.png&type=webp)
Bowling Green State University Athletics
Great Moments In Falcon Hockey History
vs
Robert Morris
Oct 4 (Sat)
6:07 p.m.
Great Moments In Falcon Hockey History
September
9/11/09 -- In conjunction with the University, the State of Ohio and a fundraising group in search for private funding, the uncertain future of the BGSU hockey program was made clear with the announcement of the creation of the “Bring Back the Glory” campaign. Nearly $5 million dollars was pledged by the state and Bowling Green State University to provide neccesary renovations to the BGSU Ice Arena and begin the fundraising efforts to sustain the ice hockey program.
October
10/28/79 -- Head coach Jerry York records his first victory with the Orange and Brown, a 6-3 road win over United States International University in San Diego, Calif.
10/17/80 -- Peter Wilson’s goal at 3:12 of overtime gives BG a 3-2 win against Michigan, the Falcons’ first victory in 12 series meetings against the Wolverines, then members of the WCHA.
10/14-15/83 -- In what may have been an omen to what was to transpire five months later, BG opens the season with a 5-2, 5-3 sweep of Clarkson at the Ice Arena. Why is that so significant? Well, the winners of the two previous season-opening series at the Ice Arena happened to go on to claim the NCAA title. North Dakota won the national crown in 1982 and Wisconsin did the same in 1983, each after finding success in BG. It seemed the Falcons were to be destiny’s darlings in 1984.
10/26/91 -- In what may go down as the greatest comeback in Falcon history, BG rallies from a 5-0 disadvantage with under 26 minutes to play to post a 6-5 overtime win over Ohio State. Jim Solly ties the game with 1:48 remaining, setting the stage for Martin Jiranek’s game winner 37 seconds into the extra session.
10/14/94 -- The debut of head coach Buddy Powers is a successful one with the Falcons coming away with an 11-2 victory over Guelph at the Ice Arena.
10/28/95 -- BG captures its 600th all-time varsity win with its 6-4 conquest over Rensselaer at the Ice Arena. The Orange and Brown unleashes 59 shots on the Engineer cage en route to the milestone victory. With the win, the Falcon program reaches the magical victory mark in the second-fastest time span (26 years), behind only Wisconsin.
10/6/19 -- Ty Eigner claims career win number one at the helm of the Falcons on the back of a four-goal performance by Cameron Wright in a 7-4 victory over Miami.
November
11/26/68 -- The University Athletic Committee votes to make hockey a varsity sport commencing with the 1969-70 season, transferring hockey to the BGSU athletic department for administration and control.
11/14/69 -- Mike Root scores BG’s first-ever goal at 9:03 of the first period in the Falcons’ inaugural varsity game played before 2,799 fans at the Ice Arena. Root
finishes the contest with three goals in an 8-2 win over Windsor.11/2/73 -- Head coach Ron Mason wins his first game behind the BG bench as the Falcons top Guelph, 10-0. Mason replaced Jack Vivian, who won two MCHA championships and compiled an overall record of 68-53-5 in four seasons.
11/30/74 -- The Falcons stun the No. 1 team in the country, Boston University, by a 3-2 count in the championship game of the North Country Thanksgiving Festival. Wayne Sander scores the eventual game-winning goal for the Orange and Brown. Three future Olympians play in the contest: Bob Dobek (1976) and Doug Ross (1976) for BG, and Mike Eruzione (1980) for the Terriers.
11/19-20/76 -- BG’s “Ice House Gang” sweeps eastern power Boston University by scores of 4-2 both nights at home. The two wins catapult the Falcons to a No. 4 national ranking, at that time their highest ever.
11/24/84 -- BG ventures into East Lansing as heavy underdogs against No. 1 ranked Michigan State, but the Falcons leave the Munn Arena faithful stunned after pulling off a 4-3 victory. BG goalie Wayne Collins plays perhaps the best game of his career as he kicks aside 44 Spartan offerings. The Falcons lead 4-2 heading into the third, but hold back a furious Spartan rally behind Collins’ handiwork. MSU’s “Super Team” would go on to win 22 straight games and a total of 38 for the season.
11/6/93 -- BG, off to one of its best starts in school history, knocks off No. 1-ranked Lake Superior in the Sault, 3-2. The Falcons build a 3-1 lead in the third period and then hold off a late Laker flurry thanks in part to the goaltending of rookie Bob Petrie. BG receives a national ranking of fourth two days later, its highest in over five seasons.
