In the end, the pressure cooker blew a gasket and tempers boiled over between the Bowling Green hockey team and Nebraska-Omaha this weekend at the Ice Arena.

At the conclusion of BG’s 2-1 loss Saturday, players had to be separated from each other in front of the Nebraska-Omaha bench, capping a weekend that included several skirmishes between players, BG coach Buddy Powers on the ice, yelling at the referees at the end of the second period Friday, and ultimately, only one point in the standings for the Falcons.

Powers was angry at the referees for several percieved non-calls on the Mavericks, but the blow that stung the most for BG was possibly a call that shouldn’t have been.

The goal that ultimately proved to be the game-winner on Saturday came at 6:59 of the third period. In a forest of legs and sticks in front of BG goaile Tyler Masters, the refs said the puck crossed the goal line. One Falcon player gestured at the goal judge behind the net. His lamp didn’t go on.

The goal was the low point for an otherwise solid weekend by Masters, who was still exasperated about the goal when asked about it after the game.

“You mean the phantom goal? The goal that didn’t go in the net? The goal that the goal judge said didn’t go in the net? The goal that the referee was out of position for?” he said. “I guess I’m just frustrated with the stuff that went on tonight. We got one point this weekend and we should have gotten at least two.”

The goal harkened to last season at Michigan State, when the referees ruled that a puck already in the glove of Masters was across the line and gave credit for a goal.

“This totally reminds me of Michigan State,” he said. “Maybe its just because we’re Bowling Green. Maybe there is a sign up in the referee’s room saying ‘Screw Bowling Green’. I’m just frustrated with a missed call, a blown call that ends up costing us the game.”

“I think Masters played an outstanding game,” Powers said Saturday. “We just didn’t get him enough goals to win.”

Powers declined to comment about his incident with the referees Friday. After the non-stop noise and frantic atmosphere of the weekend’s games, the postgame press conferences in Powers’ office were quiet enough to make your ears ring.

Powers kept his comments brief.

“(Nebraska-Omaha was) reading all of the situation,” he said Saturday. We couldn’t get a handle on the puck down low to make a play. You have to give UNO credit.”

“We put together two good games but we couldn’t score,” Scott Hewson said. “We couldn’t get that one goal. That’s been happening all year.”