HOUGHTON, Mich. – It took 114:56 of playing time for a team to score an even-strength goal on the weekend, but then No. 20 Michigan Tech Huskies winger Gavin Gould redirected a shot from assistant captain Mitch Reinke past Bowling Green State Falcons goaltender Ryan Bednard.
The tally proved huge for the currently struggling Huskies, who managed a 2-2 tie Saturday night at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena. The tie broke a four-game losing skid.
The Falcons took the extra WCHA point on a goal by winger Stephen Baylis in the sixth round of the shootout.
Gould, who scored the game-tying goal with 5:04 remaining in regulation, was not sure after the game that he made contact with the puck on the goal, which helped make up for a major penalty he took earlier in the contest.
“We still have to take a look at that,” said Gould. “I felt like I touched something. I am not sure if I got the puck or not. I know I got something.”
After Friday night’s contest saw all three goals for both teams come on the man advantage, the Huskies kept the trend going in the opening frame and picked up their first goal of the night during their second power play of the period.
With control of the puck at the right point, defenseman Dane Birks looked to shoot. Finding no open lane to the net, he turned and fed the puck to the middle of the blue line where defenseman Keegan Ford was. Ford hesitated and flung a wrist shot through traffic that found its way past Bednard at 16:43.
The Falcons evened the game three minutes later on their second power play when Baylis’ shot from the center of the blue line beat Kero along the ice after it hit winger Cameron Wright on its way to the net.
The second period saw both squads continue to find ways to end up in the penalty box multiple times before Gould took the major for elbowing at 11:51. It took the Falcons just 22 seconds to strike when captain Mitch McLain batted home a rebound off a shot from defenseman Alec Rauhauser for the power play goal.
“It’s zone time, whether that is a faceoff win, whether that’s a good entry, a good retrieval, it’s zone time,” said Falcons coach Chris Bergeron. “Last night and tonight, our zone time was good. We spent a lot time in their zone our power play. For us, that is where it starts.”
While the Falcons did score four power play goals on the weekend, Bergeron wanted more out his team at even strength.
“I am happy with how our special teams played,” said Bergeron. “We need, obviously, to generate and score more 5-on-5, but that is the way the weekend shook out and we’ll take it.”
Huskies head coach Joe Shawhan felt as though his team took one step forward and two steps back on the penalty kill, holding the Falcons to 2-for-7 on the advantage.
“Our special teams need a tremendous amount of work,” said Shawhan. “That’s personnel really studying it and getting good at it. On the penalty kill, I just did not like sitting back and getting picked apart.”
WCHA Roundup
Alaska-Anchorage 4, Lake Superior State 1
Austin Azurdia scored twice while Tad Kozun and Jeremiah Luedke added goals as the Seawolves earned a 4-1 victory on the road against the Lakers.
Jake Hand picked up the lone goal for the Lakers.
Northern Michigan 4, No. 9 Minnesota State 1,
The Mavericks took an early lead when C.J. Suess scored in the first period, but that was all they would get as the Wildcats struck three times in the second and once more in the third for a 4-1 win at home.
Troy Loggins scored twice for the Wildcats while Robbie Payne and Darien Craighead each added a goal on special teams in the second period.
Bemidji State 3, Alaska 2
The Beavers used a pair of goals in the second period from Justin Baudry and Charlie Combs to even their game with the Nanooks before Gerry Fitzgerald gave them the lead for good at 11:45 of the third period en route to a 3-2 win.
Justin Woods and Ryker Leer both picked up goals for the Nanooks.
Alabama-Huntsville 3, Arizona State 2
Trailing 1-0 in the second period, the Chargers got goals from Christian Rajic and Brennan Saulnier. Josh Kestner added an empty net goal in the third to win, 3-2.
The Sun Devils got a power play goal from Brinson Pasichnuk in the second period.
