Former Viper Hammond Makes Career High 44 Saves In Upset Win Over Northern Michigan:

Former Vernon Vipers goaltender, Andrew Hammond made a career high 44 saves Sunday as Bowling Green upset Northern Michigan 2-1 in overtime. Hammond played two seasons with the Vipers (2008-2009)

Here is the highlights of the overtime winner,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlb-UgEbZt0&feature=player_embedded

Andrew Hammond Post Game Interview,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mILHGe7_zg&feature=player_embedded

This is posted on the Falcons website:

Williamson Plays Hero Hitting Double OT Goal in Win

by Ryan Gasser, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

3/7/2011

MARQUETTE, Michigan -- Sunday night’s contest at Northern Michigan proved to be more than just a ticket for the winner to advance in the CCHA Tournament. It proved to be evidence that Bowling Green hockey is taking large strides forward in bringing recognition to the program and further attention to the University. All this was done with an instant classic decided after more than eighty minutes of hockey were played and a double overtime goal by a Bowling Green freshman lifted the Falcons to prominence.

Bryce Wiliamson (Seba Beach, Alberta) played the role of hero scoring the game-winning tally just 34 seconds into the second overtime session. Coming off a draw taken in the near corner, Bowling Green obtained possession of the puck off the faceoff taken by Marc Rodriguez (Aurora, Ill.). Bringing the puck down into the corner, Jordan Samuels-Thomas (South Windsor, Conn.) tossed the puck out of traffic to defenseman Jake Sloat (Louisville, Colo.) taken from the near point. Northern Michigan goaltender Reid Ellingson blocked down the initial shot but the puck remained loose and caught up in the traffic mounting in front of the net. Williamson was among the bodies out in front and muscled his way through a host of players before chipping in the game-winning tally over an outspread Ellingson.

The win seals a place in the second round of the CCHA Tournament for the Falcons, where they will play the CCHA regular-season champion Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The series will begin on Friday, March 11. Game time is scheduled for a 7:35 p.m. ET drop of the puck for both Friday and Saturday night’s action. Additional game information will be available this week. Check BGSUFalcons.com for more information.

The Falcons won their first playoff series since the 2007-08 season when they took two of three games from Lake Superior State University. The Falcons won game one and then game three in overtime by a 4-3 count to advance to the CCHA quarter final games before losing to Miami.

Dating back to the change of the playoff format to a best-of-three game series in 1985-86, the Falcons are now 4-0 in game three situations. Sunday night’s double overtime game was their first game in which multiple overtimes were needed since March 5, 1989 when the Falcons beat the University of Michigan, 3-2 (3OT).

Andrew Hammond (Surrey, British Columbia) was again in large part responsible for the success of the Falcons. He tied a career-high with 44 saves on 45 shots taken against. In all of the first three periods he stopped 12 shots and added eight more saves in the extra 20:34 after regulation ended. He aided in keeping NMU scoreless on four power play chances, stopping eight shots while the Falcons were on the penalty kill.

Bowling Green also did not score on the power play, going unsuccessful on five tries.

The Falcons took a one-goal lead into the third period just as they had the previous night. While skating with a 1-0 lead, NMU forward Andrew Cherniwchan lead a wave of Wildcats toward the Falcon net immediately after Bowling Green came off of a power play chance. Two Wildcats were release from the box within six seconds of each other, joining the attack on the net. Cherniwchan raced down the far sideboards and approached with a shot from the point that snuck inside the far post, tying the game at one.

Both teams skated to a nil-nil tie after one period as each team featured top-notch defenses carrying over from the night before. Not until the 18:25 mark of the second period was a goal scored. The Falcons drew first blood on a well-executed play between freshmen Chad Sumsion (Woodstock, Ontario) and Brett Mohler (Yorba Linda, Calif.). Coming into the NMU zone following a turnover, Mohler took the puck within feet of the Wildcat cage before dishing off a backhand pass to Sumsion trailing him in the slot. Sumsion put a one timer on mark and scored his fifth goal to give the Falcons a 1-0 lead.

Williamson had his best weekend of the season and better than any Falcon on the ice. He finished the weekend with two goals and an assist and was part of the wave of freshman point scorers that accounted for 13 of the Falcons’ 18 points.

Despite the 6-3 loss on Friday night, Hammond ended the weekend back on pace with the fantastic number he had been accumulating at the end of the regular season. In three starts and 166:35 played, he made 94 saves on 99 shots against, allowed five goals and maintained a 1.80 goals against average and a .949 save percentage.

Follow the Brown and Orange as they continue on their trek through the CCHA playoffs! Full coverage of Falcon hockey and all 18 varsity sports can be found on the official online home of BGSU athletics, www.BGSUFalcons.com. Be sure to follow the Falcons on Facebook by searching “BG Warriors” or follow them on Twitter through www.twitter.com/WEAREBGHOCKEY.