BGSU hockey (2-3-2, 2-1-2) made the trip to Mankato, Minnesota, to take on the reigning Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) champions and the No. 16 team in the country, the Minnesota State Mavericks (4-2-3,
When the dust settled after the first game of the series on Friday, the Mavericks emerged victorious and claimed two points for the CCHA standings after winning in a shootout.
Minnesota State’s senior forward Tristan Lemyre led the Mavericks offensively and finished the night with four points after contributing two assists to go along with the two goals in the game.
The first period saw a flurry of offensive scoring with the Falcons and Mavericks combining for five goals in the first frame of play.
Bowling Green would start the scoring thanks to a shot from the point from junior defenseman Breck McKinley that was tipped in by freshman forward Connor Levis. Along with McKinley, senior forward Brett Pfoh was also credited with an assist.
The Orange and Brown would extend their early lead not long after, thanks to sophomore forward Adam Zlnka scoring off a rebound opportunity during a net front scramble. The lone assist on the play was awarded to junior forward Tyler Hotson.
Sophomore forward Liam Watkins would start the scoring for the Purple and Gold after Lemyre poked a pass to Watkins in the slot that the Okotoks, Alberta native would promptly bury.
Lemyre would then score back-to-back goals to tie and then give the lead to the Mavericks. Both of Lemyre’s goals trickled through Bowling Green’s junior goaltender Cole Moore. Senior defenseman and MSU captain Mason Wheeler and fellow senior defenseman and MSU alternate captain Campbell Cichosz were credited with the assists on the first goal, while senior forward Jack Smith and senior defenseman Ralfs Bergmanis assisted on Lemyre’s second tally, a power-play strike.
Allowing three goals on eight shots was enough for head coach Dennis Williams as he proceeded to pull Cole Moore in favor of freshman goaltender Jacob Steinman. After taking over for Moore, Steinman would make a total of 20 saves while only conceding one goal to record a .952 save percentage.
The lone goal of the second period came off the stick of freshman forward Noah Morneau, who fired a short-side shot past MSU’s senior netminder Alex Tracy after receiving a drop pass from McKinley as Morneau was entering the offensive zone during a four-on-four opportunity. The goal tied the game for the Falcons heading into the third period of play and gave McKinley his second assist of the night.
Minnesota would retake the lead early in the third period after a shot from Lemyre trickled through Steinman enough for Cichosz to poke it into the net from behind the BG netminder. Along with Lemyre, junior forward Fin Williams also assisted on the play.
Bowling Green and Morneau would once again tie the game with only one minute and two seconds remaining in regulation after pulling the goaltender for an extra attacker. Similar to BG’s first goal of the game, Morneau would tip in a point shot from freshman defenseman Brayden Crampton to tie the game for the Falcons and give the Windsor, Ontario native his second goal of the game. Freshman forward Dominik Rymon was also credited with an assist on the play.
The score would remain tied after overtime, thanks in large part to Steinman making multiple critical saves.
In the shootout, Hotson and junior forward and alternate captain Luigi Benincasa would both score during the first three shots to keep the game tied. During the fourth attempt for both teams, Tracy stopped Morneau, and junior defenseman Evan Murr beat Steinman to give the Mavericks the shootout win and an extra point towards the CCHA standings.
This marked the third straight game where the Falcons claimed only a lone point towards the CCHA standings after losing a shootout and falling in overtime in last weekend’s series against Bemidji State.
Alex Tracy finished the game having made 21 saves and recorded a .840 save percentage.
Other notable performances include MSU’s captain, Mason Wheeler, who blocked a total of four shots to go along with his assist in the game.
Bowling Green’s junior defenseman and alternate captain Gustav Stjernberg and Crampton both blocked three shots apiece.
In terms of shot volume, Lemyre’s five shots led the Mavericks, with Benincasa’s four following close behind. Levis led the Falcons with four shots throughout the contest.
Williams and the Falcons will look to claim their first win in three games as they conclude their weekend series against the Mavericks on Saturday at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center in Mankato, Minnesota.
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Ben Corak will have the call from Mankato on WBGU 88.1 FM with puck drop scheduled for 7:07 p.m.
