BOWLING GREEN — The Bowling Green State University hockey team skated to a 2-2 tie Saturday with Miami at the Slater Family Ice Arena.
While it was not a victory, the result felt better for the Falcons than Friday, when Miami claimed a 6-3 win.
“Last night left a bad taste in everybody’s mouth,” said sophomore defenseman Alec Rauhauser, whose sixth-attacker goal with just 37.8 seconds left in regulation helped the Falcons avoid their first series sweep this season.
Tyler Spezia scored with 20.2 seconds left in a 3-on-3 overtime session that does not count in either team’s record. The game officially is recognized as a tie per NCAA rules as neither team scored in a 5-on-5 overtime period.
Bowling Green now is 6-5-4 overall, while Miami is 6-6-2 on the season.
“I was much happier with our effort,” BG coach Chris Bergeron said. “Once again our guys responded with a strong effort after a poor one.
“The message on Monday will be that we have to stop putting ourselves in a position where we have to respond. But it was good to show we can.”
The Falcons scored the lone goal of the first period, when freshman Brandon Kruse was awarded a penalty shot after drawing a penalty on a breakaway with 34 seconds left in the period.
Kruse faked the backhand, then slid the puck past RedHawks goalie Ryan Larkin for his third goal of the season.
The goal was the first for a Bowling Green player on a penalty shot since Brandon Hawkins scored on a penalty shot against Alabama-Huntsville on March 16, 2015.
Miami tied the game at 6:32 of the second when BG was unable to clear the puck out of its zone, and Josh Melnick beat Falcons goalie Ryan Bednard with a shot Bednard slowed with his glove but allowed to trickle into the net..
“For me, you have to tip your hat to [Miami],” Bergeron said. “I thought the second period [result] had to do with them. …
“I wasn’t unhappy with our second period. … I’m not sure our effort [in the second period] was less: I think their effort was better.”
The RedHawks took the lead in the third on a power-play goal by Louie Belpedio at 13:49, but Rauhauser’s snipe from just inside the blue line in the final moments after Bowling Green had pulled its goalie tied the contest and sent it to overtime.
“Coach [Barry] Schutte and coach [Ty] Eigner talk about 6-on-5 with us all the time,” Rauhauser said. “[Stephen Baylis] made a good pass to Brett [D’Andrea], and he slipped it to me.
“I waited the defender out, and Max Johnson did a good job screening the goalie. I don’t think the goalie ever saw it.”
While Spezia’s goal in the waning seconds of the second overtime does not change the result, it helped improve the team’s mood as much as the improved effort after Friday’s loss.
“It goes as a tie, but it’s always nice to score in overtime,” Rauhauser said. “The guys are happy.
“It was a much better result than Friday. … Gaining the moral victory with the overtime goal felt good.”
Bednard finished with 25 saves, while Miami’s Larkin stopped 26 shots.
Contact John Wagner at: jwagner@theblade.com, 419-724-6481, or on Twitter @jwagnerblade.
First Published November 26, 2017, 3:05 a.m.
