Mavericks outpace Falcons, 5-1

Mankato, MN – The Falcon defense was again their achilles heel Friday, as they fell 5-1.

Chris Nell started in net for Bowling Green, making 16 saves on 21 shots faced. Cole Huggins started in net for the Mavericks, making 18 saves on 19 shots faced.

First Period

The Mavericks picked up the game’s first goal at 15:31 of the first period. Michael Huntebrinker finished a rebound from a Max Coatta shot on the doorstop.

Bowling Green finished the first period with eight shots. Minnesota State had 9 nine shots on Nell.

Second Period

The Mavericks pushed their lead to 2-0 at 9:56 of the second period. Max Coatta deflected a shot from Carter Foguth, tipping in high over Nell.

Minnesota State increased their lead to 3-0 at 12:29 of the second period. While on the penalty kill the Falcons turned the puck over in their own zone. C.J. Franklin made a series of moves before sliding the puck five-hole.

Minnesota State finished the second period with five shots on Nell, scoring on two of those chances. The Falcons had six shots in the middle frame.

Third Period

Bowling Green were finally able to break their scoreless span at 5:47 of the third period. John Schilling intercepted a pass at the blue line of the Mavericks zone. The freshman forward skated down the length of the ice, and made a series of dekes before scoring on the backhand. The goal was Schilling’s fourth of the season.

The Mavericks picked up their fourth and fifth goals on turnovers while on the penalty kill. Bryce Gervais scored both short handed goals, coming at 12:36 and 13:58.

The score would remain 5-1 at the final buzzer, with Minnesota State picking up the 5-1 win. With the loss the Falcons dropped to 15-9-6, 11-5-5 on the season. The Mavericks improve to 15-9-5, 13-3-5. The teams will conclude their season series Saturday at 8:07 PM.