BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - MSU kept its lengthy unbeaten streak in tact, but this probably wasn’t what it expected.
The top-ranked Spartans (10-1-3 overall, 7-1-2 CCHA) fell behind by two goals early and had to battle back to tie Bowling Green (2-7-4, 2-5-4) 3-3 Friday night at BGSU Ice Arena.
The Spartans are 9-0-2 in their last 11 games, but are in danger of falling from their No. 1 national ranking.
Bowling Green jumped on the Spartans early, scoring a pair of goals 1:09 apart in the first period.
Consecutive Spartan penalties opened the door for the Falcons to grab the early lead, as left wing Curtis Valentine smacked a rebound past MSU sophomore goaltender Ryan Miller during a 5-on-3 Falcon advantage 3:57 into the game.
The Falcons tacked on another during the same power play as left wing Ryan Murphy redirected a shot past Miller, giving Bowling Green a 2-0 lead 5:06 into the game.
All of a sudden, the top-ranked Spartans found themselves in a dog fight with the struggling Falcons. Despite outshooting the Falcons 14-7 in the opening frame, MSU headed to the lockeroom down 2-0.
But a pair of seniors got the Spartans on track in the second period.
Senior center Andrew Bogle initiated MSU’s comeback charge 8:18 into the second period after picking up a loose puck in the slot and sneaking a shot past Falcon goaltender Tyler Masters.
Then the Spartans showed they had a quick-strike offense of their own, as senior left wing Sean Patchell knotted the score at 2-2 less than a minute later.
Junior defenseman Andrew Hutchinson pinched up and carried the puck behind the net before throwing it out in front. Patchell got his stick on it through a crowd and tipped it over Masters to swing momentum back in favor of the Spartans.
Sophomore left wing Brian Maloney gave the Spartans a 3-2 lead 1:26 into the third period.
The puck squirted to Maloney alone in the slot after junior right wing Adam Hall tied up two defenders by himself, and Maloney had plenty of time to rip a shot top-shelf into the Falcon goal.
The goal was Maloney’s sixth of the year.
But MSU could not hold on to the lead. Seconds after killing off a penalty, Miller made a save but the rebound went right to Falcon right wing Ryan Fultz who blasted home the tying goal.
Fultz had two golden opportunities to score a game-winner in the final two minutes, including a dazzling one-handed backhand shot that just went high, but couldn’t convert.
Miller stopped 18 shots in the game, while Masters turned away 29.
Friday’s contest was the first time Miller allowed more than two goals in a game since Oct. 13. Miller also earned his first point of the year, picking up the second assist on Patchell’s goal.
Freshman center Jeremy Jackson, the team’s points leader, missed Friday’s game with a nagging groin injury that forced him to sit out of practice during the week.
Freshman center Tim Hearon took Jackson’s place on a line with Maloney and Hall and assisted on Maloney’s goal.
The two squads will rematch Saturday at 7:05 p.m. at BGSU Ice Arena.
