SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - The Lake Superior State hockey program (1-10-2, 0-6-1 CCHA) fell to the Bowling Green Falcons (7-8-0, 6-5 CCHA) in an offensive shootout by a final score of 7-4 on Friday.
The Falcons struck quickly with a goal from Taylor Schneider 31 seconds into the contest, but the Lakers were able to tie up the game a few minutes later as Jared Westcott (Imperial, Mo.) took advantage of a power play opportunity to score off of assists from Jake Willets (Monroe, Mich.) and Jack Jeffers (Oakville, Ont.). The Falcons retook the lead with a strike from Chase Gresock, but Logan Jenuwine (Romeo, Mich.) was there with the answer at the 17:56 mark with Jacob Bengtsson (Stockholm, Sweden) picking up his team-leading sixth assist of the season while Willets also got involved with his second assist of the night in the 100th game of his collegiate career. However, Schneider was able to score his second goal of the game for the Falcons in the final minute of the opening period to take a 3-2 lead into the first intermission after a wild 20 minutes of action.
Like in the first period, Bowling Green was able to strike early in the opening minute of the second, but the Lakers were once again able to respond as senior captain Louis Boudon (Grenoble, France) picked up the 99th point of his career, scoring off of a pass from Brandon Puricelli (Ellisville, Mo.). Braydon Kreiger continued the Falcon attack to push the score to 5-3, but after a relatively lengthy scoring drought for both teams, Timo Bakos (Augsburg, Germany) continued to breathe life into the Laker faithful after being set up by Westcott and Jared Kucharek (Royal Oak, Mich.). However, Bowling Green would ultimately go into the second intermission with a 6-4 lead after Anton Malmstrom found the back of the net in the closing seconds of the period.
It would be the defenses that would come alive in the third period, allowing only one combined goal in the final period after witnessing five in each of the first two 20-minute stanzas with the lone goal of the period coming at the hands of Ethan Scardina for Bowling Green at the 12:27 mark.
Despite the loss, sophomore goaltender Easton Hesse (Beaumont, Alb.) would record 16 saves in 35 minutes of action between the pipes in the first official action of his collegiate career in relief of Ethan Langenegger (Kamloops, B.C.). Willet and Westcott also offered strong contributions to the Lakers with each having multiple points on the night. Meanwhile Artyom Borshyov (Vitebsk, Belarus) led the team with five blocks in the Lakers' defensive zone.
The Lakers will look to bounce back in the second game of the series on Saturday, Dec. 3 with puck drop scheduled for 6:07 p.m.