Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
6-6-3, 4-4-1WCHA
Lake Superior State
8-4-1, 4-3-0WCHA
Falcons Fall To No. 16 Lake Superior, 4-3
November 29, 2013 | Ice Hockey
Matt Pohlkamp, Brent Tate and Bryce Williamson all scored Falcon goals, while sophomore goaltender Tommy Burke saved 20-of-24 shots.
BOXSCORE (PDF) | HTML
Postgame Audio: Coach Bergeron | Bryce Williamson
Photo Gallery (Todd Pavlack)
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – The Bowling Green State University ice hockey team lost to 16th-ranked Lake Superior State University on Friday night (Nov. 29), by a score of 4-3, in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association showdown. Playing in front of 1,571 fans at the Taffy Abel Arena, the Falcons saw three different skaters score goals, while sophomore goaltender Tommy Burke turned away 20-of-24 shots.
The Orange and Brown saw freshman Matt Pohlkamp, sophomore Brent Tate and senior Bryce Williamson all score Falcon goals throughout the night. Bowling Green went 2-for-3 on the power play, while going 1-for-1 on the penalty kill in the first game of the road series.
Both the Falcons and Lakers came out of the game aggressive in the opening frame, with Bowling Green holding a 10-7 shot advantage. In a period that saw no penalties, Burke and Lake Superior netminder Kevin Kapalka each made a number of key saves in the first, sending both teams into the middle frame at a 0-0 deadlock.
The Lakers lit-the-lamp for the first time in the game with 10:49 left in the middle frame. Lake Superior entered the Falcons' zone of the left wing as Alex Globke, who led LSSU with 15 points entering tonight, sent a pass across the slot from the left circle. Senior Colin Campbell was on the receiving end on the right side of the crease, and sent a one-timer into the back of the net. The goal gave Lake Superior an early 1-0 lead.
LSSU extended their lead just 1:07 after their first goal. Freshman forward Garret Clemment deflected a shot from the point in front of Burke to hand the Lakers a 2-0 lead midway through the middle frame. The goal handed Lake Superior their largest lead of the entire game.
However, the Orange and Brown refused to show any signs of giving up, and scored just 50 seconds later. After creating a turnover in the neutral zone, Falcons' Kevin Dufour avoided two Laker defenders and found a skating Pohlkamp on the right side. Pohlkamp gathered the pass from Dufour and fired a slap shot towards Kapalka. The shot was initially blocked, but the puck trickled over Kapalka's left shoulder for the Falcons' first marker.
Bowling Green continued to apply pressure in the Laker zone, and tied the game at 2-2 on a power-play goal with 2:14 remaining in the second period. The Orange and Brown knocked the puck loose in a scrum along the left boards, as Williamson was able to prevent a clear and quickly fired a slap shot towards Kapalka. Kapalka made the initial save, but could not hold onto the puck. Tate quickly reacted and sent a backhanded shot into the net off the rebound, lighting the lamp for the second time in the game.
Entering the final period tied at 2-2, Bowling Green lit-the-lamp just 2:04 into the period on another power-play goal. Williamson, who was named WCHA Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 22, scored the Falcons' second goal with an on-ice advantage to give the Orange and Brown their first lead of the game. It was Williamson's third-straight game with at least one point, and leads the team with 15 points on the year.
In a back-and-forth WCHA battle, LSSU went on to score the final two goals of the evening, handing Bowling Green their fifth loss on the road this season.
The loss drops Bowling Green's record to 6-6-3overall, and 4-4-1 in league play. Lake Superior State improved to 8-4-1 overall and 4-3 in the WCHA.
The Falcons will be right back in action Saturday night (Nov. 30), facing off against 16th-ranked Lake Superior State in the second game of their two-game road series. The puck is set to drop at 7:07 p.m. at the Taffy Abel Arena in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
