No. 18 Falcons Score Three Unanswered Goals To Defeat No. 2 Ranked Minnesota State

Friday, November 1

Mankato, Minn.

8:07 PM

Bowling Green State University

Minnesota State

No. 18 Falcons Score Three Unanswered Goals To Defeat No. 2 Ranked Minnesota State

November 01, 2019 | Ice Hockey

Box Score

By: By Kellan Godfrey, BGSU Athletic Communications

MANKATO, Minn. - The Bowling Green State University hockey team defeated the Mavericks of Minnesota State University in overtime on Friday (Nov. 1) night by a final score of three to two. Shots on goal finished even at 33-33. Minnesota State got out to an early 2-0 lead in the first period before Bowling Green tallied three unanswered goals over the course of the contest to win it. Alec Rauhauser scored before the end of the first period, with Cameron Wright tallying the tying goal early in the second period. The two squads battled to overtime where the Falcons drew a power play opportunity. Junior forward Connor Ford found the back of the net to win it for the Falcons. With this win, BGSU handed No. 2 Minnesota State their first loss of the season. The Orange and Brown takes the ice again tomorrow (Nov.2) night for the second game of this series with MSU. Puck drop for will be at 7:07 PM eastern time.

BOX SCORE

Scoring Plays

Charlie Gerard got Minnesota State on the scoreboard first 3:07 into the first period on the power play. Parker Tuomie and Marc Michaelis tallied assists.
The Mavericks tallied another 8:37 into the first period off the stick of Reggie Lutz. Connor Mackey and Julian Napravnik recorded assists.
Bowling Green cut the lead in half before the first period expired 17:25 in. Alec Rauhauser scored on a long shot from the far circle. This was his third goal of the season. Brandon Kruse recorded the assist on the play.
Cameron Wright kept his hot stick going for Bowling Green tying the game with his sixth goal of the season so far 5:02 into the second period. He was assisted by Alec Rauhauser and Connor Ford.
Connor Ford found the back of the net at 3:15 into to the first overtime period with a power play goal. Alex Barber and Brandon Kruse recorded assists on the game winner.

Other Key Plays

BGSU received their fourth power play chance with about 4:46 left in the second period following Brandon Kruse taking a hard fall into the boards. After a review Minnesota State only received a minor.
Bowling Green drew a crucial tripping call with 2:02 left to play in the five-on-five overtime period. This ended being the difference maker as the Falcons tallied the game winning goal on the following power play.

Falcon Stat Facts

Junior Connor Ford tallied the game winning goal and an assist in the victory. He is tied for the team lead in points with nine. He is tied for 16^th in scoring nationally along with his teammate Alec Rauhauser. Ford has tallied six points in the last four games.
Senior captain Alec Rauhauser scored Bowling Green's first goal in the game to cut the lead in half. Also with nine points so far this year, he is just four points shy of the century mark with 96 career points in Orange and Brown.
Just behind Ford and Rauhauser in scoring is the team leader in assists Alex Barber. His seven points are all assists to this point on the young season. He recorded yet another on Friday (Nov. 1).
Brandon Kruse continues to be a top playmaker with two assists in the victory including on the game winner. He is tied for second on the roster in assists with six total.
Eric Dop had another excellent performance between the pipes for BGSU making 31 saves. This was his second highest save total of the season.
Bowling Green's win over the Mavericks was No. 2 Minnesota State's first loss of the 2019-20 season. The Falcons have now won three straight regular season meetings with Minnesota State. BGSU and MSU are tied for third in the WCHA standings after Friday (Nov. 1) night's results.

Coach Ty Eigner's Take

"I thought the first couple shifts were fine and then we turned the puck over and ultimately took a penalty, and to put Minnesota State on the power play early is not something you'd choose to do. Then it gets to 2-0 and you're thinking, who knows where this game might end up. Then Eric Dop made a really big save to settle things down. I thought Alec Rauhauser made a really nice play…I thought it was a great play by Alec and a big goal for us to go in down 2-1 and not down 2-0."
On drawing crucial penalties in the game, "It seemed like the first half of the game when Minnesota State was dictating play and competing harder than we were we probably didn't draw or deserve as many power play opportunities. As the game went on we continued to push and make more plays. When you are making plays in the O zone you put yourself in a position where there's more power play opportunities."
On winning against No. 2 Minnesota State, "Minnesota State is as good a team as there is in the country. For our guys to come in here and play a good game against them is really important…It's a great learning experience for our guys and a great opportunity to continue to build on."

Up Next

Bowling Green will play the second game of this series at Minnesota State on Saturday (Nov. 2) night. Puck drop for the second game inside Mankato Civic Center will be slighting earlier on Saturday, at 7:07 PM eastern time.

Follow the Falcons

For more information on the hockey program, follow the Falcons on Twitter (@BGFalconHockey and @BGAthletics) and on Instagram (bgfalconhockey and bgfalcons) as well as on the web right here at BGSUFalcons.com.