NOTRE DAME — Andrew Hammond provided
Bowling Green’s hockey team with a second chance Saturday night.The Falcons then
capitalized on their junior’s brilliant goaltending.Hammond stopped 20 shots and
Ryan Carpenter scored twice in the third period as the Falcons rallied for a 3-2
victory over eighth-ranked Notre Dame and a split of the Central Collegiate
Hockey Association series.Carpenter’s second goal snapped a 2-2 tie with just
1:38 remaining, the goal coming on a spin-a-rama shot from in front after a
rebound save on Adam Berkle.The Falcons had tied the game on Carpenter’s first
goal with 14:53 to play from the left side of the crease. He converted on a good
three-way play off the rush with Jake Sloat and Connor Kucera.The split was the
third straight for the Falcons, who are 3-3-2 in their last eight games, all in
the CCHA. In that span, BG has earned 13 out of a possible 24 points. BG is
9-16-5 overall and 4-14-4-3 in the CCHA. ND is 16-11-3, 11-8-3.The Falcons’ four
league wins are one more than they had last season and their nine wins overall
are one fewer than last season.BG also played well Friday at ND, despite losing
2-1.“We’ve been building confidence the last few weeks and we’re not afraid of
anyone,” said Hammond, who had 12 saves in the first period when ND threatened
to turn the game into a rout.“My first two years, I’m not sure I could say that.
We’re coming out and matching other teams effort and believing we can
win.”Instead, BG and ND played a 1-1 tie in the first period with the Falcons
tying the game on Cam Wojtala’s goal with just 2:53 to go.The Fighting Irish
opened the scoring on Robbie Russo’s power-play goal at 10:28 of the first
period. ND’s other goal also came on the power play, from Stephen Johns at 2:50
of the second period.“Notre Dame came out flying and they were going to finish
us off in the first 10 minutes, and we didn’t allow that to happen,” BG coach
Chris Bergeron said. “I’m extremely proud of our guys for the way they hung in
there.”Hammond’s best save came as the game ended on an ND shot from the slot.
The Falcons had control of the puck in the right corner, but it broke free off a
scrum and wound up in front. Hammond dived forward to catch the puck.The Falcons
also survived four ND power plays in each of the first two periods to stay
close. Hammond was sharp when the Fighting Irish had the extra man.Although ND
scored the two power-play goals, the result of two missed shot blocks by the
Falcons, BG’s penalty-killing was solid. The ND power play — ranked first in the
CCHA at 20 percent — finished 2-of-8.BG failed to score on its four of chances
with the extra man.“I was disappointed with our discipline,” Bergeron said.
“Some of the penalties we took were poor.”The Falcons had 10 penalties for 28
minutes in the first two periods, but they had no penalties in the third period
— allowing them to play an excellent final 20 minutes. “Ultimately, we were
rewarded (in the third period),” Bergeron said.BG held a 24-22 edge in shots for
the game, including a 12-4 margin in the third period.ND’s first shot of the
third period came with just six minutes remaining.“Staying out of the penalty
box was a big piece of the third period,” Carpenter said. “We kept four lines
rolling in the third period and our intensity picked up. A lot of guys
responded.”Carpenter’s goal was his first since Nov. 19 at Miami. He had gone 15
games without a goal, totaling just three assists in that span. The freshman
center leads BG with eight goals and 19 points.BGSU 3, NOTRE DAME 2GOALS BY
PERIODBGSU 1 0 2 —3NOTRE DAME 1 1 0 —2FIRST PERIODScoring: 1, ND Russo 4 (Lee,
Tynan) 10:28 (5-4 pp). 2, ND Wojtala 7 (Williamson, Berkle) 17:07.Penalties:
Sullivan, BG, holding, 1:49; Shea, BG, tripping, 2:58; Tynan, ND,
unsportsmanlike conduct-diving, 2:58; Peltoma, BG, checking from behind, 6:40;
Maday, ND, checking from behind, 7:54; McIntosh, BG, high-sticking, 10:24;
Voran, ND, high-sticking, 12:59; Larson, ND, high-sticking after the whistle,
17:07; BG bench, too many men, 17:56.SECOND PERIODScoring: 3, ND Johns 4 (Taker,
Sheahan) 2:50.Penalties: Rodriguez, BG, holding, 1:15; Sumsion, BG, hooking,
8:20; Kucera, BG, interference, 10:18; Rodriguez, BG, 10-minute misconduct,
10:18; Wojtala, BG, high-sticking, 12:03; Taker, ND, boarding, 18:13THIRD
PERIODScoring: 4, BG Carpenter 7 (Sloat, Kucera) 5:17. 5, BG Carpenter 8
(Berkle, DeSalvo) 18:22.Penalties: None.SAVES BY PERIODHammond, BG 12 4 4
—20Summerhays, ND 7 4 10 —21Goalie statistics (goals against/minutes played):
(BG) Hammond 2/60; (ND) Summerhays 3/58:54, Empty net 0/1:06.Penalties-Minutes:
BG 10-28, ND 5-10. Power plays: BG 0-4, ND 2-8. Attendance: 5,022.