EAST LANSING, Mich. — Bowling Green State University hockey won against Michigan State 3-1 on Friday.
This was the first non-conference matchup of the season and the first of the home-and-home series against MSU.
The first period started off with some pushing and shoving between teams, reliving the historic rivalry.
Five minutes in, Bowling Green turned up the pressure with shots from captain Alex Barber and sophomore Ryan O’Hara. Spartans netminder Dylan St. Cyr prevented scoring on the board, but BGSU controlled the first half of the period.
The Spartans built momentum toward the halfway point of the period, testing BG goalie Zack Rose.
While the shots kept coming at both nets, both defenses were strong to keep the scoring at nil.
Toward the ending minutes, the Falcons looked a little shaky, with no shots during their power play and defense allowing open lanes.
At the end of the first, the shots were 10-7 favoring Michigan State.
After an uneventful first period, it did not take long for Bowling Green to garner some points.
Less than two minutes into the period, Barber slapped the puck into the net.
The goal frustrated the Spartans, eventually leading to a holding penalty on freshman Daniel Russell.
As the power play expired, Michigan State took the opportunity of a rough penalty on alternate captain Max Coyle.
Alternate captain Anton Malmstrom took a scary hit against the boards in the middle of the second, but was able to get up and go to the locker room.
The period ended with an exchange of shots from both teams, making the count 22-21 favoring BGSU.
The third period was the most competitive, with the Spartans desperate to put points on the board.
Twenty seconds into the period, Russell sniped the puck in past Rose, tying up the score 1-1.
BGSU retaliated with a goal by O’Hara, putting the Falcons up 2-1.
As the play started to mellow out, Michigan State came with full force, putting up almost 20 shots against Rose. The senior goalie id not let a single puck past him.
The period concluded with an empty-netter by O’Hara, making the score 3-1.
The shot count ended up 38-26, showcasing both goaltenders’ impressive performances.
O’Hara was the standout player of the Falcons, scoring two goals against MSU and having four points in two games for the season so far.
BGSU head coach Ty Eigner praised Adam Nightingale, the new coach of MSU, for putting up a challenge against the Falcons.
“They played really hard tonight and they were well coached,” Eigner said. “Hopefully tonight our guys got to see the momentum Michigan State got from their home crowd, and now we get a chance to do that tomorrow at Slater.”
Bowling Green will play Michigan State Saturday for the home opener, concluding the home-and-home series.