11/10/95 -- Mike Hall breaks Nelson Emerson’s (1987-88) school record for consecutive games with a goal when he scores during the second period at Ferris, his 11th straight contest with a tally.
11/23/95 -- Mike Hall again etches his name into the Falcon record books when he registers an eight-point game (3 goals-5 assists) in BGSU’s 8-6 win at Alaska-Fairbanks. Hall’s performance shatters the former mark of seven points established by Doug Ross (1/10/75) and Brian Hills (1/15/82), and ties the CCHA single-game (overall) point record.
11/16/07 -- Bowling Green’s Derek Whitmore records a hat-trick for the second-straight game in a 4-2 win over Northern Michigan at the Ice Arena.
11/13/09 -- To help bring awareness and give to the “Bring Back the Glory” campaign, Jack Vivian made the first large gift donation to the campaign in the amount of $250,000. He was honored on the ice before the Falcons’ game with Alaska that night, before a 3-1 BGSU victory.
11/22/13 -- Mark Cooper, a sophomore forward from Toronto, Ontario, helped Bowling Green defeat Minnesota State at the BGSU Ice Arena, netting his first collegiate hat trick. Cooper's hat trick was capped off by a game-winning overtime goal with 32 seconds remaining to help the Falcons earn a 4-3 OT triumph over the Mavericks in front of the Falcon faithful.
11/10/14 -- Following a weekend sweep at Alaska, BGSU returned to the national rankings for the first time in seven years. With a record of 7-2-1, the Falcons earned a No. 19 ranking in the USCHO.com poll.
11/30/19 -- Bowling Green completed the home-and-home sweep over then No. 5 Notre Dame, seeing Alec Rauhauser reach 100 career points, the first Falcon Defenseman to do it since 1996.
December
12/20-21/71 -- BGSU captures its first holiday tournament title by winning the Cleveland Cup, defeating Princeton, 6-4, and Yale, 5-3.
12/7/74 -- After topping BU one week earlier, the Falcons venture to East Lansing and defeat the No. 2 team in the nation, Michigan State, by a 7-4 margin. Byron Shutt scores a pair of goals for BG. 12/3/83 -- BG, ranked third in the country heading into the weekend, finishes a sweep of No. 1 Ohio State in a thrilling come-from-behind 8-6 decision at the Ice Arena. OSU builds leads of 3-0 and 5-2 in the first period, but freshman goalie Gary Kruzich comes on in relief to spark the BG rally. Trailing 6-5 in the third, Gino Cavallini, Dave Randerson, and Dan Kane find the net to cap an unbelievable rally. Jamie Wansbrough’s goal-scoring streak reaches eight games, one shy of the school record. Two days later, the Falcons replace the Buckeyes as the top team in the land.
12/7-8/90 -- BG receives a national ranking of eighth after securing its first ever sweep of a WCHA foe as the Falcons down North Dakota, 7-5 and 4-3 in overtime, at the Ice Arena.
12/6/91 -- Dan Bylsma’s short-handed goal, BG’s only two-man-down marker in the history of the program, proves to be the game winner in a 5-4 win at Western Michigan.
12/21/91 -- Head coach Jerry York collects his 300th victory behind the Falcon bench as BG defeats Boston College, 5-3, in the opening round of the Mariucci Classic in Minneapolis, Minn.
12/5/92 -- BG freshman goalie Aaron Ellis blanks Miami, the country’s No. 4 rated team, by a 5-0 count. Ellis makes 27 saves against the eventual CCHA champions.
12/7/97 -- Freshman netminder Shawn Timm made 42 saves in a 1-0 Falcon victory at #1 Michigan State before a sellout crowd of 6,257 at Munn Arena. It would be one of only two losses at home for the CCHA champion Spartans. Freshman Dennis Williams scored the only goal of the game in the third period. The win snapped a nine-game winless streak for the Falcons, while the loss stopped an eight-game Spartan winning streak.
12/27-28/98 -- With wins over Cornell (3-2 OT) and Yale (4-1), the Falcons claim the 1998 Bank One Badger Showdown at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wis. The tournament title marked the first holiday crown for BG since 1988.
12/10/04 -- BGSU senior goaltender Jordan Sigalet holds a press conference to announce that he had been diagnosed with MS. Sigalet went on to be a Hobey Baker finalist that same season.
