Box score
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Western Michigan's hockey team dropped a 4-1 decision to the host Bowling Green Falcons in Central Collegiate Hockey Association action at BGSU Ice Arena tonight. Junior Dave Krisky scored the lone goal of the night for the Broncos while freshman Jerry Kuhn made a career-high 38 saves in net for WMU.
"The atmosphere in here tonight was like a post season hockey game. I thought both teams played extremely hard, they battled, we battled. I thought Jerry [Kuhn] was really good and gave us and opportunity to win. I thought he played hard and I give [Nick] Eno credit at the other end, too," head coach Jim Culhane said.
Derek Whitmore put Bowling Green up 1-0 at the 10:28 mark of the first period with a shot that rang off the crossbar and fell in behind Kuhn. Dan Sexton and Kevin Schmidt picked up the assists on Whitmore's 16th goal of the season. With four minutes left in the period, senior Nathan Ansell was whistled for a five-minute major, but the Broncos killed off the penalty and keep it a 1-0 game.
Whitmore extended the Falcon lead to 2-0 with his second of the game at 3:33 of the middle stanza. Once again it was Sexton and Schmidt with the assists on Whitmore's goal, scored on a slapshot from the slot. Shortly thereafter sophomore Jordan Collins had a quality scoring chance when a BGSU clearing attempt popped out to him in the slot and he fired a wrist shot that hit the inside of Bowling Green goaltender Nick Eno's pads and trickled just wide of the left post.
Krisky picked up a loose puck at the top of the circle and banged it past Eno to bring the Broncos within one 2-1 at 10:34. Junior Jeff LoVecchio earned the lone assist on Krisky's power-play goal, knocking the puck off the stick of a BGSU defender trying to clear it from the zone.
Five minutes into the third period Kuhn stoned Brandon Svendsen on a short-handed breakaway to keep WMU within one. The play seemed to spark the Broncos, who subsequently killed off a 1:48 five-on-three power play for the Falcons.
Whitmore completed the hat trick with an empty net goal at 19:11, his this season. Svendsen added another empty netter at 19:40 for the 4-1 final. A melee broke out with 12 seconds on the clock, resulting in fighting majors to all ten skaters on the ice. Juniors Chris Frank and Matt Clackson, sophomores Jordan Collins and Chris Clackson, and freshman Partrick Nagorsen were assessed fighting majors for Western Michigan, while Tommy Dee, Ben Geelan, John Mazzei, Kyle Page and Brian Moore took the penalties for Bowling Green.
It's not indicative of the game that was played by both teams. It's unfortunate and disappointing in the collegiate game what took place with 12 seconds to go," Culhane said afterward.
BGSU out shot the Broncos 42-36, with Kuhn making 38 saves to Eno's 35. The Broncos were 1-5 on the power play whilst holding Bowling Green scoreless in nine chances, including the long five-on-three and the five-minute major.
Western Michigan and Bowling Green conclude the season series tomorrow at Lawson Ice Arena at 7:35 p.m.
