Box score
MARQUETTE, Mich. - Western Michigan's hockey team fell to host Northern Michigan in overtime by a 4-3 margin in Central Collegiate Hockey Association action at Berry Events Center tonight. Junior Patrick Galivan extended his point streak to five games while sophomore Cam Watson registered a goal in his second consecutive contest. Western Michigan drops to 3-5-0 overall (1-3-0 CCHA) while Northern Michigan won for the first time in eight games, improving to 2-8-0 overall (1-7-0 CCHA).
Northern Michigan opened the scoring at 5:10 of the first period when Nick Sirota registered his seventh goal of the year with help from Matt Siddall and TJ Miller to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead.
Senior Brian Bicek tied the game 1-1 at 10:25 with an unassisted goal, his second marker of the season. Bicek anticipated goaltender Brian Stewart's clearing attempt around the boards and picked it off, skating out front, pulling the puck to his forehand and firing into the empty net before Stewart could recover.
WMU took a 2-1 lead in the final minute of the first when senior Jeff Pierce converted on the power play for his third goal of the season, firing from the point and deflecting his shot off an NMU defender. Sophomore Tyler Ludwig and Galivan earned the assists.
It would remain a 2-1 game until the 14:41 mark of the middle stanza, as the Wildcats swung the momentum in their favor by killing off a five-on-three situation, then scoring less than a minute after the second penalty expired to knot the score 2-2. Siddall tallied his third goal of the year, banging the puck past a sprawling Riley Gill with assistance from Sirota and Matt Butcher.
Cam Watson put the Broncos ahead 3-2 with an unassisted goal at 7:59 of the third, scooping up the rebound on his own shot and firing a wrist shot past Stewart for his third goal of the weekend.
Northern Michigan's Mark Olver tied the game 3-3 with just 0.7 seconds left on the clock, gloving the loose puck down to his stick and slipping it inside the right post from the goal line for his first career goal. In overtime it was Matt Butcher recording his first career goal, firing a wrist shot from the point with 3.3 seconds left on the clock. Sirota and Erik Gustafsson assisted on the play.
Gill made 24 saves for Western Michigan, while Stewart stopped 19 shots to earn the win. The Broncos were 1-4 on the power play while NMU converted one of six opportunities.
Western Michigan returns to action next weekend with a home-home series against CCHA foe Notre Dame. Friday night's game is at 7:35 p.m. at Notre Dame while Saturday's contest is at Lawson Ice Arena at 7:35 p.m.
