Nov. 1st, 2024, was a night of firsts for the Falcon hockey team. First day of a new month, the first game of Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) play for the year, the first career CCHA win and first home game win for coach Dennis Williams as head coach, sophomore goaltender Cole Moore’s first shutout of the new campaign and sophomore forward Matvei Kabanov’s first career goal for the Orange and Brown.
Bowling Green (4-3) was paid a visit by Ferris State (2-5-2) at the Slater Family Ice Arena last night for a game between two CCHA conference foes.
The first period was filled with back-and-forth play and lots of momentum swings.
It was the Falcon’s freshman forward Maxwell Martin who started the scoring via a powerful shot off a rebound that beat FSU’s graduate student goaltender Noah West from up close with just 1 minute and twenty-four seconds remaining in the first period. A point shot from Gustav Stjernberg, which was tipped by Seth Fyten, set up the play for Martin, and Stjernberg and Fyten were both awarded assists on the play.
The second period featured more of the same back-and-forth action as well as more of the physical play that CCHA fans have come to know and love.
Throughout the game, the two teams combined for thirteen penalties, including elbowing, hooking, interference, holding, boarding, roughing, cross-checking, and roughing the goaltender calls, all having to be made.
Fans didn’t have to wait long into the third frame to see another goal, as Kabanov scored just over 4 minutes into the final frame. The goal was set up by a perfectly placed cross-ice pass from graduate student forward Ethan Scardina, with an additional assist being awarded to senior forward Ryan O’Hara, who was able to get the puck to Scardina after winning a puck battle along the boards.
The goal was the first for the former Northern Michigan Wildcat in a Falcon jersey.
Moore was the main difference maker of the game, stopping all 29 shots the Bulldogs challenged him with and posting a shutout on the night.
“He (Moore) was our best player tonight, he’s a stud,” said Martin of Moore’s performance.
The praise for Moore came from teammates and coaches alike. When asked about his shutout performance, Coach Williams responded, “Cole did a really good job, he’s our best player out there tonight . . . He did exactly what he needed: stop all the pucks that he should stop and mix in a couple of big ones.”
BGSU will look to complete the weekend sweep of Ferris State tonight at the Slater Family Ice Arena. Puck drop will be at 7:07 p.m., and Falcon Media Sports Network’s Ben Corak and Nathan Burkett will have the call on WBGU 88.1 FM.
