BGSU hockey (7-5-3, 5-3-3) was upset by Northern Michigan (1-16-0, 1-8-0) 3-2 in a poor performance, giving the Wildcats their first win of the season. With one more chance to get a win before the winter break.
The Falcons never found their rhythm, struggling to generate sustained pressure or match Northern Michigan’s intensity throughout the night.
“It was poor, poor competition and poor execution, we’ve talked about the game all week and the importance of it,” said BGSU hockey coach Dennis Williams.
The last time the Orange and Brown did not play over the weekend was 10 weeks ago, during the weekend of Sept. 26 and 27. A tired Falcon’s team, being sluggish all night long, gave up a goal in the first period and would be trailing the entire game.
What also hurt BG was the lack of defense tonight, as well as the lack of discipline in scrums that continued throughout. A game that was such a difficult matchup to comprehend, as well as there being no drive within the team.
“They go to the net, they get rewarded, it’s a pretty simple game,” said Williams.
Giving up a goal in every period and also failing to capitalize on chances, with two separate “five on three” opportunities. It seemed as if BG had begun their fall break early.
“We got to do a much better job of getting inside the dots… we were chasing, we have to take a big look in the mirror,” said Williams.“We didn’t execute, we didn’t finish… we had our chances, they had theirs…on the power play and the overall special teams action of the team.”
Whether it was the lack of physicality, the lack of defense, or the overall poor decision-making with the puck. All these traits are what were categorized by BGSU.
Negative emotion drove the course of tonight, yet there were positive moments to look at for the Orange and Brown as well.
“We’ve got to have a much better effort, there’s no alternative… It’s a must-win for our group,” said Williams
On top of that, Northern Michigan junior goaltender William Gramme faced a total of 34 shots and finished the night with a .944 save percentage. An Orange and Brown struggle tonight with discipline and defense, especially, yet it was strong defense for Northern Michigan that helped contribute to the rough BG gameplay.
Looking to tomorrow, Bowling Green hopes to play a better game and find ways to improve.
“I thought we had a good week of practice… we didn’t live up to it. Credit to them, it’s their first win.”
While it has been a while since the Falcons’ last play, they return to action after this weekend on December 29th for an exhibition contest versus the United States National Development Program.
“Credit to them and their staff, tomorrow is a new day, we have to be the caged dog,” said Williams.
Tune into all the BGSU hockey games on WBGU 88.1 FM, and catch up on all content at bgfalconmedia.com.
