January 11, 1997
Bowling Green Holds on for 3-2 Win at Notre Dame
NOTRE DAME, Ind. -- Brad Holzinger and Dan Price scored in the
first nine minutes of the game and Bowling Green held off a furious
Notre Dame rally, as the visiting Falcons defeated the Irish, 3-2, in
Central Collegiate Hockey Association action Saturday at the Joyce
Center.
Bowling Green (10-11-2, 6-9-2 CCHA) moved into sole possession
of fifth place in the league standings, after Ferris State (6-12-0) lost
8-4 at Michigan on Saturday. The Falcons are now just six points behind
fourth-place Michigan State (9-2-2), which Saturday played its second
consecutive 4-4 tie at Lake Superior State.
Notre Dame (6-14-1, 4-10-1) held onto eighth place in the CCHA
standings, thanks to losses Saturday by 4-11-0 Ohio State (9-3 at Miami)
and 4-14-0 Alaska-Fairbanks (3-1 at Western Michigan). Seventh-place WMU
(5-6-2) stretched its lead on Notre Dame to three points, with the
Broncos and Irish set to meet in what could be a crucial late
home-and-home series on Feb. 21-22.
The game marked Notre Dame's eighth one-goal loss of the
season, with six of those narrow defeats coming vs. CCHA teams. The
Irish totaled 25 shots, to the Falcons' 22, marking the seventh time
this season that Notre Dame has outshot its opponent but failed to win
(0-6-1).
The teams combined to go just 1-for-14 on the power-play, with
Notre Dame failing to convert on all eight of its man-up chances.
The Irish suffered through a lackluster first 40 minutes on the
offensive end--mustering just 12 shots on goal--but came out firing in
the final period, as senior Terry Lorenz (3:04) and freshman Joe
Dusbabek (3:56) scored in a one-minute stretch to bring the near-sellout
crowd (2,472) to its feet. The hosts continued their
onslaught--compiling 13 shots in the first 12 minutes of the final
period to better its total from the first two period combined--but the
BG defense and senior goaltender Bob Petrie held off the Irish for the
win.
Notre Dame missed out on a chance at its first-ever three-game
series sweep of Bowling Green, after the Irish had won at BG on Nov. 2
(7-5) and Nov. 22 (5-3).
The Falcons jumped ahead at the 5:27 mark of the first period
when Holzinger sent a power-play shot from the top of the left circle
that skipped between the legs of Notre Dame junior goaltender Matt
Eisler, who appeared to be screened on the play. Less than four minutes
later, the visitors struck again, as senior Curtis Fry stole the puck
near the right corner and fired a pass across the crease. Eisler was
stationed near the right pipe while Price was waiting at the far left
post, tapping in the score for his 10th goal of the season.
BG scored on its first shot of the second period, as senior
Mike Johnson led a 2-on-1 down the right slide before dropping the puck
into the slot for junior Dave Faulkner, who beat Eisler for a 3-0 lead
and what proved to be the game-winning goal (0:46).
The second period featured just six shots on goal between the
teams (four for Bowling Green, two for Notre Dame) while the teams
combined for nine penalties that led to seven power-play opportunities,
with the Irish failing to convert on four man-up chances while the
Falcons missed out on three.
Lorenz finally got the Irish on the board three minutes into
the third after Dusbabek sent a pass from the left circle to the right
side of the crease, with Lorenz beating Petrie on a shot inside the
right pipe.
Just 52 seconds later, Dusbabek took an outlet pass from
sophomore Benoit Cotnoir and skated down the right side before cranking
a shot from the center of the right circle. A Falcons defenseman skating
with Dusbabek was able to deflect the puck but the force of the blast
carried the shot on towards the goal, where it bounced past Petrie to
cut the lead to 3-2.
Dusbabek's goal was his team-leading 10th of the season and
gives him 18 points for the season, tying him with sophomore and fellow
Minnetonka, MN native Brian Urick for the team lead.
Three minutes after Dusbabek's goal, the Irish had their
seventh power-play chance of the game but were unable to convert. Then,
with just 4:15 remaining, Falcons forward Brett Punchard was whistled
for an elbowing penalty but the Irish again could not produce the
equalizer.
Notre Dame's pair of third-period scores gives the Irish 24
goals in the final period this season (in 21 games), exactly double its
combined total during the first period (12).
Scoring Summary
Bowling Green (10-11-2, 6-9-2 CCHA) 2 1 0 - 3
Notre Dame (6-14-1, 4-10-1 CCHA) 0 0 2 - 2
First period - BG 1. Holzinger 7 (Price, Eldred), PP, 5:27; BG 2. Price 10 (Fry).
Second period - BG 3. Faulkner 9 (Johnson, Perrault) 0:41.
Third period - ND 1. Lorenz 7 (Dusbabek, Simon) 3:04; ND 2. Dusbabek 10 (Cotnoir, Lorenz) 3:56.
Shots on goal: BG 15-4-3/22, ND 10-2-13/25.
Saves: BG (Petrie) 10-2-11/23, ND (Eisler) 13-3-3/19.
Power Play: BG 1-for-6, ND 0-for-8.
Penalties: BG 10 for 20:00, ND 8 for 16:00.
