Houghton, MI – The 16th-ranked Falcons were able to hold on Friday night as they earned a 3-2 win over the 17th-ranked Michigan Tech Huskies. The win halted a four-game losing streak for Bowling Green.
Eric Dop stopped 14 of 16 shots faced for the Falcons, while Matt Jurusik turned aside 21 of 24 attempts for the Huskies. Jurusik was replaced with Blake Pietila before the third period and stopped all six shots he faced.
First Period
Bowling Green was the recipient of a turnover to score the game’s first goal at 5:34 of the opening period. Cam Wright skated the puck around the net before sending a shot high to beat Jurusik. The unassisted goal was Wright’s 13th of the season.
The Falcons had 12 shots in the opening period while the Huskies managed just four attempts on net.
Second Period
The Falcons extended their lead to 2-0 at 13:25 of the second period with a power-play goal. Alec Rauhauser fed the puck to Connor Ford just outside the faceoff circle. Ford waited for a lane to clear then buried a screened shot for his tenth goal of the season. Taylor Schneider had the second assist on the scoring play.
Bowling Green added a shorthanded goal at 18:33 to push their lead to 3-0. Alec Rauhauser skated in on Jurusik and sent the shot five-hole for his eighth goal of the season. Connor Ford had the assist on the scoring play.
The Huskies cut the Falcons’ lead to 3-1 at 19:54 of the second period when Parker Saretsky lifted a shot over Dop’s pads.
Bowling Green had 12 shots in the middle frame while Michigan Tech had five chances.
Third Period
Blake Pietila started the third period in net for the Huskies, replacing Matt Jurusik.
The Huskies halved their deficit with a goal at 9:59 of the third period. Seamus Donohue beat Dop over his glove to change the score to 3-2.
Michigan Tech pulled Pietila for an extra attacker late in the period, but the Falcons held on to seal the 3-2 win.
The Huskies had seven shots in the final period while the Falcons had six attempts.
With the win, Bowling Green improves to 13-9-1, 8-6-1-1. The Huskies fall to 13-10-1, 8-7-0-0.
The teams will conclude their weekend series Saturday at 6:07 PM.
