MARQUETTE, Mich. — The Northern Michigan hockey team was toppled by Bowling Green, 5-1, Friday night at the Berry Events Center.

Chris Nell made 24 saves to limit the Wildcats to a single tally while five different Falcons found the back of the net.

Bowling Green jumped out to a 1-0 lead at 4:44 of the first by taking advantage of its first power play. With 10 seconds left in the man advantage, Sean Walker fired a bullet just out of the reach of Atte Tolvanen's glove.

Northern Michigan nearly capitalized on its first power play to even the score when Nell kicked a Brock Maschmeyer point shot out to Troy Loggins in the left circle. Loggins dished the puck across to Robbie Payne in the right circle, but Payne sent his one-timer just wide.

The Falcons extended their advantage to three by netting two goals in a three-minute window late in the first period. First, at 14:26, Tolvanen got a piece of Kevin Dufour's one-timer, but the puck managed to trickle into the back of the net. Then, at 17:24, Stephen Baylis won a battle along the boards and fed Matt Pohlkamp in the slot for the score.

With just over two minutes remaining in the period, Payne and Darien Craighead nearly teamed to cut the Bowling Green lead down to two. After Craighead picked a Falcon's pocket in the neutral zone, he sent the puck ahead to Payne. Payne put on the brakes in the middle of the left circle and found a wide-open Craighead in the slot. Craighead pulled Nell out of position but sent his backhand bid off the left post and out.

Loggins's second goal of the year pulled the Wildcats within two at 5:44 of the middle stanza. After Philip Beaulieu sent a long breakout pass up to Gerard Hanson on the left wing, Hanson dropped the puck back to Loggins. Loggins used a Falcon defenseman as a screen to beat Nell from the edge of the left circle.

Bowling Green tacked on two goals in the third period. With the loss, Northern Michigan falls to 3-7-1 (1-5-1 WCHA). The Wildcats and Falcons wrap up their series tomorrow at 7:07 p.m.

NOTES: Bowling Green leads the all-time series, 47-41-9 ... Maschmeyer and Jordan Klimek tied for the Wildcat lead with four shots ... Klimek's four shots tied his career high, set on Jan. 30, 2016 against Minnesota Duluth .... Tolvanen finished with 25 saves.