12/15/18 -- The Falcons complete a two game sweep over No. 3 Minnesota State in Slater Family Ice Arena (Dec. 14-15). BG won both games by final scores of 4-1. This was BG's first sweep of a top 3 opponent since February of 1992.
12/6/19 -- Bowling Green overcomes a 3-0 deficit. scoring nine goals over just 23 minutes of game play to conclude with a 9-3 victory over Alabama Huntsville.
January
1/15/79 -- BG, 23-3-1, garners its first-ever No. 1 national ranking (WMPL coaches’ poll) after sweeping Western Michigan just days earlier in a home-and-home series. The Falcons would go on to finish the year ranked second nationally, its highest finish ever.
1/22/83 -- Just two weeks after taking a two-game series from Michigan State for the first time in school history, BG completes a sweep of Northern Michigan, 7-6 in overtime, and uses the wins to share No. 1-team-in-the-nation honors with Minnesota. George Roll sends the game into overtime with six seconds left in regulation. Garry Galley appears to win the game for BG four minutes into overtime; however, the goal is disallowed for his using an illegal stick. Just 2:48 after serving his penalty, Galley scores again. Again the Wildcats ask the officials to check the curvature of the stick, but this time it passes inspection.
1/3/87 -- Gary Kruzich breaks Ken Dryden’s (Cornell) NCAA record for career wins by a goalie when he picks up his 77th victory in a 7-2 decision over Lake Superior at
the Ice Arena. Kruzich ends his BG career with 88 triumphs.1/21/94 -- Jeff Wells’ game winner with 7:01 left in regulation gives the Falcons a 5-4 victory over No. 3 Lake Superior at the Ice Arena. The Lakers build a 3-1 first-period advantage, but BG battles back with the game’s next three goals. The win gives the Orange and Brown a season series victory over the eventual NCAA champions.
1/13/95 -- Playing in their 1,000th varsity contest, the Falcons skate away with a 9-3 victory over Ohio State at the State Fairgrounds Coliseum. The game is BG’s first at the SFC since Jan. 7, 1975. Brian Holzinger records four points, including a hat trick.
1/4/08 -- Freshman forward Jacob Cepis tied a career-high with two goals, while junior goaltender Jimmy Spratt stopped 25-of-27 shots as the Falcons earned their first win over a No. 1 team since 1997 with a 4-2 victory over top-ranked Miami at the BGSU Ice Arena.
1/3/15 -- No. 13-ranked BGSU played outdoors for the first time in school history and competed in just the second collegiate outdoor game in the state of Ohio, tying No. 19 Robert Morris 2-2 at Fifth Third Field in Toledo. Matt Pohlkamp and Adam Berkie tallied goals while freshman goalie Chris Nell improved to 5-0-1 between the pipes.
1/19/15 -- With a record of 14-4-4, BGSU reached No. 6 in the USCHO.com poll, the program's highest ranking since the poll began in 1997. The Falcons were ranked in the top 20 for each of the final 17 weeks of the 2014-15 season, spending much of that time in the top 10.
1/12/19 -- Chris Bergeron recorded his 161st win at the helm of the Falcons with a 3-2 win at Michigan Tech. With this victory he became the second winningest head coach in Bowling Green hockey program history moving ahead of Ron Mason (160) while now sitting second behind Jerry York (342).
February
2/26/71 -- A record crowd of 3,756, a figure that would not be surpassed for almost 15 years, packs the Ice Arena to see the Falcons down Notre Dame, 5-1.
2/22/80 -- BG, 16-16-1 on the season, travels to Northern Michigan and upsets the No. 1 team in the country, 7-5. Seven different Falcons account for the BG scoring.
2/28/81 -- After losing a 5-4 overtime heart-breaker to Northern Michigan the night before at the Ice Arena, the Falcons, 12-23-1 on the year, rebound to spank the No. 1-rated Wildcats, 10-3, behind two goals each from Mike Pikul and Nick Bandescu to close the regular season.
2/11/83 -- Just three weeks after the NMU thriller, the Falcons are again hit with an illegal stick barrage. However, this time the Falcons have to settle for a 4-4 tie at Notre Dame after John Samanski (0:52) and Peter Wilson’s (4:28) overtime markers are both called back because of excessive curvatures on their sticks.
