Let’s be very clear- Western Michigan is a formidable hockey team.
The Broncos are now 2-0-1 on the season, scoring seven goals in two games against Ferris State last week, but they now have five against Bowling Green (1-4).
But the score is not a tell of how both teams played.
The Falcons used a spirited effort, paired with the return to the bench of head coach Ty Eigner, to fight hard against the #9 team in hockey,
Bowling Green attacked Western Michigan where they enjoy scoring. All night long, BG crowded the ice in front of the crease, not allowing Western to feed the puck to the point man where they do most of their damage.
They also played highly aggressive hockey. Consequentially, the first period was a lot of fight for even seconds of puck control, eventually leading to a breakaway goal by Dylan Wendt after a poke check.
The Falcons continued to press the Broncos and held a highly-regarded offensive team to only eight shots in the first period.
The second period was superb for the Falcons as they continued to stuff defensemen in front of the net and steal passes from the Broncos, and on one play prompted a goal by Josh Nodler after the shot by Jaden Grant was deflected away from goaltender Cameron Rowe’s leg guard and into Nodler’s stick, leaving the open shot.
Not long after, the continued aggressiveness sparked a goal accredited to Ryan O’Hara by a shot that really had no chance of finding the goal line until it deflected off a Western Michigan skate. However, a Bronco from Luke Grainger late in the period evened things up heading into the second intermission.
The continual drive caught up with the Falcons as finally in the third period, the first game-play penalty occurred via tripping by Ben Doran resulting in no goal, but a significant loss of energy and momentum for the team.
Exhaustion began to set in as the Falcons began to surrender puck position as well as clean defense, allowing a pair goals and an empty net score to seal the game.
Head Coach Ty Eigner voiced the physical struggles postgame.
“We had a few guys cramping up at the end, and that it was hard to play with a short bench,” said Eigner.
BGSU travels tomorrow to face WMU in Kalamazoo in the second leg of the home-home series at 6:00 p.m. Saturday night.
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