The BGSU Falcons Men’s Hockey Team completed another split series against the Bemidji State Beavers. This was their first home series of 2022 and they were eager to get the points they needed in order to remain in a playoff spot. The game on Friday the 14 was unfortunately handed to the Beavers 5-3, but the Falcons fought hard to make a comeback on Jan. 15 for a 3-2 overtime win. This wasn’t the first time that the Falcons met up with Bemidji, as they had a split series against them in October.
Jan. 14
The Falcons started off Brian Holzinger Bobblehead Night on a positive note, as they had some great early offensive chances. However, the Beavers would be the ones to get on the board first, as alternate captain Alex Ierullo juked past BGSU freshman goalie Christian Stoever. Although the Falcons had a great start in the first, more goals came for Bemidji State, with a wrister by Ethan Somoza and a shorthanded goal by Ierullo. The score at the end of the first was 3-0, favoring the Beavers.
After the 3-0 deficit, BGSU decided to pull Stoever for the second and put in veteran goalie Zack Rose. The Falcons came back stronger in the second after a weaker first period, but Bowling Green would get their first goal by defenseman Eric Parker, his first of the season. Another goal would come for BGSU by alternate captain Sam Craggs, as he got a shorthanded goal after a charging call on BGSU veteran player Evan Dougherty. The score was now 3-2, and the Falcons were not too far behind. BGSU seemed to find an edge in the second, which would then hopefully travel into the third period.
At the beginning of the third, the Beavers would dominate as Elias Rosen got a power play goal less than 2 minutes into the period. Seconds after, Beavers’ Jere Vaisanen got their fifth goal of the game. BGSU tried to retaliate, and freshman Austen Swankler was able to get a power play goal in the middle of the period. Unfortunately, the Falcons’ strong efforts were not enough to get them their first home win of 2022.
Jan. 15
Saturday was Star Wars night in the Slate, and the force had to be on their side in order to split the series against the Beavers. The Falcons started off the first period with a bang as BGSU forward Coale Norris got an unassisted goal to get the Madhouse on Mercer crowd going. After the first period goal by Norris, it seemed like tensions were high for the Falcons and Beavers as many penalties like hooking, slashing, and cross-checking being called.
The second period would be scoreless, but Coale Norris scored yet again in the third after putting in a rebound. Not long after, the Beavers would get on the board and cut the lead as Owen Sillinger put one past Stoever. Although BGSU’s lead had lessened, they were still playing well in hopes to not let the Beavers get past their netminder again. Unfortunately, Bemidji’s Elias Rosen would get a power play goal after a late penalty on BGSU forward Taylor Schneider. Frustration filled the air as both the team and fans knew that sudden death overtime was coming.
A nail-biting overtime period started with many close chances by both teams, but it didn’t take long for BGSU’s Craggs to get the overtime goal. The crowd roared as their beloved Falcons got their first win of the new year, with hopes of many more to come.