2/14/87 -- Nelson Emerson’s unassisted goal at 2:14 of overtime on a beautiful coast-to-coast rush gives the Falcons a 6-5 win at Western Michigan. The victory vaults BG back into first place for good in league play heading into the final week of the season.
2/3/90 -- Head coach Jerry York earns his 400th career win as BG defeats Miami, 4-3, in front of the home fans. York becomes only the ninth coach in NCAA history to reach the 400-win plateau. In the same game, Nelson Emerson becomes the BG career scoring leader, notching his 271st point on an assist in the first period. He goes on to conclude his career with 294 points. BG wins the game on Peter Holmes’ third power-play goal of the night (and his sixth of the series) -- both school records -- just before the final horn sounds.
2/7-8/92 -- The Falcons broom the nation’s top ranked team, Michigan, 7-4 and 4-3, in a home-and-home series. Brian Holzinger records four goals on the weekend, including both game winners.
2/14-15/92 -- Just one week after sweeping the No. 1 team in the country, BG garners three out of a possible four points from No. 3 Michigan State in home-and-home action. Jim Solly’s goal with 54 seconds left in overtime gives BG the win at home on Friday, while only a late Spartan uprising saves another Falcon twin-killing the next evening as the teams skate to a 6-6 overtime tie in East Lansing.
2/24/96 -- Nelson Emerson and Brian Holzinger jointly have their jersey No. 19 officially retired during the second intermission of the Falcons’ home finale against Notre Dame before a capacity crowd. The ceremony marks only the fourth number ever set aside in University sports history.
2/9/07 -- Bowling Green freshman Tomas Petruska recorded the first power play goal of his career with just 35 seconds remaining to capture a 3-2 win over the Michigan Wolverines inside the BGSU Ice Arena. Sophomore Jimmy Spratt was also outstanding, stopping all but two of Michigan’s 31 shots on the night.
2/25/12 -- After a late goal from Bryce Williamson secured a 4-3 win the previous night, the Falcons battle Michigan in the second game of the two-game weekend set. Although the Falcons would lose the contest, fans would pack the BGSU Ice Arena to set the all-time attendance record of 5,0312/3/13 -- Bowling Green, in conjunction with the Toledo Walleye, announced the Falcons will play an outdoor hockey game on Jan. 3, 2015 at Fifth Third Field in Toledo, Ohio. The Orange and Brown announced they will take on Robert Morris University in the second-ever collegiate outdoor hockey game in Ohio, and first in program's history.
2/18/20 -- The Falcons along with six other teams announec that the CCHA will return in 2021-22 with seven teams departing from the WCHA, reviving the conference.
2/22/20 -- Brandon Kruse reaches 100 career points, joining Alec Rauhauser as the first duo of Falcons to reach the mark in the same season since 1995-96. This also comes while the Falcons celebrate the 50th anniversary of the program and announce an additional renovation project for the Slater Family Ice Arena.
2/28/20 -- Cameron Wright became the first Falcon since the 2007-08 season to tally at least 20 goals in a season, netting his 20th goal in a 4-3 overtime victory over Alabama Huntsville.
March
3/2-4/73 -- The Falcons, who finished fourth in the CCHA during the regular season, capture the playoff tournament by surprising first-place St. Louis, 6-5, in the semifinals, and Ohio State, 8-1, in the championship contest. The Orange and Brown's playoff title is the program’s first of four crowns in a seven-year period.
3/11-13/77 -- Mike Liut’s goaltending at top-seeded St. Louis during the CCHA playoff championship series sparks the Orange and Brown to its first of three consecutive league postseason crowns. Liut records a 4-0 shutout in the first game of the series and then, in a relief role, turns aside 17 of 18 Billiken shots on goal over the last 36:43 of regulation in the finale. BG hangs on to win the total-goals series, 5-4, and ends SLU’s three-year title reign thanks to Mark Wells’ marker early in the third period.
3/20/77 -- The Falcons, making their first appearance in the NCAA playoffs, drop a 7-5 decision to Michigan in Ann Arbor. BG becomes the first non-WCHA or ECAC club to make a visit to the national tournament. The game also marks the first-ever NCAA regional contest.
3/18/78 -- After posting a decisive win over arch-rival St. Louis in the CCHA playoff championship series at the Ice Arena, BG clips Colorado College in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and advances to the “Final Four” in Providence, R.I., after manufacturing a 5-3 win before the exuberant Falcon faithful. The victory extends the Orange and Brown's home-ice winning streak to a school-record 23 games.
