Third period surge not enough for Men's Hockey

MEQUON, Wis. --  The Falcons showed resilience against the Johnnies after being down 4-1 entering the final period of the men's hockey non-conference matchup, but their effort fell short as they were defeated in heartbreaking fashion 5-4 Saturday afternoon in overtime at the Ozaukee Ice Center.

The series between the clubs highlighted very spirited contests over the weekend as the teams combined for a total of 31 penalties. The penalties demonstrated the importance of capitalizing on power-play opportunities, as both clubs combined for 21 chances over the course of the two-game series.

CUW (4-9-0) struck first in the opening frame at the 10:11 mark on a goal by freshman forward Devin Stuermer (Milwaukee, Wis.) with an assist from freshman defenseman Trammell Lynes (Edmonton, Alberta) and forward Chris Hughes (Dunee, Mich.). Four minutes later, SJU (4-4-1) responded with a goal of their own by Jascha Pettit to knot the game entering the second stanza.

The second period, much like Friday's matchup, was dominated by SJU as it capitalized on both a short-handed and power-play goal. John Haeg fired a shot into the corner of the net at the 5:15 mark putting SJU ahead 2-1. With 58 seconds left in the period, forward Michael Palmiscno exploited a power play opportunity for the Johnnies to take a 3-1 lead into the final frame.

Things did not slow down for SJU as forward Phil Johnson scored the fourth SJU goal of the game, to provide a three goal cushion.

The Falcons were not fazed by the final period deficit as they rattled off three straight goals to tie the game at 4-4. Hughes led the surge with a goal at the 12:11 followed by two late goals. Freshman forward Kevin Michelcavage (Sterling Heights, Mich.) and Connor Pennell (Kamsack, Saskatchewan) each capitalized on power-play goals, the first with 3:24 remaining and the game-tying goal with five seconds remaining.

The overtime period was all Johnnies, though, as they did not allow a CUW shot on goal. Jason Johnson fired home the decisive final goal with one minute and twenty-seven seconds in to the overtime to seal the victory for the Johnnies.

The Falcons will have over a month hiatus before returning to the rink for a Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association series against Finlandia Univresity on Jan. 11-12.