Bowling Green State Falcons vs RIT Tigers Game Recap | 12/29/2024

On Sunday, December 29th, the Bowling Green State Falcons (CCHA) hosted the visiting RIT Tigers (AHA) for a 3:00 PM matinee matchup at Slater Family Ice Arena in Bowling Green, Ohio, an old historic barn built in 1967. Coming into Sunday, the Falcons had an even record of 7-7-2, while the Tigers were struggling with a record of 4-14-1. In their last outing, the Tigers split a series at Robert Morris (AHA), and BGSU swept Northern Michigan (CCHA) at home earlier in the month. This was the second matchup between these two programs this season, with BGSU having won 2-1 in overtime on October 19th in New York. Starting in net for the Falcons was Christain Stoever, while Jakub Krbecek was in goal for the Tigers.

First Period:

The Falcons came out pelting shots at RIT goaltender Jakub Krbecek, firing seven shots on net in the first seven minutes of the game. BGSU’s pressure in the o-zone eventually led to a Brody Waters snap-shot low-blocker side goal just over eight minutes into the game, his ninth goal of the season to give the Falcons an early 1-0 lead.

11:35 into the period, Xavier Lapointe of RIT took a roughing minor, sending the 20% BGSU power play unit to the man advantage, but RIT goalie Krbecek was up to the task, stopping a barrage of Falcons’ shots. The Falcons fired an outstanding 27 shots compared to the Tigers six in the first period, completely dominating the defensive blue-line and o-zone possession the entire first twenty.

Second Period:

RIT started the second period strongly, ringing the crossbar just a minute in, nearly tying the game at 1-1. About six minutes later, RIT’s Ty Whyte was caught tripping at the defensive blue line, allowing BGSU to go on their second power play of the game. However, the Tigers successfully killed off the penalty by blocking multiple shots from outside. At 16:10 of the period, BGSU’s Ben Wozney was penalized for slashing in the defensive zone, giving RIT a chance to capitalize on their struggling power play, which sat at a 7.9% converting rate. However, BGSU’s penalty kill unit effectively shut it down. With under two minutes remaining in the period, RIT’s Adam Jeffrey collided with a BGSU player who had his head down, resulting in an interference call. The period ended with BGSU still leading 1-0, and 40 seconds of their power play carrying over to the third.

Third Period:

RIT continued forechecking hard after killing off the BGSU power play early on, leading to a tripping penalty against Matvei Kabanov deep in the offensive zone. Still, the Tigers failed to capitalize on their power play opportunity for the second time. Just after the penalty expired, the Tigers finally found the net when Kevin Marx-Norén scored on a breakaway, beating BGSU’s goaltender Christain Stoever to tie the game at 1-1 with just under 15 minutes remaining in regulation. RIT almost took the lead with just over 11 minutes left, hitting the post on a 2-on-1 breakout. With 8:42 left in the period, BGSU re-gained the lead, as Captain Ryan O’Hara sniped a shot through the five-hole of Jakub Krbecek, scoring his first goal of the season to give the Falcons a 2-1 lead.

In a last-ditch effort to force overtime, RIT’s head coach pulled the goalie with just over a minute left in the game later calling a timeout with 35.2 seconds to go. However, the Falcons held the puck along the boards deep in their defensive zone, successfully running out the clock to secure a 2-1 victory. This outcome mirrored their previous encounter on October 19th, at a 2-1 final score, this time in regulation. With this win, the Falcons improved their record to 8-7-2 and will return to CCHA play next weekend against Lake Superior State in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.

Overall, it was a tightly contested game, with very little space on the ice for either team. Goaltenders Jakub Krbecek and Christain Stoever both delivered impressive performances, but Krbecek stood out with several incredible saves, stopping 42 out of 44 shots and keeping the Tigers within striking distance. The Tigers came out strong in the second period, aggressively laying bodies after a first period that was dominated by the Falcons, who unleashed an astonishing 27 shots on goal. Overall, the game was chippy and entertaining, held in the historic Slater arena in Northern Ohio, which was packed out with energetic fans, and is a must-see for all college hockey fans, in my opinion.