BOWLING GREEN — The ice hockey rink affectionately known to some as the “Madhouse on Mercer” lived up to its name on Friday night.

Especially after Bowling Green State University and No. 17 Ohio State played to an overtime period on Thursday.

Friday’s encore in front of a sold-out crowd of 5,000 at the Slater Family Ice Arena fit the billing.

The final 30 seconds of of the game took what felt like 30 minutes to complete, but once the ice shavings of a miniature scrap settled, the Falcons finished their go-away weekend with a 3-2 loss at the hands of the Buckeyes.

Bowling Green’s Chrystopher Collin and Ohio State’s Quinn Preston headlined a scuffle in Ohio State’s zone near the players’ exit tunnel, and play was whistled dead with 29.8 seconds to play. Collin and Preston begin by jawing and shoving each other, and eventually the two took a tumble on the ice that progressed at one point to Collin placing Preston in a headlock.

The cavalries from the respected teams arrived, and the result of the pile-up was nine penalties that combined for 53 minutes. Two each were given to BGSU’s Collin and Seth Fyten, three to OSU’s Preston, and two to OSU’s Will Riedell. Collin earned a game disqualification penalty.

In total on Friday, the Buckeyes served 40 penalty minutes, and BGSU served 37.

“The little skirmish, I think it was two teams [battling] really hard for six periods, and that was the end,” Falcons coach Ty Eigner said. “I don’t know what started the skirmish. Thankfully, we have replay, and they can go ahead and take a look at what they saw started it. I’m going to believe [the referees] got that call right.”

More chaos ensued, immediately, following the penalty.

The game clock didn’t start upon puck drop, and Ohio State goaltender Jakub Dobes intentionally dislodged the net to gain the referees’ attention. Play was whistled dead with 19 seconds remaining and, by rule, since the net was intentionally upheaved within the game’s final 2 minutes, Bowling Green was afforded the choice of taking a penalty shot or a penalty with an OSU player going into the box.

The Falcons opted for the obvious call, as Taylor Schneider stepped up for a one-on-one penalty shot versus Dobes.

Dobes made a glove save on Schneider’s shot, the Buckeyes soaked up the remaining 19-plus seconds, and a jubilant Buckeyes team clad in their signature scarlet sweaters huddled in celebration in front of Bowling Green’s “Seventh Starter” student section.

The victory gives Ohio State (12-6-0) the two-day sweep over the Falcons (8-7-3), but BGSU didn’t succumb quietly. The Falcons were taken to overtime Thursday in Columbus, and each game ended in a one-goal deficit.

“A lot of times sports aren’t fair,” Eigner said. “We’ve talked during the course of the year where we’re disappointed with our effort and disappointed with what we call our process. I thought we played good today. I thought Ohio State played good.”

The Buckeyes got the go-ahead goal and took a 3-2 lead on a wrister from Cam Thiesing with 13:23 left in regulation. Each of the game’s four goals before that were scored on power plays.

Senior Gabriel Chicoine scored his first goal as a Falcon in fluid fashion. He cut down the right slot, and Alex Barber perfectly sold a fake to the outside and flipped it to his left, and the Norwich University transfer Chicoine drilled it past Dobes for a 1-0 lead with 5:41 to play in the first period. Nathan Burke earned an assist on the play.

“It’s always fun to score goals,” Chicoine said. “I’m probably going to give [the puck] to my grandma, or something.”

Ohio State knotted the game at 1 on Grant Gabriele’s one-timer from inside the right circle with 13:50 to play in the second period. That followed BGSU’s penalty for too many men on the ice.

BGSU took a 2-1 lead on Sam Craggs’ deflection redirection with 12:11 left in the second. That goal was scored just after Ohio State’s Joe Dunlap was whistled for interfering with Bowling Green goaltender Christian Stoever.

Stoever started in net for the second straight night, as Eigner mentioned after the game that Zack Rose is still recovering from an injury. Stoever had 24 saves on 27 chances.

The Buckeyes got their second equalizer with 6:50 to play in the second period with Georgii Merkulov’s power-play goal nearly immediately after BGSU’s Anton Malmstrom was whistled for tripping.

Dobes and the Buckeyes’ defense held Bowling Green scoreless on 18 shot attempts in the final period. The closest BGSU came to a third goal was a shot by Schneider that clanked off the post.

"Whether you were in Columbus last night, or here tonight, you were entertained,” Eigner said. “It was good hockey — it wasn't bad hockey. You saw kids really playing hard and selling out, and the effort on both sides was really good. The goaltending was really good, you saw some high-end skill plays on power plays.”

Dobes had 42 saves on 44 chances. Bowling Green out-shot Ohio State 44-27. Ohio State won the faceoff battle 34-32.

“It was a battle,” Chicoine said. “They’re a good team — they’re a very good team — but I think we played really well. We played probably our best weekend so far this season. We didn’t get the outcome that we expected, that we wanted, but at least we showed everyone we can battle with good teams.”

First Published December 18, 2021, 4:42 a.m.