| BGSU’s Marc Rodriguez (10), left, defends as Notre Dame’s Anders Lee (9) attempts to maneuver around the goal during their match Saturday night. (Photo: Shane Hughes/Sentinel-Tribune) |
Bowling Green’s hockey team played well at times during Saturday’s game against third-ranked Notre Dame.
Unfortunately for the Falcons, they weren’t good for all 60 minutes en route to a 4-1 loss to the
Fighting Irish in the Ice Arena. BOX
SCORE
BG scored first, but ND answered by scoring twice in both the second and third periods to improve to 14-4
overall and 10-1 in the CCHA.
ND finished with the game with a 32-19 edge in shots on goal.
The Falcons fell to 3-10-4, 2-7-3-1, including an 0-7-2 record at home.
“Overall, an OK game, nothing better than that,” BG coach Chris Bergeron said. “That small margin for
error that we have, Notre Dame exposed.”
Ryan Carpenter’s power-play goal provided the Falcons with a 1-0 lead, just 1:49 into the second period.
He cut across the front of the net to tip in Dajon Mingo’s centering pass from the top of the left
circle.
But ND tied the game on a strange goal, just 1:55 later.
T.J. Tynan was in front to score the goal, taking a pass from Mario Lucia, who was off to the right of
the net.
The play started with ND’s Mike Voran dumping the puck into the BG zone. But as Falcon goalie Andrew
Hammond went behind the net to play the puck, it took a weird bounce off the boards to Lucia, who
quickly fed Tynan before Hammond could return to the net.
The Fighting Irish then took the lead for good on Bryan Rust’s power-play goal at 11:52. Rust scored from
the left side of the crease, thanks to a sweet cross-ice pass by Jeff Costello.
“That was a fluky goal that really changed the momentum of the game,” ND coach Jeff Jackson said of
Tynan’s goal. “You give up a strange goal and everything changes. It was a momentum changer.”
“When you’re a team rolling like they are, you find a way to get those bounces,” Bergeron said. “We’re
not finding a way to get those bounces. It didn’t totally crush us as much as it gave them a boost. I
didn’t think they were playing poorly to that point, but they seemed to pick it up a notch. Our level
stayed the same when theirs went up.”
ND clinched the win on third-period goals from Voran at 13:18 and Shayne Taker on the power play at
15:14.
ND scored its two power-play goals on what Bergeron termed “poor” penalties by Brett Mohler and Marcus
Perrier. BG had just four penalties in the game.
The ND power play was 2-of-3, while BG was 1-of-2.
Both teams were playing at the end of exam week before breaking for Christmas.
The game, played before a larger-than-expected crowd of 2,394, was fast-paced and physical
“We just didn’t have what it takes to win tonight,” Carpenter said. “Our effort was there and our battle
was there. We had some chances early and against a really good team and you’ve got to put them home.
“If you keep the game close, they can pop a couple in and before you know it, the game is over,”
Carpenter said.
BG has scored just 31 goals in its 17 games, including only 20 goals in 12 league games.
BG attempted 38 total shots in the game, but missed the net 13 times. In the first period alone, the
Falcons missed the net on seven of their 14 shots.
“That small of error happens on the offensive side of things, too,” Bergeron said. “We’re trying to
convince these guys that a shot that misses the net has no chance of going in.
“It’s not only the margin of error defensively, it’s our game in general. We’ve got to bear down on pucks
all over the ice. We’ve got to bear down on chances all over the ice, whether it’s a chance to score or
a chance to prevent a goal.”
Hammond made 28 saves, 21 in the first two periods. He had no chance on any of the four goals.
“He played well,” Bergeron said.
BG defenseman Bobby Shea missed the game to attend his sister’s wedding.
