BGSU hockey (12-6-4, 9-4-3 CCHA) lost to the Lake Superior State Lakers (9-14-1, 6-10 CCHA) by a score of 1-0 at the Slater Family Ice Arena on Saturday.
BG entered the contest off a seven-game unbeaten streak, including a statement win against Ohio State. The Lakers were looking to bounce back from a loss against the Falcons the previous night.
LSSU scored 3:02 into the first period, off a goal by sophomore forward Wilson Dahlheimer. Defensemen Tyson Galloway and Johnny Druskinis assisted.
The game was chippy and physical, with multiple fights and penalties. In the first period, a fight sent two Lakers and a Falcon to the penalty box, setting up a 4-3 power play for BG. This was one of five power plays for BG on the night, although they failed to score on any of them.
LSSU’s defense was a major theme in the low-scoring affair. After the Lakers’ opening goal, the score stayed at 1-0 for the rest of the game. Lakers skaters had 19 blocks, while the Falcons had just five.
The Falcon offense struggled throughout. Several passes failed to connect, and second-chance scoring opportunities did not materialize. There were several moments where BG had the puck in LSSU’s slot, but failed to score.
Just 35 of the Falcons’ 70 shots (50%) were on goal. The Lakers had 22 of their 31 shots (71%) on target.
The Lakers often stacked the slot, creating situations near the net that resembled rugby scrums with both teams jockeying to move the puck.
Falcon freshman goaltender Jacob Steinman tightened up after allowing the opening goal, making 21 saves.
But LSSU goalie Rorke Applebee was stellar, with 35 saves on the night.
“That’s a pretty darn good goalie over there,” head coach Dennis Williams said. “We really only scored two goals on the weekend on him.”
The offense found a bit more rhythm in the third period, as senior forward Jackson Niedermayer nearly scored. The lights were dimmed for a moment to celebrate a score, but it was soon revealed that the shot was wide left.
Overall, the game was a departure from the Falcons’ recent hot streak of offensive performances. The last time the team failed to score a goal was against Niagara on Oct. 10.
“We knew that it wasn’t going to be easy,” senior forward Jaden Grant said. “But unfortunately, we didn’t capitalize tonight.”
With less than two minutes left, BG had a chance to score, but the shot was blocked by Applebee.
With 6.9 seconds left in regulation, BG had a power play. Williams called a challenge to try to make the Lakers’ penalty a major penalty. The Falcons lost the challenge but gained an extra 0.6 seconds on the clock.
With 7.5 seconds left, the Falcons took a shot, which was blocked. As soon as the game ended, another fight broke out on the ice between the two teams.
BG is fourth in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) standings, four points behind Michigan Tech. They will travel to take on the Bemidji State Beavers at Bemidji, Minnesota, on Friday at 8:07 p.m. Coverage can be found at bgfalconmedia.com and on WBGU 88.1 FM.
