OXFORD, Ohio — It was a contest that came down to the wire Saturday night as long-time Buckeye State rivals Miami and Bowling Green battled it out at Steve “Coach” Cady Arena.
A 1-1 game looked as if it was destined for overtime, but Miami’s Anthony Louis had other ideas in the twilight seconds of the final period – the junior corralled an Alex Gacek centering pass and beat BGSU goalie Chris Nell from the slot to give Miami the stunning 2-1 win.
“That’s another one-goal game for us,” Miami coach Enrico Blasi said. “I told the team earlier in the week we’re going to be in these games the rest of the way, so we better get used to them. I thought our guys did a nice job in the third period. And Bowling Green’s a good hockey team. They had their chances and I thought [Miami goalie] Jay [Williams] made some good saves.”
Williams struggled in the early going, though.
With just a handful of saves under his belt, Williams surrendered an ugly one when Kevin Dufour floated an innocent wrist shot on net. The senior goalkeeper had an unobstructed view of the puck and got his left arm on it, but it somehow trickled through and made its way across the line, giving the Falcons the early lead at 5:55 of the initial frame and Dufour his sixth tally of the year.
But Williams went on to recover and was equal to the task for the remainder of the contest.
“When you’re playing a really good team like that on the road, you have to find a way to score more,” Falcons coach Chris Bergeron said. “This one goal or zero goals is not going to get it done. Tonight, again, it bit us.”
Nell, too, flexed his goaltending muscles throughout most of the game. The sophomore entered the evening with the NCAA-leading save percentage (.947) and second-best GAA (1.37). Thanks to him, the RedHawks’ side of the scoreboard displayed a big goose egg for the better part of two periods, but sustained pressure and a don’t-quit attitude on the part of Gacek ruined the shutout. He jammed home his fourth of the year on a rebound at 14:45 of the second frame.
The third period brought some of the most back-and-forth hockey either team has seen all year. Both the Falcons and RedHawks upped the physical and speed components of their respective games. Finished hits and strong forechecks opened up rushes both ways, but Williams and Nell continued to shine down to the wire.
But with two seconds remaining, Taylor Richart pinched in and kept the puck in the offensive zone. Sean Kuraly and Gacek both worked behind the net to find Louis in front, and a screened Nell was beaten between the legs.
“We battled throughout the game,” Louis explained. “I thought we got better with every period, and the third period was obviously our best period. We worked like a team. I just shot that last one on net, but [Gacek] made a great play and I was just lucky it went in.”
For Bergeron and his squad, the final seconds were a heartbreaking lapse, especially given the lack of production in the offensive end of the ice.
“Scoring’s been an issue for our team, it was issue again tonight,” Bergeron said. “When you’re playing against a team like that, I don’t how guys can get so loose or so open. It cost us tonight.”
Louis’ fourth goal of the season sealed the deal on Miami’s seventh win of the season, bringing its record to 7-11-3. The loss drops Bowling Green to 13-7-5, and the Falcons have just one win in their previous four outings.
Nell finished the contest with 25 saves, while Williams turned aside 28.
