
February 15, 2014 | Ice Hockey
BGSU and UAA jumped into a three-way tie with Michigan Tech for third place in the WCHA standings.
Postgame Audio: Chris Bergeron | Cam Wojtala
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Entering the weekend tied for fourth place in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association with the University of Alaska Anchorage, the Bowling Green State University ice hockey team will remain tied with the Seawolves after skating to a 2-2 overtime tie on Friday night (Feb. 14), earning one point in the conference standings. Playing in front of 2,333 fans at the Sullivan Arena, the Falcons received goals from freshman Kevin Dufour and senior Camden Wojtala, while sophomore goaltender Tommy Burke turned away 30-of-32 shots.
Both teams went scoreless with the on-ice man advantage, as each team went 0-for-2 on the night. Alaska-Anchorage outshot Bowling Green by a 32-25 margin.
The Seawolves had the first opportunity to score the game's first marker with a power-play chance just 1:13 into the game. However, the Orange and Brown showcased a resilient defensive effort; blocking four shots during the penalty kill to keep the game deadlocked at 0-0.
The Falcons turned defense into offensive and scored the first goal at the 4:04 mark in the opening frame. Placing eight shots on UAA's starting goaltender Rob Gunderson, the Falcons capitalized with a goal from the freshman left winger.
After a Seawolves' defender could not handle a pass, Falcons' freshman Matt Pohlkamp collected the puck and fired a shot towards the net. The shot was initially saved by Gunderson, but he could not hold onto the puck and allowed it to trickle in front of the net. Dufour acted quickly and jammed the rebound into the back of the net for his sixth goal of the season.
The Orange and Brown then doubled their lead with less than two minutes remaining in the first, coming off the stick of Wojtala at even-strength at the 18:02 mark. Junior forward Adam Berkle poked the puck away from a UAA forward in the neutral zone and sent a pass across the blue line into Bowling Green' offensive zone.
On the rush, Wojtala's first shot in front of the net was saved by Gunderson. However, Wojtala sent his own rebound past the sliding right leg pad of Gunderson and lit-the-lamp for his first goal in 19 games.
The Falcons' 2-0 lead remained true until the Seawolves scored back-to-back goals over the final 14 minutes to force the extra frame. The Falcons placed four shots on goal in overtime, but could not solve Gunderson for the third goal of the game, forcing the teams to come away knotted at 2-2.
With the tie, Bowling Green's record jumps to 13-12-6 and 10-9-4 in conference standings. UAA's overall record goes to 14-11-4, and 10-9-4 in the WCHA standings.
The Falcons will be right back in action Saturday night (Feb. 15), facing off against Alaska-Anchorage in the second game of their two-game WCHA road series. The puck is set to drop at 7:07 p.m. AT.
Notes
- Cam Wojtala's goal in the first period marked his fourth on the year. Three of those goals have come against Alaska-Anchorage this year.
- Camden Wojtala is currently on a season-long four-game point streak, recording one goal and three assists in the stretch.
- Adam Berkle's assist in the first period pushed his point streak to five games, going 3-3=6 during the stretch.
- BGSU have outscored Alaska-Anchorage 9-3 in three games, going 2-0-1 against the Seawolves for five points.
- The Falcons and Seawolves will enter tomorrow's tilt tied for third place with 24 points. Seven teams are within five points of each other in a tight WCHA playoff race with only a few weeks remaining in the regular season.
