The 2009-10 season and the Dennis Williams era for Bowling Green State University hockey began Friday night as the Falcons took to the road in a non-conference match up with the Minnesota State Mavericks. Bowling Green would take the loss by a final score of 3-2 in a game filled with speed and goaltending highlights by both teams.
The Falcon’s Josh Boyd won the first puck drop of the season and immediately it was apparent that speed would be each team’s strength for the other to control as puck control went back and forth.
Junior goaltender, Nick Eno, would get the starting nod between the pipes for the Falcons and was tested early by fielding shots of the sticks of the Maverick’s Andrew Sackrison and Tyler Thompson, both of which Eno would stop.
Minnesota State would serve the game’s first penalty when Mike Louwerse was called for a hooking penalty at the 4:41 mark of the first period. Try as the Falcons may, only one shot would make it past the Maverick defenders in that two-minute span. Senior Tomas Petruska would have two shots blocked by Maverick defenders with captain Kyle Page succumbing to the same fate on his lone shot of the power play. Freshman Ian Ruel would miss wide before the Falcon power play would end and both sides would return to even strength.
Nearly thirty seconds following the BG power play, the Mavericks would strike first when Jerad Stewart broke away as part of a three-on-two Maverick advantage taking a shot to Eno’s glove side that skimmed his mitt but would trickle into the net for the first goal of the game.
Off of an Ian Ruel hooking call that put him in the box, the Mavericks would struggle getting a shot off on the Falcons special teams as a Kael Mouillierat shot would fly wide of the cage and Eno would come up with a stuff at the right post on an Eriah Hayes wrap-around shot.
Minnesota State would then turn up the heat on the Falcons after killing a Bowling Green power play and send Tyler Thompson hard to the net for a pair of shots. Eno would make a fantastic stick-side save on Thompson’s first attempt and straight off a faceoff the Falcon defense stood their ground blocking Thompson’s second shot.
However with traffic building in front of the Falcon net, Geoff Irwin would extend the Maverick lead to two goals after Zach Harrison would set up Irwin for the red-lighter. Irwin would take the pass from Harrison and flip it over the right shoulder of Eno to make the score Bowling Green 0, Minnesota State 2 with 29 seconds remaining in the first period.
Bowling Green would half the Mavericks lead with time ticking away late in the second period. With just over a minute remaining in the period, Petruska and freshman Jordan Samuels-Thomas would break away from the pack on a two-on-one opportunity. Samuels-Thomas would feed Petruska with a touch pass in front of the net that the senior would flick over the shoulder of MSU sophomore goaltender, Austin Lee. Bowling Green 1, Minnesota State 2. Despite the goal, the Falcons would be out-shot by the Mavs 16-7 in the period.
To open up the third period, the Mavericks would take a two-man advantage after freshman Max Grover and sophomore Brennan Vargas would be called on separate penalties to create a five-on-three advantage for MSU. Six shots would be taken in the 3:29 span that the Mavericks were on the power play. Three would fly wide of the goal and the Falcons special teams unit blocked the remaining three shots.
The Falcons would kill both power plays as a result of the Grover and Vargas penalties, however four seconds into returning to full strength MSU would score its third goal. On his way to the net, Louwerse would lose his footing but while sliding would flick a shot on goal that would fly through the five-hole of Eno. With 15:16 remaining in the contest, Minnesota State would hold a 3-1 lead.
Bowling Green would struggle in the third period to get a shot through to the cage, only getting six on goal in the period. Three of those six shots would be taken with less than three minutes remaining.
After a Mavericks power play came up short at the 16:15 mark, Bowling Green would go on the power play for the seventh and final time of the night. With the faceoff being held in the Mavericks zone, head coach Dennis Williams pulled Eno out of goal to give the Falcons a six-on-four opportunity with 1:35 to go. With the two-man benefit, BGSU would rocket seven shots. Four would be blocked by the MSU defense, two would sail wide but the last would be the one that counted.
Kyle Page would receive a pass from Petruska and fire a laser from the top point between the circles right over the shoulder of goaltender Austin Lee with 0.1 seconds remaining. Though the goal would not make the game’s outcome any different, the Falcons would finish one goal down to the Mavericks and the game would conclude with a final score of Bowling Green 2, Minnesota State 3.
The Falcons begin the season 0-1-0 with the loss and drop their season-opener for the third consecutive year. BGSU was outshot 35-20 and killed all seven of Minnesota State’s power play opportunities. Tomas Petruska (1-1--2), Kyle Page (1-1--2) and Jordan Samuels-Thomas (0-2--2) would all finish with two points each and would be the only players to score for the Brown and Orange.
Following the game, head coach Dennis Williams expressed his pleasure with his team, despite the loss. “It was a real nice effort out there tonight. Our guys worked really hard and never gave up, which was evident with the last-second score by Kyle Page. We battled right to the end.”
One bright spot in particular was the performance by Eno, who finished with 32 saves on the night. “He had a lot of big saves for us tonight,” said Williams. “Five or six of his saves were highlight reel saves that could of went the other direction and really put us in a hole. He came out and challenged well and we took a lot of good things away from his performance.”
