Oct. 10, 2008

Final Stats

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Junior right wing Kai Kantola scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner at 15:36 of the second period and senior goalie Jimmy Spratt made it stand up as the Bowling Green State University hockey team opened the season with a hard-fought 4-2 win over Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT).

The Tigers, under the guidance to former BGSU player and assistant coach Wayne Wilson, came out with the early jump scoring on the power-play just 3:53 into the contest and they doubled their advantage with a short-handed tally just over eight minutes later. RIT had a 9-5 edge in shots in the first stanza. Senior left-wing Brandon Svendsen got the Falcons on the board just 3:10 into the second period on a power-play tally. Then Kantola took control notching a power-play marker at 11:44 to tie the game and then put the Falcons ahead for good on an even-strength goal just 3:52 later.

When RIT, 19-12-6 a year ago, failed to convert on a two-on-none rush early in the third period, the Falcons put the game away by outshooting the Tigers 11-4 in the final frame. Spratt and his teammates held off the visitors as they played more than the last minute with the man advantage with their goalie pulled trying to get the equalizing goal. Svendsen's second goal, an empty-netter with three seconds left, gave the Falcons, whose 18 wins last season were the most in the last decade, the win in the season opener played at home in the BGSU Ice Arena.

Spratt finished with 26 saves as the Falcons held a slim 31-28 edge in shots on goal. Sophomore right-wing Dan Sexton had a pair of assists in the game as eight different players made their way onto the scoring sheet. The Falcons were 2-of-9 on the power play with RIT converting on one of their four tries.

"That was a real good day one hockey game," winning Falcon head coach Scott Paluch said. "The game was won in our minds between the first and second periods. We're down two goals, but we had a great locker room. There was absolutely no panic. I thought we had a good understanding of how we were going to be successful - not passing through people, stop turning the puck over and getting the puck in the areas where we could get to it with our feet.

"That is a terrific game from Jimmy Spratt. He had two outstanding saves in the second period that gave our bench a big lift. That was a good win."