Bowling Green, Ohio - The MSU hockey team traveled south Friday, hoping to get an easy win over a conference doormat before starting a tough stretch of games next weekend.
Instead, the Spartans' surprisingly difficult season took another downturn.
At MSU's expense, the lowly Bowling Green Falcons notched their first league win - by an overtime score of 3-2 at the BGSU Ice Arena.
The Spartans (5-6-0 overall, 3-4-0 CCHA) grabbed a 2-1 lead with less than four minutes to go, but once again, they couldn't hold a late-game advantage.
Falcon right wing Tyler Knight scored with 1:54 left in regulation and then center D'Arcy McConvey tallied a controversial goal with 1:50 left in overtime to seal the upset for Bowling Green (3-8-1, 1-7-1).
MSU had blown similar late leads to Lake Superior State and Niagara earlier this season, but the Spartans came back to win both of those games.
"This is another stepping stone," freshman left wing David Booth said. "We've got to get our act together and things will come.
"They just got a few lucky bounces, but you don't have to be pissing and moaning about it. It's your work ethic. Luck's not going to win or lose a game."
MSU's losing streak reached three games when McConvey's game-winning wrist shot squeaked between the body and left arm of MSU sophomore goaltender Matt Migliaccio and trickled over the goal line. At first, referee Brian Aaron waved the goal off because he lost sight of the puck before it entered the net.
But after conferring with the goal judge, he overturned his decision, allowed the goal to stand, adding more hardship to MSU's season.
"I thought I squeezed it," said Migliaccio, who made 30 saves. "I thought I felt it between my arm and my hip. I don't know what happened. It's just a bad break for me, I guess.
"(Aaron) called no goal and then reversed it. That stuff doesn't usually happen, but obviously, that stuff happens to us."
MSU scored first on a tally by senior defenseman John-Michael Liles in the second period. Bowling Green answered at the end of the period with a marker by center Ryan Minnabarriet, and the teams stayed deadlocked at 1-1 until MSU sophomore center Jim Slater scored with 3:55 left in the third.
Things looked bright for MSU, but ultimately, Slater's tally simply set the stage for Knight's and McConvey's spoilage.
Aside from the goal-scorers, Falcon goaltender Jordan Sigalet also starred Friday. He made 29 saves overall, including on point-blank shots by sophomore left wing Brock Radunske and sophomore center Lee Falardeau and a breakaway by senior left wing Brian Maloney.
The Spartans thoroughly out-chanced Bowling Green early on, but they struggled to score goals again. Not even the switch of senior Brad Fast from defenseman to center could spur more offense.
"You've gotta play well enough to win," said MSU head coach Rick Comley, who seemed more agitated than usual after the loss. "I thought we worked hard and had enough chances to win. They had chances, too, and both goalies played very well.
"It was the inability to score and then just losing battles. But crying don't do you any good."
