BOWLING GREEN, Ohio---The Northern Michigan hockey team erased a two-goal deficit to force overtime, but Mitch McLain scored with 5.3 seconds left on the clock in overtime to lift No. 15 Bowling Green to a 4-3 victory on Saturday.
 

With the loss, their first in overtime this season, the Wildcats fall to 4-5-5 (3-4-3 WCHA).
 

Forty four seconds after a Bowling Green goal was waved off in the first period, Shane Sooth's fourth tally of the season broke the stalemate. Brock Maschmeyer played the puck ahead to Sooth, who carried it the length of the ice before feeding it over to Robbie Payne on the opposite wing. Payne gave it right back to Sooth to tap in on the doorstep at 12:56.

With only a second left on the clock in the opening frame, the Falcons evened the score. After Connor McDonald won a battle along the boards, he sent the puck over to Brandon Hawkins, who immediately relayed it to Mark Cooper in front for the score.

Bowling Green seized the momentum, and the lead, in the first 10 minutes of the second stanza. First, the Falcons pulled ahead at 4:33, taking advantage of a 3-on-2 rush. Mark Friedman, who netted the Falcon's first goal Friday, fired a bullet over Atte Tolvanen's shoulder from the middle of the right circle.

Then, Brett D'Andrea extended the Bowling Green advantage to 3-1 at 9:19. From the corner, Chris Pohlkamp found D'Andrea alone in the slot, and D'Andrea finished off his feed by roofing a shot past Tolvanen.

But Northern Michigan drew back within one at 18:54 when Darren Nowick found himself on a 3-on-2 rush with John Siemer and Barrett Kaib. Nowick made like he was going to pass to a trailing Kaib and instead fired a shot past Chris Nell to give the Wildcats, who were outshot, 13-4, in the second, new life.

It didn't take long for Northern Michigan to even the score in the third period. At 2:22, after Ryan Trenz took a big hit to keep the puck in the offensive zone, Cohen Adairflipped a Payne rebound past Nell in tight.

In the last five minutes of the third, the Wildcats began to press, but Nell stood tall. First, he made a glove save on a Jordan Klimek point shot. Then, he pounced on a booming Connor Frantti shot that came off of a Payne feed. 

Early in overtime, Siemer had a chance in tight after a Falcon turnover, but Nell, who made 13 of his 20 saves in the third and extra frames, was able to turn his shot aside.

The Wildcats were awarded a power play at 3:11, but Bowling Green managed to work the puck into the Northern Michigan end and forced Tolvanen to cover the puck. McLain's goal came off of the resulting faceoff win; his shot squirted through Tolvanen's five-hole.

THE FOLLOWING IS A RECAP OF FRIDAY NIGHT'S GAME

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — John Siemer netted his fifth goal of the season early in the third period to draw the Northern Michigan hockey team within a single strike, but No. 15 Bowling Green held on for a 2-1 victory Friday night at BGSU Ice Arena.

Atte Tolvanen made 28 saves for the Wildcats, who fall to 4-4-5 (3-3-3 WCHA) with the loss.

The Falcons capitalized on their first man advantage, and their second shot of the game, at 2:24 in the first. Mark Friedman rifled a shot past Tolvanen from the point, snapping the Wildcats' streak of not allowing a power play goal on its 15th penalty kill attempt.

Neither team could generate any quality chances the rest of the opening stanza, though Bowling Green built an 11-4 advantage in shots.

At 3:54 in the second period, Chris Pohlkamp's point shot deflected off of a Wildcat in front and into the net, but the goal was disallowed because a Falcon in the crease interfered with Tolvanen.

A little over two minutes later, Tolvanen, who made 11 saves in the second, stood tall to keep Northern Michigan within one, denying a point-blank Falcon shot from inside the slot and then a follow-up try on the doorstep.

Bowling Green's defense stymied the Wildcats on both of their man advantages in the second frame. During their second power play, the Falcon penalty killers blocked four shots and largely forced Northern Michigan to keep the puck to the outside.

Bowling Green extended its lead to 2-0 right at 1:31 in the third period right off of a draw. John Schilling beat a Wildcat to a bouncing puck and sent it to Tyler Speiza to snap past Tolvanen in tight.

Siemer cut the deficit back to one, taking full advantage of a fortuitous bounce at 6:57. Darren Nowick cleared the puck around the boards, and it rattled ahead to Siemer, sending him on a breakaway. The Falcon defenseman couldn't get back, and Siemer slipped the puck through Chris Nell's five-hole on his backhand.

With just over a minute left on the clock, Northern Michigan pulled Tolvanen for the extra skater. The Wildcats pressed for the equalizer, but they couldn't find the back of the net, and a Falcon managed to clear the puck off of a Wildcat to ice the game.

Northern Michigan and Bowling Green conclude their series tomorrow at 7:07 p.m.