Lake Superior State built a two-goal lead in the first period of its first game in the newly renovated Taffy Abel Arena, but Bowling Green answered with six straight goals and won 6-2 on Friday night in Sault Ste. Marie. The CCHA opener for both teams drew 2,000 fans on the first night of the Lakers’ Great Lake State Weekend, which marks 60 years of Laker hockey. Lake Superior State fell to 2-3-0, and Bowling Green improved to 3-4-0.
The Lakers gave the home crowd an early lift. Ethan Moore scored 2:23 into the game, assisted by Joey Potter, and Casper Nässén made it 2-0 at 6:17, his second goal of the season, with assists from Måns Toresson and Tyson Galloway. Bowling Green’s Thomas Verdon cut the lead in half at 9:56.
Penalties swung the game in the second period. Noah Morneau tied it on the power play at 6:04, Tyler Hotson put the Falcons ahead during a 5-on-3 at 8:23, and Morneau scored again on the power play at 9:43, all within less than four minutes. Morneau finished with two goals and an assist. Jake Sloan added a third-period goal at 5:38, and Maxwell Martin closed the scoring into an empty net at 18:12.
By the numbers
Bowling Green went 3-for-7 on the power play, while Lake Superior State went 0-for-4 and took eight minor penalties. The Falcons outshot the Lakers 37-29, including 18-11 in the second period, and won 42 of 73 faceoffs. Andrew Oke made 31 saves for the Lakers, and Jacob Steinman stopped 27 of 29 shots for Bowling Green.
What’s next
The teams meet again Saturday at 7:07 p.m. at Taffy Abel Arena, streaming on Midco. Film crews for Our Shot, an upcoming docuseries following the Laker program that is scheduled to debut in early 2027, are shooting the weekend’s games.
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