Bowling Green, Ohio --- #12 Bowling Green won the special teams battle in handing #3 Minnesota State a 4-1 loss in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association game played in Bowling Green, Ohio Friday.
The Falcons, who are now unbeaten in their last seven games, capitalized on three-of-seven power play chances, while holding the Mavericks scoreless in seven opportunities with the man advantage.
Minnesota State started the game in fine fashion when junior forward
Josh French, cruising down the center of the ice, took a pass from sophomore winger
Dallas Gerads and snapped a shot past
Ryan Bednard at 11:17 of the opening period in staking the Mavericks to a 1-0 lead. French has been scoring at a rapid rate lately, with tonight's goal giving the Woodbury, Minn., native four goal in the last four games and at the end of the first period the Mavericks owned a 1-0 lead.
It would not last, however, with the Falcons knotting the score when a blast from the left circle by
Cameron Wright bounced off of
Connor Ford into the Minnesota State net with BGSU on the power play at 9:36 of the second period.
A trio of goals in the final 20 minutes of action sealed the deal for the host Falcons.
Brandon Kruse's shot from the high slot beat a screened
Dryden McKay at 4:27 of the third period as BGSU led for the first time in the contest with the diminutive forward's power play marker. It became a two-goal lead for the Falcons on another power play, when Ford got his second power play goal of the contest at 9:20. An insurance marker by
Stephen Baylis into an empty net at 18:27 closed out the scoring in the game.
McKay turned in a solid performance between the pipes for the Mavericks, stopping 26 shots in the game. The freshman netminder, who started for the fifth consecutive time, now stands 7-3-0 for the year.
With tonight's loss the Mavericks saw a four-game winning streak come to an end and gives Minnesota State a 14-3-0 (9-2-0 WCHA) record on the season.
The two teams square-off again Saturday at BGSU Ice Arena with a 7:07 p.m. EST face-off slated.
Associate head coach
Todd Knott commented following the game.
