BGSU hockey (16-9-6) (13-7-3 CCHA) fell at home 5-4 after surrendering a 3-1 lead to the Minnesota State Mavericks (17-9-5) (13-7-3 CCHA).
BG started off trailing 1-0 but came back to make it 3-1. While BGSU had a strong first period, the same can’t be said for the second and third periods.
“It’s not a 20-minute game. That has to be a lesson learned for us,” said BGSU head coach Dennis Williams postgame. “Up 3-1, we put ourselves in position. It’s a gut-wrenching loss with the way the game flowed,” said Williams.
Early in the game, Minnesota State stayed in contention with 24 blocked shots to Bowling Green’s eight, while the Falcons needed to show defensive presence that would lead to offensive opportunities.
“We have to generate better down low to be in the offensive zone…we need everybody to play that way and generate some offense,” said Williams.
From the players’ perspective, BG found momentum in the first period, yet didn’t find it going forward, mainly due to Minnesota State’s defensive presence.
“I thought the first period, we did a really good job,” said junior forward Tyler Hotson.
Throughout the game, Bowling Green struggled primarily due to a lack of focus and the mental aspect of the game, according to sophomore forward Max Martin.
“Got away from our game…we lost our focus a little bit, and we can’t have it this late in the season with this group,” said Martin.
The Falcons struggled with forwards and defense tonight, yet junior goaltender Cole Moore had 31 saves with a .861 save percentage. That compares with Minnesota State senior Alex Tracy’s grit as well. 86.2 save percentage with 25 saves.
“He’s been the backbone for us all year, and we didn’t really help him out…we love when he’s in the net,” said Hotson.
Part of the reasoning behind the lead evaporating is the Orange and Brown failing to match the effort level from the first period.
“You see what happens when you’re up 3-1. We didn’t have the grit and grind. We didn’t have a response,” said Williams. Hopefully that’s a lesson learned.”
A collapse after the second period led to BGSU falling short in giving up three goals, surrendering a lead for the third time this season. While the loss is tough for Bowling Green, there is still another game in the series.
“We can’t sit here and feel sorry for ourselves. It is what it is. We had an opportunity to win. Tomorrow becomes a must-win game,” said Williams. “That is the opportunity we’ve presented ourselves, but we need to have a more complete 60-minute game.”
Looking towards Saturday, BGSU anticipates a different result, knowing what needs to be fixed.
“We’ve all been playing hockey for a long time, and by this age we got to know when to dial it in,” said Martin.
Bowling Green will face Minnesota State tomorrow at the Slater Family Ice Arena at 6:07 p.m. Tune into the broadcast on WBGU 88.1 FM for complete coverage of the game on bgfalconmedia.com.
