Bowling Green’s hockey team found an unlikely opponent to record its first victory of the season and
match its season-high for goals in a game.
Ninth-ranked University of Alaska, one of college hockey’s best defensive teams.
The Falcons played well most of the game and never trailed for a 3-1 win Friday in a Central Collegiate
Hockey Association game at the Ice Arena. [SEE
PHOTO GALLERY]
Nick Eno stopped 24 shots for the Falcons, while Tommy Dee had one goal and one assist, and Jordan
Samuels-Thomas and Josh Boyd scored the other BG goals.
Tomas Petruska added two assists for BG, including a nice pass in the neutral zone to Boyd, who put the
Falcons ahead for good at 2-1 with 7:14 left in the second period.
Boyd broke in on left wing and his shot from the middle of the circle fluttered past the glove of UA
goalie Scott Greenham on the right side.
Dee’s rebound goal from the left side of the crease, on a 5-on-3 power-play, with 9:54 left in the game
clinched the win.
BG is 1-7-1 overall and 1-3-1-1 in the CCHA. The teams play again tonight at 7:35.
“It’s nice to get the goose egg off,” Dee said. “We played a complete game. From head to toe, our whole
team was going. We didn’t have any weak links. Everyone was going every shift and the work ethic was
there.”
UA is 6-2-1, 3-2.
“(BG) played hard and they played very well,” Nanook coach Dallas Ferguson said.
Although the Nanooks held a 25-17 edge in shots and limited BG to just seven shots over the final two
periods, the Falcons still created ample quality scoring chances. UA was second nationally in goals
allowed (1.38 per game) and was allowing just 22.5 shots per game.
BG controlled much of the first period en route to a 1-0 lead, thanks to Samuel-Thomas’ goal from in
front just 2:47 into the game. The goal was set up with good work in the offensive zone by Dee and Kai
Kantola. Samuels-Thomas has scored a goal in four of the last five games.
The Nanooks tied the game at 7:11 of the second period when Scott Enders’ shot from the right point
fluttered past Eno after hitting the stick of UA’s Dion Knelsen. But Boyd answered with his goal, that
went in off a UA stick.
“That was a big goal,” BG head coach Dennis Williams said. “We’ve been fighting those all year and it
seems like they’re always against us. Good things happen when you shoot the puck.”
Despite just having the 17 shots, BG had the puck around UA’s net. But 20 of its 45 attempted shots
missed the net and eight were blocked.
BG’s best play came when it bottled up the neutral zone and caused turnovers, leading to odd-man rushes
and sustained pressure. The Falcons scored 13 goals in their first eight games.
“We had guys going to the net and paying the price,” Williams said.
The Nanooks improved their play over the final two periods, but Eno allowed just the one goal. He also
played well last Saturday at Ferris State, stopping 36-of-39 shots.
“(Eno) played great,” Williams said. “He was a difference-maker. He was real calm, cool. That’s exactly
what we need out of him.”
Eno said he saw most of the shots and the Falcons did a good job of keeping the Nanooks away from net,
something they worked on in practice.
“I tried to stay positive the whole game,” Eno said. “I didn’t want to let anything bother me. The guys
were playing well in front of me.”
BG also won the special teams, scoring the one power-play goal in six attempts and not allowing UA to
score on its five power-play chances.
BG’s power-play goal was just 4-of-50 entering the game. The Falcons had made changes in their power play
setups and personnel during the week.
“Our players adjusted and it paid off,” Williams said.
The Falcons did a good job killing penalties and some of Eno’s best work came against the UA power play.
BG’s penalty-killing ranked next-to-last in the league at 77.8 percent.
“You just have to out-work (the other team’s power-play),” Dee said. “We worked hard and we pressured
them, and we were on loose pucks fast.”
Freshman forward Nathan Pageau, one of BG’s most skilled players, didn’t play because of a one-game
suspension for not attending class.
BGSU 3, ALASKA 1
GOALS BY PERIOD
ALASKA
1
—
1
BGSU
1
1
1
— 3
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1, BG Samuels-Thomas 4 (Kantola, Dee) 2:47.
Penalties: Ruel, BG, interference, 4:44; Finucci, UA, tripping, 5:32; Peltoma, BG, hooking, 14:35.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 2, UA D. Knelsen 4 (Enders, Yaremchuk) 7:11. 3, BG Boyd 2 (Petruska, Freismuth) 12:46.
Penalties: Boyd, BG, hooking, 3:44; Hohl, UA, hooking, 7:34; Gehon, UA, slashing, 16:44; Enders, UA,
slashing, 19:35.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 4, BG Dee 3 (Petruska, Solway) 10:06 (5-3 pp).
Penalties: Perkin, BG, cross-checking, 4:57; Hohl, UA, elbowing, 8:37; Meyers, UA, charging, 9:24;
Perkin, BG, contact to the head-elbowing, 15:34.
SAVES BY PERIOD
Greenham, UA
9
2
3
—
14
Eno, BG
8
9
7
—
21
Goalie statistics (goals against/minutes played): (UA) Greenham 3/58:47, Empty net 0/1:13; (BG) Eno 1/60.

Penalties-Minutes: UA 6-12, BG 5-10. Power plays: UA 0-5, BG 1-6. Attendance: 1,759.