Matt Pohlkamp's Four-Point Night Leads Falcons To Weekend Sweep Of UAH

Saturday, November 21

Bowling Green, Ohio

7:07 PM

Bowling Green State University

7-3-3, 4-2-2

Alabama Huntsville

3-6-1, 2-5-1

Alabama Huntsville

Bowling Green

Photo by: Brad Phalin, BGSU Marketing and Communications

Matt Pohlkamp's Four-Point Night Leads Falcons To Weekend Sweep Of UAH

November 21, 2015 | Ice Hockey

Box Score

By: by Matt Daley, BGSUFalcons.com

Box score

Bowling Green, Ohio - Matt Pohlkamp produced a career night with four points and helped the Bowling Green State University hockey team survive a wild final 90 seconds, as the Falcons defeated Alabama-Huntsville 4-3 on Saturday night at the BGSU Ice Arena.

Pohlkamp scored two goals to set a personal season-high and equal his career best. He added assists on both of the Falcons' other goals for an incredible four-point night, which is both a season and career-best. It is first four-point game by a BGSU player since Ryan Carpenter had a goal and three assists in the WCHA playoffs on March 15, 2014.

Pohlkamp's two assists are also a season-high, and he has vaulted into the team lead with 11 points (five goals, six assists).

"He does a lot of things right every day," BGSU head coach Chris Bergeron said. "He's not a guy who shows up for games only. He eats a bunch of hard minutes and plays against the other team's best players. It's nice to see him get rewarded."

Three other Falcons notched two-point nights in the victory. Pierre-Luc Mercier scored his second goal of the season and added an assist, while both Mark Friedman and Sean Walker posted two assists. Friedman is tied with Mercier and Pohlkamp for the team lead at six; Walker now has five. Brent Tate also earned a point with his first goal of the season.

The first period of the contest was scoreless, but both teams were aggressive on the offensive end. Bowling Green peppered Carmine Guerrero with seven shots during the first 11:33 of the game, not including a Chris Pohlkamp rocket that went off the pipe.

UAH went on the power play for the first time at the 12:22 mark after a roughing call on Friedman. The BGSU penalty kill held, but the Chargers kept the puck in their offensive end for most of the remainder of the period, as they outshot BGSU 7-1 over the final 8 minutes.

The Falcons entered the game 5-for-10 on the power play in their last two games, and they received two chances in the first half of the second period. On the second power play, BGSU struck again. Pohlkamp earned his first goal of the night by sailing home a shot from the top left circle after assists from Friedman and Walker.

That goal came with only 13 seconds left in the power play, and just one minute later, UAH had their own chance with an extra man. The Chargers wasted no time and evened the game 19 seconds into the power play on Brandon Carlson's second goal of the season.

With 5:28 left in the second, BGSU lost Mark Cooper to a game misconduct for hitting from behind. However, the Falcons killed off the five-minute penalty, and the second frame ended in a 1-1 tie.

BGSU broke the tie and scored the first 5-on-5 goal of the series just 3:26 into the third period when Pohlkamp took the puck just outside of the crease and fed it past Guerrero for his second goal of the night.

The game continued to get more physical, and four minutes after BGSU took the lead, they received a golden opportunity to extend it. The Chargers' Madison Dunn was called for checking from behind and given a game misconduct. The Falcons quickly scored when Brent Tate found an opening just in front of Guerrero. His first goal of the season gave BGSU a 3-1 lead.

Bowling Green kept that 3-1 edge into the final 90 seconds, but it was not safe. With 1:24 remaining, Brandon Parker sent a shot past Nell from the top left circle to cut BGSU's lead in half. Now down one goal, UAH pulled Guerrero.

Inside the final minute, Matt Pohlkamp took the puck on the defensive end and sent a pass to Walker, who fed Mercier up the right side. From the right circle, Mercier buried the puck in the empty net with 26 seconds left for a 4-2 lead.

UAH kept charging and scored with only 10 seconds left on the clock. Against an empty net once again, the Falcons held for the final seconds to complete their 4-3 win.

The victory extends Bowling Green's unbeaten streak at the BGSU Ice Arena to nine games. It is the longest home unbeaten streak for the Falcons since a 20-game streak across the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons.

BGSU is now 7-3-3 overall and 4-2-2 in the WCHA. Alabama-Huntsville drops to 3-6-1 overall (2-5-1 WCHA). The Falcons continue their six-game home stand next weekend when they host Northern Michigan on Friday and Saturday. Both games begin at 7:07 pm.