Falcons Fall To Huskies, 4-3

Friday, January 16

Houghton, Mich.

7:07 P.M.

Bowling Green State University

13-4-4,9-2-2

Michigan Tech

16-6-1,11-3-1

Team	1	2	3	F
Bowling Green	0	2	1	3
Michigan Tech	0	2	2	4

January 16, 2015 | Ice Hockey

Box Score

Dan DeSalvo found the back of the net for the first time this season.

By: by BGSU Athletic Communications

Houghton, Mich. – The 7th-ranked Bowling Green State University ice hockey team fell to No. 11 Michigan Tech University, 4-3, Friday (Jan. 16) night in front of 2,498 fans at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena. The Falcons' Dan DeSalvo –who tallied his first goal of the season—, Brandon Hawkins and Mitch McLain all found the back of the cage, while freshman netminder Chris Nell (6-1-1) turned away 19-of-23 shots in the losing effort.

Bowling Green's nine-game unbeaten streak snapped, moving to 13-4-4 (9-2-2 WCHA) overall on the season. Michigan Tech, who is currently second in the WCHA standings with 23 points, improved to 16-6-1 (11-3-1 WCHA) for the 2014-15 season. The loss marked the first defeat for the Orange and Brown since Nov. 14, 2014 (3-2 vs. Ohio State), but still remain in the hunt at the top of the league standings.

"Michigan Tech kept coming at us and they are a tough team that keeps fighting," head coach Chris Bergeron said. "They played hard and we weren't able to create many power play opportunities tonight."

After a scoreless first period – where Nell turned away all seven Michigan Tech shots, including killing the only power play in the period –, the Falcons scored the first goal of the game 6:27 into the second frame. Freshman Mark Friedman, who was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the third round of the 2014 NHL Draft, took a turnover and skated through the neutral zone before firing a shot from the top of the circle. DeSalvo, who entered the game with 91 career points, sent the rebound past Huskies' Jamie Phillips –who stopped 31-of-34 Falcon shots on the night— to give the Falcons a 1-0 lead.

You can listen to the goal call (Evan Pivnick) by CLICKING HERE!

The Falcons doubled its lead with an even-strength goal at 14:44, coming off the stick of Hawkins. Senior defenseman Connor Kucera fired a shot from the far point before junior forward Ben Murphy sent a shot towards Phillips. The junior goaltender made the initial save, but could not hold onto the puck as it slide towards Hawkins. The freshman from Macomb, Michigan ripped the puck top shelf to give the Orange and Brown a 2-0 lead.

You can listen to the goal call (Evan Pivnick) by CLICKING HERE!

The Falcons, who out-shot the Huskies 12-8 in the second period, could not close out Michigan Tech over the four minutes of action in the middle frame. The Huskies scored two goals to close out the period, forcing a 2-2 tie entering the final 20 minutes of regulation.

Bowling Green started the third period strong, taking a 3-2 lead at the 6:30 mark coming off the stick of McLain. Junior defenseman Dajon Mingo fired a puck from the top of the circle and trickled away from Phillips. McLain, who entered the game with four goals on the season, jammed the puck to the back of the twine, giving the Falcons a 3-2 lead.

You can listen to the goal call (Evan Pivnick) by CLICKING HERE!

However, the Huskies once again responded when trailing in the game, scoring the final two goals of the game at 7:52 and 10:19 in the third period to earn a 4-3 victory over the Falcons.

"We only played twice in this building last year, it's a very difficult place to play," Bergeron said. "I did not look at their home record this season, but we knew coming into the weekend it would be a difficult series."

Bowling Green out-shot Michigan Tech –including each period over the course of the game— by a 34-23 margin. The Falcons, who were limited on power play opportunities, capitalized on their only chance in the third period. Bowling Green also went 5-for-6 on the penalty kill –a unit that entered the night as the top penalty kill team in the nation.

The two teams will complete the weekend series tomorrow night at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena. The puck is scheduled to drop at 5:07 p.m., wrapping up the two-game WCHA weekend showdown.