Josh Kestner scored two goals for the second straight game as the Chargers earned a 3-3 tie Friday night at Bowling Green.
UAH (6-9-2 overall, 5-4-2 WCHA) got two points in the WCHA standings after earning its first-ever shootout victory (2-1).
Bowling Green (7-5-6 overall, 6-2-5 WCHA) got one point with its third tie in four games, staying in first place by that one point over Minnesota State.
UAH started with a defensive lapse and Bowling Green quickly pounced. Mitch McLain easily scored on a wide open net after a shot rebound came right to him all alone and Jordan Uhelski out of position. McLain easily made it 1-0 Falcons at 1:16.
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The Chargers got on the board at 5:37, as Madison Dunn unleashed a blast from the left point for his third goal of the season. Richard Buri’s pass from the boards earned the primary assist. Cody Champagne also got an assist for his first point of the season.
The Chargers then started hitting. Kurt Gosselin put on a vicious hip check on Niko Coffman, but it only earned him a minor roughing penalty that UAH was able to kill off. Coffman did not return to the game.
Cam Knight was not so fortunate after checking Lukas Craggs from behind into the boards. Knight got five minutes and a game misconduct at 9:52, ending his night early.
Nearly a minute and a half into the major Falcon power play, Jacob Dalton give the UAH penalty kill a break with an interference penalty.
During the 4-on-4, Kestner picked up a loose puck and beat BGSU goaltender Eric Dop glove side to give the Chargers their first lead at 2-1.
UAH killed the remainder of the power play after it resumed, but the Falcons tied the game while the Chargers were on the power play. Stephen Baylis scored from the slot after a turnover with 3:13 remaining in the first and it was 2-2.
Two shorthanded goals were the killer for UAH in last Friday’s 3-2 loss at Northern Michigan. The Chargers have allowed five shorthanded goals this season, three in the last two series.
The second period was mostly lax until late, when both Uhelski and Dop put on a goaltending exhibition. Each made huge pad and glove saves on 2-on-1 rushes and breakaways to keep the score tied at the second intermission.
Kestner’s second goal of the game gave UAH a 3-2 lead just 2:08 into the third. He worked his way around Falcon defenseman Connor McDonald, then beat Dop high with an odd-angle shot for his 12th of the season.
McDonald tied the game at 3-3 with 10:10 to go, as his shot from the left point glanced off of John Teets’ arm in a screen and over Uhelski.
From there, it was the Uhelski (24 saves) and Dop (21 saves) show to keep the game equal through regulation. Dop made one final save on Dunn with nine seconds left.
The goalies stayed strong through the regular overtime (to make the game an official tie), and through the 3-on-3 overtime to determine who gets a second point WCHA standings.
In the shootout, Christian Rajic and Brandon Salerno beat Dop. Max Johnson scored in the first round, but Uhelski stopped Brandon Kruse to secure the point after tie.
It was UAH’s first point after tie in five tries since the WCHA instituted the tie-breaking procedure last season.