Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
13-14-6, 10-11-4
Northern Michigan
13-18-2, 11-13-1
Falcons Lose On The Road To Northern Michigan, 4-1
February 28, 2014 | Ice Hockey
Ryan Carpenter scored in the third period for the Falcons.
MARQUETTE, Mich – The Bowling Green State University ice hockey team could not overcome a 4-0 deficit and lost to Northern Michigan University on Friday night (Feb. 28), dropping the first game of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association showdown at the Berry Events Center. Junior forward Ryan Carpenter scored the lone Falcon goal for the Orange and Brown, while sophomore goaltender Tommy Burke turned away 21-of-25 shots on the night.
Bowling Green won the special teams category, going 1-for-2 with the on-ice man advantage and holding the Wildcats scoreless on two opportunities. The PPG in the third period marked the second-straight game the Falcons have tallied a power play marker.
Northern Michigan scored the first four goals of the game, with at least one in each period, to hand them a 4-0 advantage midway through the third period.
The Wildcats scored the first goal of Friday night's game at the 6:59 mark in the opening period, coming off the stick of senior forward Stephan Vigier. The 'Cats worked the puck deep into the near side of the half boards before Luke Eibler collected a pass in the right circle. The junior defenseman fired a pass towards Burke, only to have the shot redirected by the stick of Vigier for his 15th goal of the season.
NMU's 1-0 lead stood for the remainder of the first period, as Northern Michigan dominated the shot department in the opening act, outshooting the Falcons by a 9-2 margin.
The 'Cats then rattled off two-straight goals in the second period, taking a 3-0 lead over the Falcons heading into the final 20:00 of regulation. The two goals were tallied by Eibler (10:47) and Brock Maschmeyer (12:26) in the middle frame, all coming at even-strength.
After the Wildcats lit-the-lamp once more at the 12:11 mark in the final frame to grab their largest lead of the game, the Orange and Brown finally got on the board at the 17:50 mark. On the power play, Bowling Green worked the puck to the left side where Sean Walker sent a shot towards NMU's starting goaltender Mathias Dalhstrom. The netminder made the initial save, but after a few rebound chances, Carpenter was able to beat Dalhstrom for the goal.
The loss dropped Bowling Green's record to 13-14-6 overall, and 10-11-4 in league standings. The win improved Northern Michigan's record to 13-18-2 overall, and 11-13-1 in the WCHA. The two teams are still two of the seven teams fighting for a playoff spot, as all seven teams are all within at least six points of each other in the league standings.
The Falcons will be right back in action Saturday night, facing off against the very same Wildcats of Northern Michigan in the second game of their two-game road series. The puck is set to drop at 7:07 p.m. at the Berry Events Center.
