For the first time since Nov. 12, the BG hockey team won a Central Collegiate Hockey Association game.
The Falcons (8-18-2, 3-15-1 CCHA) split with Lake Superior over the weekend, dropping Friday’s game 4-2 before rebounding for a 2-1 win Saturday.
The Falcons started off the game Friday with momentum after they scored the first goal of the game coming from sophomore Jordan Samuels-Thomas. Andrew Wallace and Robert Shea recorded assists on the tally.
The momentum didn’t last long for the Falcons, when Lake Superior would go on to score the next three goals of the game.
Two of the goals came off power plays, but the first goal was just three minutes after the Falcons’ goal. After a pair of BG penalties, setting up a five-on-three power play advantage for the Lakers, Zach Trotman scored on a blast from the point.
“Anyone who thinks that special teams doesn’t count is kidding themselves,” said BG coach Chris Bergeron. “You take a bad penalty and go down 5-on-3, you don’t get a shot block or a save.”
However, the momentum did carry for the Lakers after they scored in the second period. Just five minutes into the second period, the Lakers took a 2-1 lead after a Domenic Monardo goal on a power play. Rick Schofield and Zach Trotman picked up assists on the goal.
They didn’t stop after that; less than two minutes from their previous goal, the Lakers scored again coming off a redirection from Chad Nehring. The original shot came from the top of the far faceoff circle by Tyson Hobbins then redirected off Nehring’s stick and past the Falcon’s goaltender Nick Eno.
Trailing3-1, Bergeron made a change in goal putting in the sophomore Andrew Hammond.
Nathan Pageau scored his first goal of the season shortly after the change in goal. After various shots on goal, Mike Fink made a backhand pass to Pageau leading to a wrist shot, which breezed past Laker goalie Kevin Kapalka, cutting the lead to 3-2.
With 2:20 left in the game, the Falcons were on a power-play, but right after that BG also received a penalty, canceling out the man advantage.
Shortly after, LSSU’s Will Acton capitalized on a BG turnover to seal the win with a Lakers goal.
“I thought we played all right, we came out strong in the third period, and then they scored and all the momentum goes away,” said BG forward Ryan Viselli.
Saturday Night
Game two of the weekend series wasn’t the same story, the Falcons came out energized and looking for the win.
The Falcons received a valiant effort from the goaltender sophomore Andrew Hammond, to beat the Lakers Saturday night 2-1.
Once again the Falcons scored the first goal of the game — defenseman Ian Ruel scored his second goal of the season and helped the Falcons take a 1-0 lead into the second period.
BG kept the momentum and about five minutes into the period they went up 2-0. This time defenseman James McIntosh found the puck after a rebound and then shot it past Kapalka for his sixth goal of the season.
Jerry Freismuth took a shot that bounced off of Kapalka, then McIntosh followed up uncontested with a wrist shot and gave BG the eventual game-winning goal.
The Falcons allowed a second period power-play goal, but they were able to kill off a five-on-three man advantage for the Lakers. The Lakers during this time mustered up eight shots, while four of them were saved by Hammond including a crucial poke-check that stopped a great chance for the Lakers.
“The 5-on-3 was a turning point for us tonight and gave us a lot of momentum, our special teams were pretty good tonight,” Hammond said. “The poke check was just a reaction, I knew I had to at least make a save or do something because that would have been a huge turning point.”
In the third period Hammond and the Falcons shut down the Lakers. They stopped seven shots in the period and played penalty free to earn their first conference win since a 2-1 win at Northern Michigan Nov. 12.
Hammond saved 24-of-25 shots against him on the night, which lead to his first conference win of his career. On the other side, Kevin Kapalka saved 18-of-20 shots and killed all four of BG’s power-play chances.
Bergeron was pleased with his goaltenders play on the night.
“Our execution isn’t great at times and it still is the case, we miss the net too much, but our effort has been pretty consistent,” Bergeron said. “I was glad to see the guys get rewarded for their effort tonight.”
