It was a very rough weekend for BGSU hockey to say the least, a regulation and overtime loss to a team that was, coming into the weekend, eighth in the CCHA and last in the Mason Cup playoff bracket.
With a chance to clinch a home playoff spot, or at least make it highly likely, they lost 3-2 in regulation and 2-1 in overtime to Bemidji State, taking only one point. This also made the race for two playoff hosting spots a four-team race, Michigan Tech, Bowling Green, St. Thomas and Bemidji State.
It may be the first time in 2025 that you can say Willy’s team played badly, the first time that a team has two wins against the Falcons since Dec. 7, 2024, against Minnesota State.
In many series this season it felt like BG played well enough to deserve more than what they got on the scoreboard. Yet against BSU they got two losses and deserved one and probably the other.
In the first game, BG never held a lead, 2-2 through two periods before they took back-to-back penalties, killing one but allowing the game-winning powerplay goal on the second “too many men on the ice” penalty. To make matters worse, down one goal, the final five minutes of the game were played five on four, Ben Doran taking a cross-checking major and watching a futile five minutes of hockey for BG.
The second game was no easier a watch, with BG leading 1-0 until the final 11 seconds of the contest. Bemidji State scored their fourth extra-skater goal of the season series on a play where the net came off the pegs at the same time the puck crossed the goal line.
Why didn’t Willy challenge the play for the net coming off? I believe because he took a timeout one minute prior. If the challenge failed, Bemidji would head on powerplay for 10 seconds and 1:50 in overtime. Great decision, horrific timing.
Bemidji State right-winger Adam Flammang scored the game-winner on a shootout-like breakaway in overtime.
What is unfair is what the series did for Cole Moore. Still filling in for the injured Christian Stoever, Moore allowed only two even-strength goals the entire weekend, one of them in the overtime that was essentially one-on-one with Flammang.
Frankly, there was only one goal scored and he wasn’t left out to dry by the defense. That goal was also on a BSU-man advantage.
Besides Moore, there was only one good thing that came from the weekend; they did not drop out of the home playoff. The one point they took Saturday, while disappointing, was clutch as it tied them with Michigan Tech for the third spot, two points above St. Thomas.
BGSU can no longer finish above third in the conference, best-case beating out Michigan Tech for that position. Tiebreakers will (almost certainly) favor MTU, UST, and BSU.
The Falcons play Lake Superior State in the final series of the season at home in the Slater Family Ice Arena, an essentially must-win-two situation against the eighth-place Lakers. Michigan Tech and St. Thomas play each other, highly beneficial to BG.
Clinching scenarios (unofficial)
BGSU Sweeps…
- MTU sweeps (6) UST– BGSU (46) 4th and MTU (46) 3rd
- MTU splits (3) UST– MTU (43) 4th and BGSU (46) 3rd
- UST sweeps (6) MTU– UST (44) 4th and BGSU (46) 3rd (MTU 6th with BSU sweep)
BGSU Splits…
- MTU sweeps (6) UST– BGSU (43) 4th and MTU (46) 3rd
- MTU splits (3) UST- BGSU (43) 4th and MTU (43) 3rd
- UST 4 points vs. MTU– BGSU (43) 3rd and UST (42) and MTU (42) tiebreaker for 4th
- UST 5+ points vs. MTU– BGSU (43) 4th and UST (43/44) 3rd
BGSU gets swept…
- MTU 5+ points vs. UST– *BGSU (40) 4th and MTU (45/46) 3rd
- MTU 4 points vs. UST– ^UST (40) 4th and MTU (44) 3rd
- UST 3+ points vs. MTU– BGSU out, UST and MTU in (order to change)
*BSU sweeps (6) MSU- BSU and BGSU have 40 points, BSU takes tiebreaker on more conference wins
^BSU sweeps (6) MSU- BSU and UST have 40 points, BSU takes tiebreaker on more conference wins
