BOX SCORE
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- Western Michigan overcame a two-goal deficit to force overtime and a 4-4 tie at Bowling Green in front of 2,1,21 fans at the Bowling Green Ice Arena on Friday night.
Down 4-3 with less than a minute remaining in the game the Broncos pulled goalie
Riley Gill from the net to get an extra attacker.
Max Campbell controlled the puck deep in the Bowling Green zone and passed it to
J.J. Crew, and Crew fired it from the left circle. BGSU goalie Nick Eno made the initial save but the puck bounced to his left and
Greg Squires was there to stick in the rebound. The game-tying goal was the third of the season for Squires, while Campbell picked up his fourth assist of the night and Crew tallying his second of the game.
Neither team took advantage during the overtime period and the game headed in to a shootout. Campbell and Crew each scored in the shootout but Bowling Green bested the Broncos, 3-2, on goals by David Solway, Jordan Samuels-Thomas and James Perkin to earn the extra point.
The Broncos wasted no time taking a 1-0 lead as just 1:26 into the first period WMU lit the lamp for the first time on the night. Crew passed the puck to Campbell as WMU crossed in to the BGSU zone. Campbell fired a shot from the right circle with Eno making the initial save. The puck bounced out to the crease and a falling
Dane Walters banged home the rebound for his second goal of the season. Campbell picked up his sixth assist on the season and Crew tallied his ninth for his team-leading 16th point.
Bowling Green tied the game, 1-1, on a penalty shot by Brennan Vargas with 2:41 remaining in the first period. A BGSU breakaway was broken up by
Mike Levendusky but Levendusky was called for holding and a penalty shot was awarded to Vargas. The sophomore right-winger took the puck from center ice, skating in on Gill and beat him between the legs for his second goal on the season.
The penalty shot was the first given up against WMU since a shot by Mike Kinnie of Ferris State on Nov. 16, 2002. The last successful penalty shot against the Broncos was by Illinois-Chicago’s Jeff Nelson on Oct. 17, 1987.
Penalties came back to bite the Broncos early in the second period as Bowling Green captain Kyle Page scored from the point on BGSU’s third power play of the game from the left point. Ian Ruel and Solway each picked up assists as Bowling Green to a 2-1 lead.
Just 21 seconds later Cameron Sinclair created a turnover in the Bronco zone and skated in, beating Gill for his second of the season. The unassisted goal came at the 3:51 mark of the second period as BGSU extended its lead to 3-1.
Back-to-back penalties, including a five-minute major on BGSU’s Tommy Dee gave the Broncos a five-on-three advantage for 1:13.
Tyler Ludwig capitalized a second after the five-on-three ended, firing a bomb from the left circle and in past Eno for his second of the season. Squires and Campbell picked up assists as WMU cut the lead to 3-2.
Bowling Green extended its lead back to two on a power play goal by David Solway 6:54 into the third period. Solway punched in a rebound off a shot by Jordan Samuels-Thomas for his fourth of the season. Samuels-Thomas and Tomas Petruska each tallied their 12th assists of the season as the score moved to 4-2.
WMU’s
Matt Tennyson brought the Broncos within one on a delayed-penalty goal with 4:09 remaining in the third period. The referee indicated a penalty was to be called but the Broncos were able to maintain possession as Gill went to the bench for the extra-attacker.
Jared Katz found Campbell down the right side of the ice and the junior center brought the puck across the blue-line. Campbell then made a cross-ice pass to Tennyson and the freshman defenseman wristed the puck in the net for his first collegiate goal. Katz tallied his fifth assist on the season and Campbell picked up his eighth of the season and third on the night as WMU cut the lead, 4-3.
The Broncos and the Falcons battle once more on Saturday evening at 5 p.m. at the Bowling Green Ice Arena.
Courtesy: GS Photo
