BGSU hockey (12-5-4, 9-3-3) battled the Lake Superior State Lakers (8-14-1, 5-10-0) in their second series of the season at the Slater Family Ice Arena on Friday night. The Orange and Brown came out with an entertaining 3-1 win over LSSU.
The Falcons and Lakers met earlier this season in a series held in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. BG swept Lake Superior that weekend, with the scores of 4-1 and 3-2.
BGSU played cleanly, receiving no penalties throughout the game.
“I’ve never been in a game like that. I think that’s the first time I’ve ever coached a game in junior hockey or college [like that],” said head coach Dennis Williams after the game.
The Falcons wasted no time getting on the board, scoring in only 51 seconds into the first period. Senior forward Quinn Emerson scored the goal, his seventh of the season.
“Any time you can get a jump on them like that, it feels really good,” said Emerson postgame. “It felt like we were pretty comfortable after that.”
The goal by Emerson was only of the first period, with the Orange and Brown holding the advantage 1-0. Defense by both teams dominated the first period, with BGSU having six saves and LSSU having nine.
LSSU broke the scoring drought midway through the second period. Sophomore defenseman Adam Barone scored the goal to tie the game up at 1-1.
Bowling Green struggled in the second period. They had several opportunities to score, but the sophomore goaltender for the Lakers, Rorke Applebee, had 22 saves after the first two periods.
Senior forward Brett Pfoh scored another goal for the Orange and Brown, their first since the opening minute of the game. Bowling Green had taken the lead back, 2-1, early in the third period.
“I couldn’t even really tell until the lights went off,” said Pfoh after the game’s conclusion. “It’s always nice to see one go in.”
The situation became more dire for the Lakers, and they decided to pull their goaltender with around three minutes remaining in the third and final period. The energy in the building was rising, putting LSSU under more pressure.
As the third period came to a close, junior forward Tyler Hotson scored another goal to solidify the win for Bowling Green. He scored with only 15 seconds remaining in the game to put Bowling Green’s lead 3-1.
BGSU held a significant advantage in winning face-offs, at 58.8% in their favor.
“You get to influence the next play and have puck possession, that’s what you’re really trying to do, so real good job,” said Williams.
BGSU now prepares to face Lake Superior again for the fourth and final time this regular season. That game will be on Jan. 17 at 7:07 p.m in the Slater Family Ice Arena. Falcon Media Sports Network’s Ben Corak and Nathan Burkett will have the call on WBGU 88.1 FM.
