BOWLING GREEN — Bowling Green State University’s hockey team had its six-game win streak snapped in tough fashion on Saturday night.

The Falcons allowed two goals to Bemidji State in the final three minutes to tie it at 4-4 and force overtime, then lost in a shootout 2-0 in a Central Collegiate Hockey Association game at Slater Family Ice Arena.

BGSU’s setback came one night after allowing a last-minute, game-tying goal in the third period in the Falcons’ 4-3 overtime win over the Beavers on Friday.

“It’s all learning. It’s learning for this group,” BGSU hockey coach Dennis Williams said in a phone interview with the Blade. “We’re teaching and learning how to win, we’re learning how to close out games for a lot of these guys, and it’s a process.

“As much as, we’re up 4-2, it’s a tough one to swallow. But I’d rather us learn now than experience this type of game at a later time.”

BGSU moved to 11-7-3 (7-4-3 CCHA), while Bemidji State went to 8-10-4 (5-6-3).

The Falcons never trailed in regulation and overtime in building a 3-0 lead late in the second period. BGSU took a 4-2 lead with 12:57 remaining when Ryan O’Hara scored his second goal of the game.

With heavy traffic in front of the net, O’Hara flipped the puck from a tough angle right of the net past Bemidji State goaltender Mattias Sholl. Adam Zlnka was credited with an assist.

“I think I remember [Friday] night, I had a similar opportunity where I chose to go with a forehand and tried to go across the crease. In watching it, I noticed he kind of left some space up high, so I thought tonight, I got the same kind of opportunity and felt like the shot was there, and it just squeaked its way in,” O’Hara said.

Bemidji State, though, responded.

The Beavers pulled Sholl in the final four minutes for an extra attacker, and it paid off as Adam Flammang scored with 2:47 left and Jere Vaisanen found the back of the net with 57.5 seconds remaining to tie it at 4-4.

“It’s obviously disappointing. We gave up three five-on-six goals this weekend, so it’s something we’ve got to get cleaned up and take a look at, and obviously get better at that area,” BGSU assistant coach Curtis Carr said. “I think the frustrating part, and I don’t even know if frustrating is the right word, is we felt we played a really good game for large stretches.

“... We felt we played really well and played a better game than what we did last night. We thought we took a lot of positive steps.”

BGSU goaltender Christian Stoever, who finished with 43 saves, made several remarkable stops in a wild 20-second span in overtime when Bemidji State had two- and one-man advantages.

“It was crazy. The fans were going crazy. It was wild, even from the bench,” O’Hara said. “We started going five-on-four, five-on-five in overtime. It was confusing and hectic, and we got through it.

“Ultimately, we got through the entire overtime and got back to three-on-three, so that’s a positive we can take away.”

However, the Beavers converted their first two shootout opportunities as Vaisanen and Eric Martin scored while Sholl stopped the attempts from Brody Waters and O’Hara.

BGSU built a 3-0 lead with 3:16 left in the second period when Waters scored a power-play goal off assists from Dalton Norris and O’Hara. Ethan Scardina’s score off a pair of nice passes from Waters and Jackson Niedermayer made it 2-0 BGSU with 8:30 remaining, and O’Hara’s goal on a rebound from Ben Doran’s shot put the Falcons on the board with 5:36 left in the first period.

Bemidji State’s Kasper Magnussen and Vaisanen scored a power-play and even-strength goal, respectively, in a 23-second span late in the second period to pull the Beavers within one.

Sholl had 37 saves for Bemidji State.

First Published January 12, 2025, 3:32 a.m.