The Falcon’s Josh Boyd won the first puck drop of the season and immediately it was apparent that speed would be each team’s strength for the other to control as puck control went back and forth.
Junior goaltender, Nick Eno, would get the starting nod between the pipes for the Falcons and was tested early by fielding shots of the sticks of the Maverick’s Andrew Sackrison and Tyler Thompson, both of which Eno would stop.
Minnesota State would serve the game’s first penalty when Mike Louwerse was called for a hooking penalty at the 4:41 mark of the first period. Try as the Falcons may, only one shot would make it past the Maverick defenders in that two-minute span. Senior Tomas Petruska would have two shots blocked by Maverick defenders with captain Kyle Page succumbing to the same fate on his lone shot of the power play. Freshman Ian Ruel would miss wide before the Falcon power play would end and both sides would return to even strength.
Nearly thirty seconds following the BG power play, the Mavericks would strike first when Jerad Stewart broke away as part of a three-on-two Maverick advantage taking a shot to Eno’s glove side that skimmed his mitt but would trickle into the net for the first goal of the game.
Off of an Ian Ruel hooking call that put him in the box, the Mavericks would struggle getting a shot off on the Falcons special teams as a Kael Mouillierat shot would fly wide of the cage and Eno would come up with a stuff at the right post on an Eriah Hayes wrap-around shot.
Minnesota State would then turn up the heat on the Falcons after killing a Bowling Green power play and send Tyler Thompson hard to the net for a pair of shots. Eno would make a fantastic stick-side save on Thompson’s first attempt and straight off a faceoff the Falcon defense stood their ground blocking Thompson’s second shot.
However with traffic building in front of the Falcon net, Geoff Irwin would extend the Maverick lead to two goals after Zach Harrison would set up Irwin for the red-lighter. Irwin would take the pass from Harrison and flip it over the right shoulder of Eno to make the score Bowling Green 0, Minnesota State 2 with 29 seconds remaining in the first period.
Bowling Green would half the Mavericks lead with time ticking away late in the second period. With just over a minute remaining in the period, Petruska and freshman Jordan Samuels-Thomas would break away from the pack on a two-on-one opportunity. Samuels-Thomas would feed Petruska with a touch pass in front of the net that the senior would flick over the shoulder of MSU sophomore goaltender, Austin Lee. Bowling Green 1, Minnesota State 2. Despite the goal, the Falcons would be out-shot by the Mavs 16-7 in the period.
To open up the third period, the Mavericks would take a two-man advantage after freshman Max Grover and sophomore Brennan Vargas would be called on separate penalties to create a five-on-three advantage for MSU. Six shots would be taken in the 3:29 span that the Mavericks were on the power play. Three would fly wide of the goal and the Falcons special teams unit blocked the remaining three shots.
The Falcons would kill both power plays as a result of the Grover and Vargas penalties, however four seconds into returning to full strength MSU would score its third goal. On his way to the net, Louwerse would lose his footing but while sliding would flick a shot on goal that would fly through the five-hole of Eno. With 15:16 remaining in the contest, Minnesota State would hold a 3-1 lead.
Bowling Green would struggle in the third period to get a shot through to the cage, only getting six on goal in the period. Three of those six shots would be taken with less than three minutes remaining.
After a Mavericks power play came up short at the 16:15 mark, Bowling Green would go on the power play for the seventh and final time of the night. With the faceoff being held in the Mavericks zone, head coach Dennis Williams pulled Eno out of goal to give the Falcons a six-on-four opportunity with 1:35 to go. With the two-man benefit, BGSU would rocket seven shots. Four would be blocked by the MSU defense, two would sail wide but the last would be the one that counted.
Kyle Page would receive a pass from Petruska and fire a laser from the top point between the circles right over the shoulder of goaltender Austin Lee with 0.1 seconds remaining. Though the goal would not make the game’s outcome any different, the Falcons would finish one goal down to the Mavericks and the game would conclude with a final score of Bowling Green 2, Minnesota State 3.
The Falcons begin the season 0-1-0 with the loss and drop their season-opener for the third consecutive year. BGSU was outshot 35-20 and killed all seven of Minnesota State’s power play opportunities. Tomas Petruska (1-1--2), Kyle Page (1-1--2) and Jordan Samuels-Thomas (0-2--2) would all finish with two points each and would be the only players to score for the Brown and Orange.
Following the game, head coach Dennis Williams expressed his pleasure with his team, despite the loss. “It was a real nice effort out there tonight. Our guys worked really hard and never gave up, which was evident with the last-second score by Kyle Page. We battled right to the end.”
One bright spot in particular was the performance by Eno, who finished with 32 saves on the night. “He had a lot of big saves for us tonight,” said Williams. “Five or six of his saves were highlight reel saves that could of went the other direction and really put us in a hole. He came out and challenged well and we took a lot of good things away from his performance.”
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