The brooms were out for the Falcons as they completed another hard-earned series sweep.
Bowling Green State University hockey (10-12-0) beat the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Engineers (7-11-1) 5-2 at the Slater Family Ice Arena on Friday.
Falcons captain Alex Barber accumulated 100 career points, becoming one of 18 active college hockey players in the country to reach the milestone.
“I made it a goal of mine to hit that this year and I’m happy to achieve it,” Barber said.
Sophomore Ryan O’Hara tallied two goals, putting him tied at third for goals for the Falcons.
After a morale-boosting win on Thursday, Bowling Green was determined to come out of the series with another sweep since the beginning of December against the Lake Superior State Lakers.
Contrasting the early offensive start for the Falcons on Thursday, RPI came out hot with a goal less than three minutes in.
Freshman John Evans took advantage of a sharp-angled pass to his stick, burying the puck to make it 1-0 RPI. Seconds later. junior Ethan Scardina sat in the box for kneeing, giving the Engineers more opportunity to extend their lead.
Bowling Green killed off the penalty with ease, but that was not the end of their first period troubles.
RPI forward Austin Heidemann found a wide-open net and quickly shot the puck past BG netminder Christian Stoever to make it 2-0 RPI.
Coach Ty Eigner quickly called a timeout following the second goal to regroup as the Engineers dominated the ice.
At the 13:31 mark, the Falcons got their first power play opportunity, hoping to find more time in their offensive zone.
Senior Chase Gresock was the first Falcon on the board, with a hard shot off a pass off the boards.
The Falcons started to look more energetic after a slow start, but the first frame expired with a score of 2-1 RPI.
BGSU came out strong in the second, putting quality shots on RPI goaltender Jack Watson.
At the 7:26 mark, Stoever tested his offensive skills as he passed the puck to freshman Quinn Emerson, leading to senior Nathan Burke scoring for the equalizer.
The rest of the second saw both teams on both ends of the ice, but the score stood at 2-2 at the buzzer.
Just 39 seconds into the third, O’Hara scored a wrister through a screen of Falcon players to make it 3-2 BGSU.
Six minutes later, O’Hara lit the lamp yet again with a power play goal to make it 4-2 BGSU.
The Engineers needed their own break, and they got one as they obtained a penalty shot halfway through the period.
Forward Jakob Lee came in fast and tried to outplay Stoever, but he kept on his toes.
In retaliation, BG fifth-year Taylor Schneider forced a turnover and slapped the puck past Watson to make it 5-2.
With over seven minutes to play, the Engineers fought hard for a comeback against BGSU’s offensive strength.
However, the Falcons completed the sweep to close out the calendar year.
BGSU will begin the 2023 portion of the season at home on Jan. 6 and 7 against the Lake Superior State Lakers.
