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.

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 Adair flipped 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 Wildcats return to the ice next weekend when they travel to Alabama-Huntsville.

NOTES: The Falcons lead the all-time series, 46-41-9 ... Aaron Leach made his first appearance of the season ... Nowick (4g-4a) seized the team lead in points ... Nowick has now netted a goal at even strength, on the power play, while shorthanded and with the goalie pulled for the extra attacker ... Payne's two helpers established a new career high ... Tolvanen finished with 33 saves; he has now reached the 30-save plateau eight times ... Entering this game, Northern Michigan had skated in five overtime games, each of which ended in a stalemate ... The Wildcats last lost in overtime Mar. 13, 2015 to Bowling Green in the first round of the WCHA tournament; Tyler Spezia netted the winner in that 3-2 victory for the Falcons ... Bowling Green is the first team to sweep Northern Michigan this season ... The Wildcats were last swept on the road by Alabama-Huntsville Jan. 16-17, 2015.