3/25/78 -- After dropping a 6-2 verdict to Boston College the previous night, the Falcons rebound for a 4-3 decision over Wisconsin in the consolation game to earn the mythical title “Best of the West.” The BG “Rocky Hockey” team finishes the year with a 31-8-0 record, and defenseman Ken Morrow becomes the Falcons’ -- and CCHA’s -- first All-American.
3/9-10/79 -- Sparked by Paul Titanic’s dramatic penalty-shot goal in game No. 1 of the CCHA playoff championship series at the Ice Arena, the Falcons top Ohio State, 11-7, in the total-goals series and earn their third straight NCAA bid. In the process, BG notches its 37th win of the year, tying a then-NCAA record for most victories in a season.
3/26/82 -- George McPhee is named the second winner (and the CCHA’s first) of the Hobey Baker Memorial Award -- college hockey’s version of the Heisman Trophy --at the NCAA Championships held in Providence, R.I.
3/4-5/83 -- Jamie Wansbrough ties a BG record by scoring five goals in an 8-3 CCHA quarterfinal win over Notre Dame at the Ice Arena. The next night, the Falcons eliminate the Irish and advance to Joe Louis Arena for the CCHA Finals. Wansbrough scores a school-record seven goals in the series. Aside from the events on the ice during Saturday’s game, BG fans pay a heart-warming tribute to UND’s hockey program which (at the time) was playing its last game as a school-sponsored varsity sport. With less than four minutes to play, BG’s legendary Section A lets go a cheer to the Irish and their followers: “Hey Notre Dame. We’ll miss you and we salute you!” BG’s fans then give the Fighting Irish a lengthy standing ovation and later, at the game’s close, stand as one again and sing (hum) the UND fight song.
3/12/83 -- In what went down as one of the most exciting CCHA championship games ever, the Falcons come out on the short end of a 4-3 overtime verdict to Michigan State. BG rallies from a 3-0 first-period deficit to tie the contest and force the extra stanza. In overtime, the Falcons’ All-American Brian Hills is awarded a penalty shot but is stopped by MSU’s All-American goalie Ron Scott. BG netminder Mike David is named the tournament “MVP.”
3/14/83 -- The BG program and the college hockey world are stunned when the NCAA bypasses the Falcons for a tournament bid. Despite posting a 28-8-4 record, a No. 2 national ranking (WMPL), and a CCHA regular-season crown, BG is denied a chance for the national title.
3/17/84 -- Needing to win by four goals to advance to the NCAA semifinals, the BG icers stage another remarkable comeback, this time at Boston University. In overtime, defenseman Mike Pikul scores from along the right boards for a 5-1 win and an 8-7 triumph in the total-goals series.
3/23/84 -- John Samanski tips in Mike Pikul’s shot from the point at 7:13 of the third period, giving the Falcons a 2-1 NCAA Tournament semifinal win over MSU. BG goaltender Gary Kruzich holds off a determined Spartan rally in the final minutes to preserve the win.
3/24/84 -- In the longest NCAA title game ever played, the Falcons land their only national championship with a 5-4 quadruple overtime conquest over Minnesota-Duluth as winger Gino Cavallini converts a pass from Dan Kane at the 97:11 mark of the contest. John Samanski sends the game into OT as he capitalizes on an opportunistic carom off the boards and stuffs home the tying goal with only 1:47 to play in regulation. The game is marked by the outstanding goaltending of Gary Kruzich (32 saves), the tournament “MVP,” and UMD’s Rick Kosti (tourney record 55 saves).3/1/86 -- BG completes a sweep of Illinois-Chicago in opening-round play of the CCHA playoffs at the Ice Arena with a 2-1 double overtime conquest. Iain Duncan notches the game winner on the power play at the game’s 72:49 mark.
3/4/88 -- Matt Ruchty’s goal at 2:10 of the fourth overtime gives BG a thrilling 5-4 win over Ferris State in the first game of CCHA opening-round playoff action at the Ice Arena. The Bulldogs’ Marc Felicio makes 61 saves in the loss. The game currently stands as the seventh longest in college hockey history and second longest in the BG annals.
