Special teams were the key factors for the Bowling Green hockey team this weekend.

Both Michigan and the Falcons were 2-for-7 on the power play Friday night, but neither team was able to convert Saturday.

The Wolverines scored the first power play goal Friday in the first period and then came out and scored a short-handed goal early in the second period, which turned the game around.

“When the game was still in doubt, the two power play goals and the shorthander were critical to the momentum of the game,” said head coach Scott Paluch. “There’s a lot of different ways to get swing goals in hockey, and that was certainly a swing goal in the game.”

The short-handed goal came early in the second period on a shot at the top of the net by Michigan’s Dwight Helminen.

“It was one of those great individual efforts,” said Michigan head coach Red Berenson. “He was down wide and ended up scoring a goal. That was great speed and a perfect shot. The goalie played it perfect and Helminen still got it up in top corner. It was a perfect shot.”

However, the Falcons would have their own chance on the power play later on in the second period and early in the third. “Special teams ended up being a factor in the game,” Berenson said.

Both teams played strong on the power play on Saturday, but were unable to find the net. “The big difference [Saturday] were special teams,” said goaltender Jordan Sigalet. “They had a lot of power-play goals [Friday] night. We did a good job of tying up their speed [Saturday].”

Michigan had 11 shots on the power play, while the Falcons recorded 10 of their own.