The Falcons hockey team played the St. Thomas Tommies back to back on Nov. 5 and 6 at the Slater Family Ice Arena. These games were BGSU’s first home CCHA games and their first matches with the Tommies. The Falcons won 4-2 on Friday and 3-0 on Saturday thanks in part to their offensive power and goaltending.
Nov. 5
The Tommies got the scoring going early as forward Matthew Jennings got the puck in the top corner of the net. Shortly after the goal, the penalty calls on BGSU kept coming. BGSU sophomore Seth Fyten got the first penalty of the game less than 5 minutes in for cross checking. This was followed by a penalty on Falcons’ defenseman Max Coyle for interference, a penalty on BGSU captain Alex Barber for slashing and a penalty on Falcons’ forward Nathan Burke for tripping. With the four penalties in the first period, the Tommies seemed to have a lot of time for offensive opportunities, but BGSU’s penalty kill did not allow a single puck to go past goaltender Zack Rose. The Falcons even had some shorthanded chances during the penalty kill and the game stood at 1-0 at the end of the first.
A change of momentum blessed the Falcons at the start of the second, and BGSU freshman Austen Swankler sniped a power play goal past St. Thomas netminder Peter Thome to tie up the match. Less than 30 seconds after Swankler’s goal, BGSU forward Seth Fyten tapped one in to put BGSU up 2-1. The rest of the second period saw increased competitiveness and physicality than the first, with BGSU dominating in shots, offensive chances and puck possession.
The third period was all BGSU, as they dominated over the Tommies. 8 minutes into the third, Tommies forward Christian Versich redirected the puck into the net to make the score 2-2. However, with less than seven minutes left in the third, BGSU forward Chrystopher Collin got the game-winning goal, making the score 3-2. At the end of the period, Burke solidified the lead by getting a late power play goal, ending the first match 4-2. The shots were 34-29, favoring BGSU.
Fyten proved to be the star of Friday’s game, as he got his first goal of the season after a slow start.
“It feels good to get that first one under the belt,” Fyten said after the game.
He also notched an assist on Collin’s third goal of the season.
Nov. 6
The first period was less hectic than the previous day’s first period. Less penalties were called overall, and both teams were getting solid chances. Then a roughing penalty was called on Tommies defenseman Trevor Zins with less than two minutes left in the first. Swankler took advantage of the power play and kept throwing shots at the net. Then, Barber got a deflected shot into the back of the net, making the score 1-0. BGSU had the upper hand in the first period with the shots at 11-5.
The second period was another back and forth battle on the ice, but the Falcons fought harder. They capitalized on their lead with a goal by senior Sam Craggs five minutes into the second. The St. Thomas players got more shots on net than the first period, but freshman goaltender Christian Stoever didn’t let a single one in. At the end of the second, the shots were in favor of BGSU at 20-13.
The Tommies’ frustration did not translate well into the third, as their attempts to get one past Stoever were not getting results. The Falcons made the Tommies even more frustrated with a close-range goal by Swankler, making the score 3-0. The Tommies ended up with five penalties, zero power play goals, and a deficit of 12 shots.
Christian Stoever shined between the pipes, as he stopped all 18 shots coming his way. He made his first home appearance in Saturday’s game, which then became his first career win and shutout.
“I was just super excited to get my first start here, and obviously even more excited to get the win,” Stoever said in the post-game press conference.
The Falcons are going on the road again as they head to Minnesota next weekend to play the ranked Minnesota State Mavericks. On Nov. 12, puck drop will be at 8:07 p.m. EST. On Nov. 13, puck drop will be at 7:07 p.m. EST.
