BIG RAPIDS, Mich. – The goal light shined brightly for the Falcons as they put on a dominant six-goal performance against the Ferris State Bulldogs.
The Bowling Green State University men’s hockey team (6-7-0, 5-4-0 in CCHA) won 6-0 against Ferris State (3-6-2, 1-3-1 in CCHA) at the Ewigleben Ice Arena on Friday.
The Bulldogs proved to be one of the more difficult opponents in 2021-22, with the last matchup ending in an 2-1 overtime loss.
The puck dropped with BG sophomore Christian Stoever and FSU freshman Logan Stein between the pipes.
The first five minutes were quiet, with a handful of shots between both teams.
Falcon defenseman Hunter Lellig got the first offense of the night with a holding penalty, and the Bulldogs started to fire shots toward Stoever.
As the penalty expired, the Falcons were able to garner shots of their own, courtesy of linemates Ryan O’Hara and Chase Gresock.
With five minutes to go, fifth-year veteran Nathan Burke scored a backhander to put BGSU up 1-0.
Two minutes later, Falcon newcomer Brett Pfoh managed to get another one past Stein to make it 2-0.
The period closed with a shot count of 14-10 favoring the Bulldogs, who were trying to find momentum going into the second.
It would not take long for the goal light to come on again, as Gresock scored the third goal of the night less than two minutes in.
Frustration grew for Ferris State, yet Bowling Green looked calm and collected.
At the 4:55 mark, Burke scored his second of the night during 4-on-4 ice time to make it 4-0.
Some Bowling Green penalties offered the Bulldogs opportunities for offense, yet Stoever and the defense were all over the puck.
At the halfway point, team captain Alex Barber took advantage of a Ferris State turnover while leaving the box and scored to make it 5-0.
The hurdles did not stop there for FSU, as BG points leader Austen Swankler extended the lead to 6-0.
Following the goal, Bulldogs sophomore Noah Giesbrecht replaced Stein’s netminder role for the rest of the night in hopes to seeing a less tilted matchup.
As the period ended, Bowling Green looked dominant on the ice as Ferris State’s flusters were apparent.
The third period saw lots of exchanges not only in shots, but in physicality.
As Giesbrecht held off pucks from going into the net, the Falcons and Bulldogs started to push and shove.
The final period did not showcase any goals from either team, but BGSU did not need any additional ones due to their performances in the first two periods.
Head coach Ty Eigner said this was a big this win was for the team, especially after tough matches against the Bulldogs in the previous season.
“Things happen fast in this rink, so for us to have a two-goal lead after the first was big,” he said. “Then in the second, we got going and had a lot of guys playing well.”
Stoever was amongst those who were playing well, as he got his second career shutout with 39 saves.
The Falcons take on the Bulldogs again on Saturday in Big Rapids to finish out the series. Puck drop is at 7:07p.m.
