Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcon Icers Open CCHA Play At Western Michigan
December 29, 1999 | Ice Hockey
Oct. 19, 1999
The Bowling Green State University hockey team, after dropping two games in Boston this past weekend, begin league competition this Friday and Saturday (Oct. 22-23) at Western Michigan. Game time both nights at Lawson Arena is 7:05 p.m.
UPCOMING GAMES ...
The Falcons next home games will be Friday and Saturday, Oct. 29-30, when Alaska Fairbanks visits the BGSU Ice Arena for a pair of league contests. All BGSU home games this year will be starting at 7:35 p.m.
Following the home series with the Nanooks, BG will begin November with a single contest at Miami on Saturday, Nov. 6 at 7:05 p.m.
THE COACH ...
Falcon mentor Buddy Powers moved into 86th place on the NCAA all-time win list with BG's victory over Notre Dame on Feb. 20. He trails Harry Cleverly (Boston University, Babson - 45-66) by three wins (216-213). There have been more than 725 NCAA men's collegiate head hockey coaches.
Powers served as head coach at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) for five seasons (1989-90 through 1993-94) prior to being named to his current position at Bowling Green on July 12, 1994. He spent one season as the head coach at Rochester Institute of Technology (1988-89) leading the Tigers to a second-place finish in the Division III national championships.
THE SERIES ...
Bowling Green leads in the all-time series against Western Michigan with a 64-37-3 mark, which includes four BG varsity wins against the Bronco club team during the 1969-70 and 1970-71 campaigns. WMU won last year's season series with a 2-1-0 mark outscoring BG 11-8.
BG has compiled a 26-22-3 mark in Kalamazoo including a 5-4-1 record in the last 10 meetings at Lawson Arena.
PREVIEWING UPCOMING OPPONENT ...
Western Michigan recorded two wins (4-2, 5-1) at Ohio State last weekend after tying (3-3 OT) and losing (2-3) at home the previous weekend to Miami.
David Gove leads the Broncos in scoring with two goals and three assists for five points. Steve Rymsha is the leading goal scorer with three. Eight different players have accounted for WMU's 14 goals this season. Blueliner Daryl Andrews, a former CCHA Rookie of the Year, is the top assist man for the Broncos with four.
Jeff Reynaert has played every game this year compiling a 2-1-1 mark with a 2.22 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage.
WMU has outshot its opponents 131-110 and have converted on six of 34 power-play opportunities for 17.6%. Opponents have scored on five of 29 man-advantage chances giving WMU's penalty killers a 82.8% success rate.
LOOKING BACK AT LAST WEEKEND ...
Bowling Green played nearly even for 45 minutes with No. 1 ranked Boston College Friday night in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, but the Eagles scored two goals in a span of 0:42 early in the third period during a four-on-four situation to open a three-goal advantage.
Bowling Green senior Zach Ham scored the Falcons first goal of the year at the 18:23 mark of the first period to tie the game at one. Ham put in a rebound of Austin de Luis' shot, with Craig Desjarlais garnering the second assist on Ham's lamp-lighter.
After BC had taken a 3-1 lead midway through the middle stanza, junior Chris Bonvie went end-to-end to pull the Falcons within one at 3-2.
BG freshman netminder Tyler Masters made 41 saves in his collegiate debut, while BC goaltender Scott Clemmensen was credited with 17 stops.
The Falcons scored on one of eight power-play opportunities, while the Eagles recorded one power-play goal in nine chances.
Across town on Saturday night, the Falcons fell to Northeastern by a 4-1 score.
The Huskies took a 1-0 lead 6:45 into the game on a goal by Chris Lerch. BG tied the game at one as Greg Day scored on a feed from Ryan Murphy at 15:56 of the opening period. Northeastern's Todd Barclay scored the game-winner with 21 seconds remaining in the first period on a Huskie power play.
Northeastern's Mike Ryan added two goals in the final period, the second coming into an empty-net.
Falcon rookie goalie Tom Lawson stopped 35 of 38 shots in his collegiate debut, while Huskie goalie Mike Gilhooly made 18 saves.
Bowling Green went zero-for-four with the man-advantage, while Northeastern scored on one of its three power-play chances.
FALCON TIDBITS ...
Adam Edinger enters the Broncos series needing one point to become the 64th player in Falcon hockey history to reach the 100 career point plateau. He has 99 points on 43 goals and 56 assists.
After losing two goalies to graduation last spring, a big question mark for the Falcons heading into this year was goaltending with only junior Shawn Timm (1-4-1, 4.93, .795) returning. Both rookie netminders made their collegiate debuts this past weekend in Boston. Tyler Masters stopped 41 of 46 shots in Friday's loss at No. 1 ranked Boston College. He only allowed two five-on-five goals. Classmate Tom Lawson made 35 saves on 38 shots in Saturday's defeat at Northeastern.
CCHA STATISTICAL COMPARISON...
In terms of overall statistics, Bowling Green is 12th team offense (1.50 gpg), while Western Michigan is tied-for-fourth (3.50 gpg). In team defense, the Falcons are 11th (4.50 gpg), with the Broncos ranked in a tie-for-third (2.25). BG's power play is 11th (1-for-12, .083), while WMU's power play is third (6-for-34, .176). The Falcon penalty killing is seventh (10-for-12, .833), with the Broncos ranking eighth (24-for-29, .828).
RADIO COVERAGE ...
Bowling Green fans can catch all Falcon games -- home or away -- on WBGU radio (88.1 FM). In his 11th season of calling play-by-play is Bartt Davis (BGSU, '95). Splitting time as color commentators are Steve Mears and Dave Crane.
