Michigan ends BG’s Cinderella story at the Joe

By Stefan Kubus –

DETROIT – It took a mind-boggling myriad of shots, but the Michigan Wolverines got the job done.

The Wolverines finally solved Andrew Hammond and the “Cinderella story” Bowling Green State Falcons, peppering the junior netminder with 58 shots, 55 of which Hammond turned away (a career-high), en route to a 3-2 victory in overtime. The Wolverines earned a birth in the CCHA championship game on Saturday against the Western Michigan Broncos.

This was the 118th all-time meeting between these two schools, with Michigan now holding an 86-35-3 winning record over Bowling Green.

The dream crusher? Michigan sophomore Luke Moffatt, who knocked in the double-overtime game-winner amidst a whirlwind of chaos in the Bowling Green crease. Bloomfield Hills native A.J. Treais made the play happen, showing great patience to walk out in front of the net, hold the puck as he skated around Hammond, got him to bite, and nearly tucked the puck in himself.

“We knew it was going to be a lucky goal,” said Moffatt. “So at that point in the game, shots are coming on net, and you have to drive the net hard, too, looking for a rebound or something. I was fortunate, it just bounced right to me and I was able to put it in.”

Second-year Bowling Green head coach Chris Bergeron choked up due to emotion during his post-game press conference, but he was thrilled with the compete level of his squad.

“First of all, I’m extremely proud of our players and the resiliency they showed all year…I couldn’t be more proud to be associated with these young guys right now.”

The Wolverines finally ended what was turning into a streak of upsets over Michigan-based schools.

The Falcons lost the first game of the CCHA tournament on March 2, falling 4-2 to Northern Michigan. But then things started to turn around, and they went on to defeat the Wildcats in two straight games to move on.

However, in the second round, they faced a more formidable foe in Ferris State, who was previously the No. 1 team in the entire nation.

Yet Bowling Green proved that their series win over Northern Michigan was no fluke. The Falcons took the first game over the Bulldogs, with a 3-2 overtime victory, propelled by Hammond’s then career-best 54 save performance. Bowling Green would lose the second game, 7-4. In the third game, it took overtime, but the Falcons came out on top in Big Rapids to earn a trip to the Joe, their first since the 2000-01 campaign.

This magnificent run started just a few weeks ago, but Bergeron said his club had been playing with the persistence and determination to thrive all year long.

“This resiliency wasn’t something that started at Northern Michigan or at Ferris State,” said Bergeron. “It started in the first half of the year. It was very difficult for us, and we got through it together.”

For the Wolverines, it was their 24th consecutive CCHA semifinal appearance. With the win over BGSU, Michigan is now headed to its 17th championship game in those 24 seasons.

Hammond seemed to be impenetrable all night long in between the pipes. Michigan was relentless with its attack, hitting the double digits in shot each period except the brief second overtime. A big reason the Falcons kept it close was its penalty kill, which went 3-for-3 against the Wolverines.

After a grueling contest, both teams were certainly dead tired, but it’s the will to push on that can make all the difference.

“Fatigue sets in at some point, but it’s just one of those things where you have to battle through it,” said Moffatt. “We train all year, we train all summer for games like this. We’re able to fight through it mentally and physically, so it has paid off for us.”

Longtime Michigan head coach Red Berenson gave the Falcons a lot of credit, admitting that once overtime arrives, the game can really go either way.

“Obviously in overtime anything can happen,” said Berenson. “We’ve been in a few of these, but you’ve got to be lucky, too.”

Berenson added that he wasn’t particularly fond of his team’s first half, saying that the second half of the game and into overtime was much more up-tempo.

The Wolverines are set to take on Western Michigan tomorrow night for the CCHA Championship.