Northern Michigan University’s Wolfgang Govedaris makes a move in his offensive zone during a game against Minnesota State-Mankato played at the Berry Events Center in Marquette on Jan. 11. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

MARQUETTE — Ultimately it may not have been meant to be as the Northern Michigan University hockey team couldn’t quite pull out a win over visiting Bowling Green State at the Berry Events Center over the weekend.

The Falcons scored with exactly one minute left in overtime on Friday night for a 3-2 victory, then followed it up with a commanding performance in a 5-2 win on Saturday.

The Wildcats fell to 4-23-1 overall and 3-16-1 in the CCHA, the Friday result still counting as a loss even as NMU picked up a point in the league standings. Northern has 12 points, still only half the number of each of the two teams in front of them, Lake Superior State and Bemidji State.

This weekend will be the final two games in the Cappo Cup series when Northern plays in Sault Ste. Marie against LSSU at 7:07 p.m. Friday and 6:07 p.m. Saturday.

Here are details from the BGSU series:

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Bowling Green 3, NMU 2 (OT)

On Friday night, the Wildcats twice tied the score, the second time with just 1:17 left in regulation after head coach Dave Shyiak pulled goaltender Ryan Ouellette for an extra attacker.

Team captain Tanner Latsch scored his fourth goal and recorded his fifth point this season. The overtime-forcing play started when Northern’s Anthony Cliche fired a shot from the point and Falcons goalie Christian Stoever gave up a rebound in the slot, where Latsch was waiting to collect the “loose change” and beat the opposing goalie past his outstretched glove.

Jakub Altrichter also earned an assist on the play, his 12th of the season and 15th point overall.

Then 30 seconds into sudden-death play, Altrichter made a great move to beat his defender and streak in on a breakaway, forcing Bowling Green’s Ryan O’Hara to take a slashing penalty.

Northern had multiple good looks to win it but was ultimately unsuccessful, and the Falcons responded as Ethan Scardina took the puck away from an NMU defender to spring Jackson Niedermayer on a 2-on-1. The senior forward took his shot and beat Ouellette over his glove hand.

Before that, though not that long ago as it still was the third period, the Wildcats’ Rasmus Larsson scored his first collegiate goal and also his first point 2:22 into the final regulation period.

Teammate Danny Ciccarello corralled a rebound in the left corner and walked over to the top of the faceoff circle. He dropped a weave pass to Larsson, who walked into the circle and fired a shot to the far side past the glove hand of Stoever and inside the post.

But that tie would last less than two minutes. A harmless BGSU shot from the right sidewall was easily handled and directed toward the left corner. On its way to safety, it hit the shinpad of a Falcon and redirected into the net for the visitors’ 2-1 lead.

Bowling Green also scored the only goal of the first two periods, when, with 1:05 left in the second, a shot from the sidewall was blocked on its way through and took a deflection to the glove-side corner of Ouellette. As the NMU goalie was sliding back to the post, Falcons’ defenseman Tommy Pasanen found the loose puck and fired a shot off the rear end of Ouellette that bounced behind him and across the goal line.

Ouellette made 34 saves as BGSU held a 37-24 shots on goal advantage, while Northern had a 31-28 edge in faceoff wins.

In the first period, which the Falcons held a huge 18-3 shots edge, NMU did have a spell of offensive pressure before being whistled for a penalty.

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Bowling Green 5, NMU 2

On Saturday, Larsson and Latsch scored again, but it wasn’t enough to offset an early Bowling Green flurry as the Falcons established a 3-0 lead by the midpoint of the second period.

Ouellette was relieved four minutes into the second after he gave up his third goal, with teammate Julian Molinaro making 22 saves in 33 minutes and giving up a single goal, as the Falcons final goal came into an empty net in the last minute of the game.

Northern’s Colby Brown was awarded a penalty shot in the second, but ultimately it was unsatisfying as he hit the post. NMU’s last penalty shot goal was by Vincent De Mey on Dec. 18, 2020, vs. Michigan Tech.

Even as the Falcons’ first goal was waved off due to playing the puck with a high stick, Bowling Green scored twice in the first period off the sticks of Jaden Grant and Matvei Kabanov.

Then 4:22 into the second, the Falcons’ O’Hara made it 3-0 as Brett Pfoh had already collected three assists.

On Ouellette’s final goal he allowed, a seeing-eye pass from the left corner found O’Hara alone in the slot and he fired it home.

Then with 8:08 left in the period, a hard-working forecheck from NMU’s Grayden Slipec was finished off by Larsson with a perfectly placed shot over Stoever’s glove on the far side.

BGSU re-established a three goal lead, 4-1, barely three minutes later on another seeing-eye shot, this one going into the NMU net through heavy traffic.

Latsch got the Wildcats back in it at 4-2 with 7:44 to go in regulation, after teammate Medrick Bolduc made a nice move around his defender and found Latsch on the doorstep, who beat netminder Cole Moore from in tight after the latter came on in relief of Stoever.

Story contents based on Northern Michigan University Sports Information press release reviewing the games. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.