By RYAN STIEG

Journal Sports Writer

MARQUETTE – For fans who like to see lots of offense in hockey, Friday’s game between Northern Michigan University and Bowling Green State was a treat.

But for a defensive-minded coach like the Wildcats’ Walt Kyle, it was an excruciating way to go.

The Wildcats and Falcons combined for 10 goals and battled to a hard-fought 5-5 tie at the Berry Events Center. BGSU outshot NMU 42-33.

“Going into the third period when you’re down by a goal and have to chase the rabbit, you’re fortunate to come out with a point,” Kyle said. “In the second period, they took it to us pretty good. It wasn’t unexpected.”

Northern was coming off a two-week trip to Alaska-Anchorage and Alaska-Fairbanks where the Wildcats split each of those series.

“This is the tough weekend after the Alaska trip and Friday night is the tougher night,” Kyle said. “It’s one of those deals where you’re mentally fatigued.”

The deadlock left Northern at 8-3-2 overall and 5-3-1 in the WCHA, while BG is 10-3-2 and 7-1-1.

Down a goal with less than four minutes remaining in the third period, Wildcats defenseman Brock Maschmeyer rang a shot off the post that ricocheted into the net to send the game into overtime. The assist on that goal went to Reed Seckel.

The goal came after BGSU’s Brandon Hawkins snuck two goals past NMU goalie Mathias Dahlstrom in the second period.

NMU pulled within 5-4 of the Falcons before the end of the second period thanks to a goal by Sami Salminen that was assisted by Jordan Klimek, but the third period remained scoreless until Maschmeyer’s big goal came with 3:21 left in regulation.

“We started off a little slow,” Maschmeyer said. “We had to adjust a little to their speed. Once we started getting going in the third period though, things started to go well.

“We started to put pucks on net, and seeing how we’ve done that two games in a row, that’s really good.”

The lead went back and forth in the early going, Northern getting the first goal when Shane Sooth roofed a shot past Burke with less than six minutes of the game elapsed.

The goal came on a power play and it was NMU’s fifth goal with the man advantage in their last four periods going back to the final game in Alaska. Assists went to John Siemer and Ryan Trenz.

BGSU answered less than two minutes later, though, when Ben Greiner scored the first goal of his career when he fired a long shot past Dahlstrom.

The Falcons went ahead 4:12 later when Greiner notched his second goal of the game. McLain and Ben Murphy picked up the assists.

“We let Dahlstrom down big time,” Kyle said. “We let him down tonight, we let him down in Alaska. We can’t give up that many shots.”

NMU went to the locker room on a positive note when Gerard Hanson beat Burke on his glove side with less than two minutes left in the first period to tie it 2-2. Darren Nowick and Seckel got assists.

BG retook the lead several times by scoring three goals in the second period. The Falcons went ahead 3-2 when Dajon Mingo scored after a scrum in front of the net with 1:22 gone in the second.

NMU retied it 3-3 on Maschmeyer’s first goal of the night, also his third goal of the year. The puck seemed to hook over BG goalie Tommy Burke’s shoulder and into the net. Klimek and Salminen got the assists.

“Sami (Salminen) is capable of getting on the scoresheet,” Kyle said. “He scored a big-time goal where he beat a guy and he made a big play behind the net.

“(Casey) Purpur on that line had an outstanding night. (Justin) Rose had an outstanding night. That line was a good line tonight.”

But Hawkins turned it on, scoring back-to-back goals less than two minutes apart, the second on a power play, to go ahead 5-3 and forcing Northern to play catch-up the rest of the night.

The two teams tangle again at 7:07 p.m. today at the Berry Events Center.

Ryan Stieg can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 246. His email address is rstieg@miningjournal.net.