3/12/88 -- The Falcons earn their first CCHA playoff title since the tournament was moved to Joe Louis Arena (1982) in Detroit as they top eventual NCAA champion Lake Superior, 5-3. BG goalie Paul Connell earns tournament “MVP” honors.
3/18-19/88 -- BG hosts its first NCAA Tourney games in a decade and comes up with a pair of 5-1 victories over Vermont. Scott Paluch, Joe Quinn, and Greg Parks each score two goals in the series.
3/5/89 -- Rob Blake ends the fourth-longest game in school history with a goal at 2:54 of the third overtime, giving the Orange and Brown a 3-2 win at Michigan in the decisive third game of the best-of-three first-round CCHA playoff series. The win puts the Falcons in the CCHA Championships for the eighth consecutive year.
3/12-13/93 -- BG earns a berth to Joe Louis Arena for the first time since 1990 after a 5-4, 6-3 sweep of Western Michigan on the road in first-round CCHA playoff action. Jason Clark leads BG with three goals in the series, including the game winner in the deciding contest.
3/11-12/94 -- Hosting its first CCHA playoff series since 1990, BG comes up with a sweep of Ferris State in first-round action to advance to JLA for the second straight year. Brian Holzinger’s overtime goal on Saturday gives the Falcons a 3-2 win following a 3-0 shutout by Bob Petrie the night before. The two victories guarantee BG its first season over the .500 mark in four years.
3/31/95 -- What many had anticipated for several months becomes reality when Brian Holzinger is named the 15th recipient of the Hobey Baker Memorial Award given annually to college hockey’s top player. The official announcement is made in Providence, R.I., at the NCAA Championships.
3/8-9/96 -- For the second time in four years, the Falcons win an opening-round CCHA playoff series at Western Michigan. BG sweeps the best two-of-three series against the Broncos by the scores of 8-1 and 3-1. Ten different Falcons garner goals in the series.
3/1/97 -- The Orange and Brown concludes the regular season with one of the most memorable games in Ice Arena history after skating to a 0-0 OT deadlock against eighth-ranked Michigan State. The scoreless tie marks the first in the BG annals and only the second in CCHA history. MSU’s Chad Alban and BG’s Bob Petrie combine to turn aside 58 shots, including 30 by the Falcon backstop. BG’s remarkable streak of not being blanked at home ends at 303 games (248 CCHA contests) in a non-losing effort.
3/7-8/97 -- Forced to go on the road again to start the CCHA playoffs, the Falcons respond with the program’s biggest postseason series victory since besting Michigan eight years earlier by registering yet another sweep of Lake State (5-3, 8-4). Brett Punchard, Curtis Fry, and Mike Johnson each score three times in the two games. The series conquest marks the third time in the last five years (and fourth time in five series since 1989) BG has advanced to Joe Louis by capturing a first-round series away from home.
3/4/00 -- The Falcons conclude the regular-season with a 6-3 triumph at Michigan, marking BG’s first win at Yost Arena since Feb. 8, 1992 (15 consecutive losses). BG led 3-1 after 40 minutes and received third period goals from Greg Day, Scott Hewson and Craig Desjarlais.
3/10-11/00 -- Bowling Green, the only school in CCHA history to have a .500 or better road mark, recorded its fifth playoff road series win by downing Lake Superior (2-1 OT, 3-2).
3/13/01 -- The Falcons won their fifth-straight game, all by one goal and three in overtime, by defeating Northern Michigan on the road in the CCHA Play-In game, 2-1. The victory sent Bowling Green to the CCHA Semifinals at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit to play the No. 1-ranked team in the country, Michigan State. BGSU lost 2-1.
3/11/05 -- Bowling Green hosts Alaska-Fairbanks in the first round of the CCHA Tournament, snapping a 10-year drought of home CCHA playoff contests.
3/9/08 -- Freshman forward Jacob Cepis’ goal at 1:34 of overtime sent BG to the second round of the CCHA playoffs for the first time since 2001, as they defeated Lake Superior State, 4-3, in the decisive game three of their opening round series at the BGSU Ice Arena. BG last made the second round when they swept Miami in the opening round in 2001, before going on to beat Northern Michigan in the Play-In game, which is now the second round best-of-three format.
