By Ben Shanahan
Special to the Sentinel-Tribune
KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The No. 17 team in the country, Western Michigan University, remained undefeated as the Broncos cruised to a win over the Bowling Green State University hockey after scoring four goals in the second period at Lawson Arena.
The first seven minutes saw the Falcons going back-and-forth with the Broncos, but no one found the back of the net.
Give it another four minutes, and WMU freshman Zach Nehring scored two goals in three minutes and fifty seconds. First, Nehring beat BGSU goalie Cole Moore with a laser from the left dot.
That would be followed with 9:21 left in the opening frame as WMU graduate captain Tim Washe fired a big shot off of Moore’s pads, and Nehring, a Winnipeg Jets prospect, scored his second of the period, giving Western a quick 2-0 lead.
The Falcons cut the WMU lead in half less than a minute later as a faceoff left of the Bronco’s net was won by Bowling Green alternate captain Ville Immonen to sophomore Brody Waters to the back of the net, making it 2-1, which would remain for the last 8:24 of the period as the first intermission saw the Falcons trailing by just one goal.
Early in the second period, the game saw its first penalty as WMU alternate captain Alex Bump served a tripping penalty. While the Philadelphia Flyers’ prospect served that penalty, the Falcons capitalized and tied the game as sophomore Ben Doran flipped the puck to perfection over goalie Cameron Rowe’s back, making it 2-2 with 14:22 left in the second period.
Shortly after tying the game, the Falcons put the Broncos on the powerplay, as BGSU was caught on a bench minor for too many men on the ice.
On the power play, Western Michigan’s Bump made up for the previous power play by giving the Broncos the lead, 3-2, with a blast from right of the point.
Two minutes later, WMU extended its lead as Providence College transfer Liam Valente scored from the left face off dot, making it 4-2 with 10:05 left in the second period.
The Broncos were back on the power play with 7:42 left in the middle frame. Western went 2-for-2 on the powerplay, and Valente scored his second of the period, putting the Broncos up even further, 5-2, with 6:16 left in the second.
Four minutes later, WMY sophomore Owen Michaels added another goal to the scoreboard, making the score 6-2, heading into the seccond intermission
The Falcons had a chance to cut into the lead early in the final period of regulation as Pittsburgh Penguins’ prospect, WMU freshman Joona Vaisanen, was called for interference with 15:13 left.
With 52 seconds left on that powerplay, Bowling Green called timeout to draw up a plan of attack, but the Broncos had success in killing the penalty and the win.
Western Michigan looks ahead to an exhibition on Saturday against York University before facing off with national championship favorite Boston College next weekend.
The Falcons, they drop their first of the season (2-1) and head straight from Kalamazoo, Michigan, to Rochester, New York, to play Rochester Institute of Technology on Saturday, October 19, with puck drop at 7:07 p.m.
