BG’s Nathan Burke, left, upends Bemidji State’s Kyle Looft during the first period of play Friday night.
J.D. Pooley | Sentinel-Tribune
Two short-handed goals is not something you see every day, but Bowling Green State University hockey made it happen.
The two short-handed goals helped BGSU win 4-2 against the Bemidji State Beavers in front of 3,009 fans at the Slater Family Ice Arena on Friday in the opener of a two-game Central Collegiate Hockey Association series.
The Falcons improve to 13-12 overall and 10-7 in the CCHA while Bemidji State falls to 9-7-5 and 7-3-3.
Falcon freshman Quinn Emerson had an impressive performance, contributing to both short-handed goals. One of them he scored unassisted, and he had a simple explanation for it.
“I saw the goalie out of the net, picked up speed and just went for it,” Emerson said.
Replicating the chippy series from last season, the game started with fast skating and hard checks. For the first five minutes of the game, both teams skated left and right, getting solid offensive opportunities.
At the 7:17 mark, Bemidji State freshman Adam Flammang scored on a sharp angle shot to make it 1-0 BSU.
Halfway through the first, Bowling Green got their first man advantage as Beavers forward Jere Vaisanen sat for boarding. Following an uneventful power play, the Falcons got two more advantages back-to-back, but still trailed by a goal after one period.
At the start of the second, the Falcons tilted the ice in their favor, getting multiple scoring opportunities in succession. The momentum was halted as Bowling Green was caught for too many men on the ice.
The Beavers got their first power play of the night, but the Falcons were the ones to come out lucky, keeping Bemidji State out of the net.
Four minutes into the frame, BG right wing Quinn Emerson scored a shorthanded goal as he caught Bemidji State goaltender Mattias Sholl out of his crease. After a quick review from the officials to check for a high stick, the score stood at 1-1.
The power plays kept coming for Bowling Green, keeping the Bemidji’s penalty box door open for majority of the period.
In the last five minutes of the period, the ice evened up with both teams fighting hard to obtain the lead. Bowling Green looked dominant, but the score still remained tied after two periods.
The Beavers took over at the start of the third, but the Falcons eventually got their break with an interference call on the opposition.
After a sequence of thrilling offensive rushes, Bowling Green had to turn their attention to defending following a slashing call. However, Jaden Grant brought it back to the offensive zone as he scored the second short-handed goal of the night.
The Beavers lowered the crowd’s excitement with a goal just a minute later.
The last half of the period was full of exchanges, but junior forward Ryan O’Hara’s efforts paid off as he got the lead with five minutes to go. Falcon veteran Taylor Schneider scored an empty netter to seal the deal.
Mattias had 33 saves for Bemidji State and Christian Stoever had 26 for the Falcons in getting the win. The Falcons won 35 of 53 faceoffs.
The Falcons will push to finish out the sweep against the Beavers tomorrow at Slater Arena with a 7:07 start.