3/6/11 -- As the No. 11 seed in the 11-team CCHA, Bowling Green was expected to go down in the CCHA Tournament first round without much of a fight against sixth-seeded Northern Michigan. Considering no bottom seed had even won one game in the first round since 2004, the odds were stacked against the Falcons. After losing the opener 6-3, it appeared even more-so that the season was about to end. Bowling Green rallied behind the goaltending of Andrew Hammond for a 2-0 victory toforce a decisive game three. In that contest, Bryce Williamson’s double overtime game-winner made Bowling Green the first bottom seed in CCHA history to win a best-of-three series.
3/4/12 -- The Falcons repeat history, defeating NMU in the first round of the CCHA Playoffs for the second straight season as the 11th seed, becoming only the second
team to do so. (Falcons - 2011)3/11/12 -- Bowling Green does the impossible, defeating No. 2 ranked Ferris State (No. 1 In The CCHA Tournament) on the road in game three of the second round CCHA Playoff series. Freshman Dan DeSalvo records a hat trick in the contest, scoring his third goal in the first overtime to send the Falcons to the CCHA Semifinals at Joe Louis Arena. The visit marked the Falcons first trip to the "Joe" in 11 years, and was the first time in the history of the conference that an 11th seed made it to the final four.
3/8/14 -- The Falcons clinched home ice for the first time since the 2007-08 season by defeating Bemidji State in their final regular season game, 5-2.
3/15/14 -- The Orange and Brown punched their ticket to the WCHA Final Five by defeating Michigan Tech, 5-2. Playing in its first season in the newly-formed Western Collegiate Hockey Association, the Falcons swept the Huskies in front of their home fans to secure a berth in the semifinals at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich. Junior Ryan Carpenter helped the Falcons by scoring a career-high four points (1g, 3a), sending BGSU into the Final Five as the No. 3 seed.
3/6/15 -- BGSU blitzed Alabama Huntsville 7-2 for its 20th win of the season, marking the first time the program had reached that milestone in 19 years. The Falcons scored at least two goals in every period and freshman Brandon Hawkins scored the program's first penalty shot goal in five years.
3/14/15 -- BGSU returned to the WCHA Final Five for the second consecutive season by sweeping Northern Michigan in the opening round of the WCHA playoffs. It marks the fifth straight season in which the Falcons have won a best-of-three playoff series. Freshman Tyler Spezia scored the overtime game-winner in the first game, a 3-2 victory, and the Falcons rolled 4-1 in game two as the freshmen class scored five of the seven goals in the series.
3/30/19 -- The Brown and Orange would take the stage for their first NCAA tournament appearance in 29 years. Bowling Green would take on Minnesota Duluth in the Midwest Regional, falling to the defending National Champions in overtime.
3/8/20 -- The Falcons complete a sweep over Alaska in the first round of the WCHA playoffs, continuining a 10 year streak of winning a best-of-three series.
April
4/10/79 -- Jerry York from Clarkson College of Technology is named as head coach of the Falcon hockey program to replace Ron Mason, who stepped down to take a similar position at Michigan State.
4/15/02 -- BGSU Athletic Director, Paul Krebs, announced former Falcon All-American Scott Paluch as the new head coach at Bowling Green. Paluch, who played for the Brown and Orange from 1984-88, came to Bowling Green after eight years as an assistant under former BGSU coach Jerry York at Boston College.
4/12/10 -- Former Miami RedHawk assistant, Chris Bergeron, was named to be the seventh head coach in BGSU Falcon history. Bergeron served as an assistant at Miami from 2000-2010 and played for the Red Hawks from 1989-93. Joining Bergeron to form the coaching staff is former Falcon captain Ty Eigner and Barry Schutte.
4/20/19 -- BGSU Athletic Director, Bob Moosbrugger announced former Captain of the Falcons and nine year Assistant Coach Ty Eigner as the eighth Head Coach in program history. Eigner played for Bowling Green under Jerry York from 1988-93.
June/July
6/30/09 -- Dennis Williams was named the interim head hockey coach after coach Scott Paluch stepped down to accept a position as a regional manager of USA Hockey’s American Development Model. Williams served as head coach of Neumann College, as well as an assistant at Alabama-Huntsville prior to returning to his alma mater as an assistant coach for the 2008-2009 season.
7/12/94 -- Buddy Powers, a former Falcon assistant, is appointed to replace long-time BG coach Jerry York who resigned a month earlier to accept a similar position at Boston College. Powers officially starts his head coaching duties six days later.