MANKATO, Minn. — Bowling Green’s hockey team toed the line of an NCAA berth going into Saturday’s WCHA
championship game.
The Falcons got external help ultimately clinching a postseason berth while on the ice in Mankato.
BG, though, did not appear interested in leaving anything to chance opening the title game with a goal
and adding a third-period score for a 2-0 lead with just minutes to play.
Minnesota State, ranked No. 2 in the nation, responded with a pair of goals in the final two minutes
before clinching a 3-2 title-winning victory just 1:37 into overtime.
However, with Northeastern edging Boston College on Saturday, the Falcons clinched an at-large berth into
the NCAA tournament. Had BC won, it would have clinched an automatic NCAA berth, leaving Northeastern —
ranked in the top 10 — in position to claim one of 10 at-large bids ahead of BG.
Bowling Green, at 25-10-2, advances to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 29 years (1990).
Minnesota State wins its third WCHA title in six years and improves to 32-7-2.
Freshmen duo of Taylor Schneider and Will Cullen combined to set up Frederic Letourneau for the game’s
first goal with 5:04 to play in the opening period.
BG, which had already swept the Mavericks with a pair of 4-1 wins during the regular season, was ahead
again.
Despite a scoreless second, the Falcons held a 16-11 shots-on-goal advantage.
Just over a minute into the third period, BG earned a powerplay after a five-minute major was given to
Minnesota State. Immediately after the faceoff, Alec Rauhauser rifled a shot into the back of the net
for a 2-0 lead.
The Falcons were two minutes away from a league title and clinching an outright spot in the NCAA
tournament.
The Mavericks’ Jake Jaremko and Connor Mackey, both as extra attackers with an empty net, buried goals in
the final 120 seconds to knot the score at 2-2 and force overtime.
Nick Rivera’s goal just 1:37 into the extra period sealed the come-from-behind win.