Michigan
15-8-0, 9-6-0-0CCHA
Bowling Green
8-12-3, 5-9-1-0CCHA
U-M's Six-Game Win Streak Snapped by Falcons
1/16/2009 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
Score: Bowling Green 3, #6 Michigan 0
Records: U-M (15-8-0, 9-6-0 CCHA), BGSU (8-12-3, 5-9-1-0 CCHA)
Attendance: 6,815
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Jan. 17 -- at Bowling Green (Bowling Green, Ohio), 5:05 p.m.
Boxscore | Notes & Quotes | Photo Gallery | Video Report
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Despite outshooting Bowling Green 29-17, the No. 6-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team was shut out by the Falcons, 3-0, on Friday night (Jan. 16) at Yost Ice Arena. The loss to BGSU snapped a season-best, six-game winning streak for the Wolverines.
The Falcons scored midway through the first period and scored twice in the third period, including once on the power play. U-M was held scoreless for the first time since a 3-0 road loss to Wisconsin on Nov. 29.
Both teams got off to a slow start, failing to register a shot on goal until Matt Rust(Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) fired a shot near the inside left hash marks at 7:17 in the first frame.
The Falcons opened the scoring at 9:18 in the first stanza when Bowling Green's Brandon Svendsen won the battle for the puck in the left corner and sent it around the boards behind sophomore goaltender Bryan Hogan (Highland, Mich.). Josh Boyd's centering pass was deflected by Hogan's stick but still reached Tommy Dee, who was stationed in the slot where he settled the puck and ripped it over Hogan's blocker to give BGSU a one-goal lead.
At 18:04, Falcon Dan Sexton stripped the puck from a U-M forward just outside the blue line and skated in alone for a shorthanded breakaway. Sexton made a soft deke to the left of Hogan, but the Hobey Baker nominee held his ground and blocked the shot to prevent Michigan from going down by two goals.
Michigan tied a season low with just four shots on goal in the first period, but the Maize and Blue only gave up three shots to Bowling Green. Despite boosting their shot output to 13 in the second stanza, the Wolverines still remained off the scoreboard, marking the fifth time this season that U-M has been shutout through two periods.
At 13:36 in the second frame, the Falcons nearly capitalized on a power-play opportunity when Svendsen found himself all alone in front of Hogan. The Michigan netminder stood tall, making another strong save to keep it 1-0. Just seven seconds later, Carl Hagelin(Sodertalje, Sweden) had the best scoring chance of the period for the Wolverines. While shorthanded, Hagelin brought the puck up the left side of the ice before moving to the high slot where he blasted a backhanded shot, requiring BGSU goaltender Jimmy Spratt to make the quick save.
At 4:32 in the final period, defenseman Scooter Vaughan(Placentia, Calif.) checked Svendsen from behind in the left corner of the Michigan zone, resulting in a five-minute major and game misconduct. With BGSU forward Todd McIlrath holding up Chad Langlais(Spokane, Wash.) on the forecheck behind the Michigan net, Sexton was able to scoop the puck up just behind the goal line to the right of Hogan and went to his backhand to beat the U-M netminder at 8:54. The power-play goal came with just over a minute remaining in the five-minute major.
Falcon defenseman Nick Bailen sealed the Bowling Green win at 14:11 when he split two Michigan forwards and drove right, before blasting a shot from the high slot. The tally marked the first third-period goal allowed by the Maize and Blue in five games.
Michigan will visit BGSU Ice Arena in Bowling Green, Ohio, tomorrow evening (Saturday, Jan. 17) to bookend the home-and-home series. Comcast Local will broadcast the game at 5:05 p.m., as will the NHL Network.
Contact: Matt Trevor (734) 763-4423
