Northern Michigan University defenseman Jakob Peterson, left, a Marquette native, works to keep the puck away from a Bowling Green State player during a CCHA game played last season at the Berry Events Center in Marquette. (Photo courtesy NMU)

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — Things don’t seem to be getting any easier for the Northern Michigan University hockey team.

The Wildcats, with just four players on a roster of 28 returning from last season after an offseason coaching change, fell to 1-16-1 overall and 0-11-1 in the CCHA following 2-0 and 4-3 losses at Bowling Green State over the weekend.

Despite their struggles, Northern again made both games competitive for nearly all of both nights.

The Wildcats kept the opener scoreless until just the past the game’s midpoint and only gave up the second goal in the final minute after head coach Dave Shyiak pulled his goalie for an extra attacker.

On Saturday, despite NMU giving up two goals barely two minutes into the game, the Wildcats fought back to tie it early in the third period and scored in the final minute to get within a goal.

Saturday’s game also broke a nine-game streak where Northern hadn’t scored more than a goal.

The Wildcats have two weeks off before venturing downstate to take part in the 58th annual Great Lakes Invitational at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids. NMU faces Michigan State at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 29, then depending on that result, plays in the consolation or championship game the next day against tourney host Michigan Tech or Western Michigan.

Here are details from the Bowling Green series:

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Bowling Green 2, NMU 0

On Friday, goalie Ryan Ouellette kept Northern in the game despite the Wildcats being outshot 33-24 as he made 31 saves, including 16 in the second period. NMU did have shots advantages of 12-9 in the first period and 8-7 in the third, though.

Ben Doran got the Falcons on the board with 9:20 left in the second, shoveling a pass into the slot that took a bad bounce off a Wildcat defenseman’s skate, according to a game account from NMU Sports Information. Doran redirected the puck past a sliding Ouellette, who had no chance after the pass changed directions.

The other goal was an empty-netter with 51 seconds remaining by Quinn Emerson, who assisted on BGSU’s first tally.

Falcons goaltender Christian Stoever returned from injury and stoned Northern with 24 saves. With only three minor penalties called, power plays were few and far between as both goals were scored even strength.

NMU’s Brendan Poshak had several excellent scoring chances, the first time near the midpoint of the first period when he intercepted a puck near his blue line and was able to get a step on the BGSU defense. Poshak earned himself a breakaway, forcing a Falcons defender to take a penalty to deny it, according to NMU SI. The ‘Cats had a couple of chances but were ultimately unable to convert on the power play.

Just after this power play expired, Northern’s Danny Ciccarello was sprung into another breakaway, and this time no defender was catching him. He walked into the slot and fired a wrist shot, but Stoever cut the angle down and the shot was just off mark.

The Falcons got their first opportunity on the man advantage with four minutes to go in the opening period, an important penalty to kill for the Wildcats. They did an exceptional job, allowing only one shot attempt, a save by Ouellette off a one-timer from the point.

The ‘Cats opened the second period with a top-notch opportunity as Poshak streaked down the right wing 1-on-1 with a defender. He toe-dragged into the slot and corralled onto the backhand before dropping a pass for Tynan Ewart, who followed up. Ewart let go of a one-timer from a dangerous area at the left circle, but fired his shot just wide on the short side.

About halfway through the period, the Falcons got a 2-on-1 after catching the Wildcats on a change after the tired group was trying to get off the ice. Emerson walked in with a right-handed shot down the left side and fired a wrister from the left hash mark, but Ouellette aggressively was on top of the crease to make the save.

Doran’s opening goal followed soon after.

Just a minute into the final period, Stoever made a move in the crease that drew an NMU penalty to put the Falcons on their second opportunity with the man advantage. It was another important kill for the ‘Cats, once again only allowing one shot on net from a nondangerous area.

Ten minutes into the third, a Falcon defender caught an edge at his own blueline. Northern’s Zach Michaelis was on the spot to corral the loose puck and storm in on Stoever for the Wildcats’ third breakaway opportunity of the night. Michaelis fired a shot low to the glove side, but Stoever was able to get his pad on it and keep his team ahead.

The ‘Cats had another great opportunity to score with five minutes to go as Rasmus Larsson walked in with the puck down the right side on a 2-on-1. Getting to the dot, Larsson fired a shot that was stopped by Stoever before the Falcons found themselves on an odd-man rush on the other end. Ouellette was able to match Stoever, and the score remained 1-0.

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Bowling Green 4, NMU 3

On Saturday, the Falcons built a 2-0 lead with the game barely two minutes old following shots that got past Ouellette by Ville Immonen and Jaden Grant.

Even so, Northern had the first scoring chance as Ewart walked right in and beat Stoever, but rang the post on the stick side.

Not 30 seconds later, the Falcons capitalized from a tic-tac-toe passing play on an odd-man rush chance to make it 1-0.

Thirty-five seconds later, a “nothing” shot from the post was deflected a few feet in front of Ouellette, and the redirection went under his glove hand while the Wildcat netminder was tracking the shot to the stick side, according to NMU SI.

Then after Bowling Green took a penalty just past the middle of the opening period to make it 4-on-4, NMU’s Nicolas Ardanaz fired a shot from the point that Jesse Tucker tipped on its way to the net to get past Stoever and pull the Wildcats within 2-1.

NMU had a great chance in the latter stages of the first period to tie it when the Falcons’ Tommy Pasanen was whistled for a five-minute major and 10-minute misconduct, the major for contact to the head of Northern’s Jakub Altrichter.

Eighteen seconds of 5-on-3 and another nearly five minutes of a power play went for naught, though, as NMU’s Aidyn Hutchinson hit the post and Stoever made four saves, NMU SI said.

Several more chances occurred in the middle period, led by NMU’s Tucker streaking down on an odd-man rush with the sides 4-on-4. Tucker got off his shot from the right hash but was turned away by the BGSU goalie.

The Wildcats were whistled for a penalty with just under three minutes remaining in the second as Ouellette made a handful of saves and the defense blocked several shots to escape the danger and remain within 2-1.

Ouellette made a spectacular stop early in the third to keep his team down by one, as a driving Falcon walked across the crease from the corner and tried to stuff it in the far side, according to NMU SI. Ouellette made the sprawling save, extending his leg to meet the puck and losing his glove in the process.

The ‘Cats then got what they were looking for and tied the game at 2-2 just over five minutes into the third. On a hard-working play, Jakub Lewandowski took on two Falcon defenders in the left corner and retrieved the puck for Grayden Slipec to follow up. Slipec took a look and saw Hutchinson walking in all alone from the point, made the perfect pass, and Hutchinson beat a sprawling Stoever over his glove hand.

The tie lasted nearly seven minutes before Bowling Green retook the lead off a broken play. An initial Falcons’ shot took a deflection that landed on the stick of Brody Waters, who had an open cage to knock it in after Ouellette had squared up for an initial shot.

BGSU got a power play with about 4 1/2 minutes to go and Waters cashed in again. However, after the goal, the Falcons were whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct, a two-minute minor, and while not scoring then, Northern did so with 35 seconds remaining when Anthony Cliche found himself with room to work in the slot and fired a wicked wrister over the shoulder of Stoever, making it a one-goal game again.

The ‘Cats had a slapshot from the point with a handful of seconds left that just missed the crossbar as Bowling Green completed the sweep and evened its season record at 7-7-2 overall and 4-4-2 in the CCHA.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.