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Bowling Green State University Athletics
BG Icers Travel To Northern Michigan This Weekend
October 30, 2000 | Ice Hockey
Oct. 30, 2000
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Bowling Green (1-4-1, 1-2-1) at Northern Michigan (4-1-2, 2-1-1)
7:05 p.m. - Friday, Nov. 3 and Saturday, Nov. 4Berry Events Center (3,902)
Series Record: BG leads 25-17-3
Last Meetings: BG 7-4, NM 3-2/Jan. 28-29 at BG
Friday Radio: WBVI-FM (96.7)
Saturday Radio: WBGU-FM (88.1)
SERIES HISTORY
The Bowling Green State University hockey team begins its six-game month-long road trip this weekend in Marquette, Michigan, against the NMU Wildcats. BG leads the all-time series with a 25-17-3 mark which includes an 11-10-2 record in Marquette. The Falcons have won three of their last five meetings including a split at NMU on Nov. 6-7, 1998 (BG 6-5, NMU 4-1). This series marks BG's first appearance in the Berry Events Center, which opened for the 1999-2000 campaign. BG has a 3-5 record against the Wildcats during Buddy Powers tenure including a 1-2 mark in Marquette.
POWERS IN SEVENTH SEASON AT BGSU
BG Coach Buddy Powers, the fourth mentor in the 31-year history of Falcon hockey, has compiled a mark of 111-109-16 as BG's bench boss in six-plus seasons. Now in his 13th year as a head coach, he has an overall career record of 231-180-31 (includes one season at RIT, and five seasons at RPI).
Powers served as bench boss 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.
PREVIEWING NORTHERN MICHIGAN
The Wildcats enter the BG series with a five-game unbeaten streak (4-0-1) after winning twice at Minnesota-Duluth (7-1, 8-3) last weekend.
NMU head coach Rick Comley moved into seventh place on college hockey's all-time win list last Friday. He has 557 career wins in 28-plus seasons as a head coach. The only head coach in NMU history has led the program to a 498-405-61 mark.
Chris Gobert had a hat trick in last Friday's win against the UMD Bulldogs, while Chad Theuer tallied one goal and a career-high five assists in Saturday's victory.
The Wildcats have outscored their opposition 31-18 this season including 12-2 in the third period. Theuer leads the team in scoring with 11 points on three goals and eight assists, and is followed by Terry Harrison (5-4--9) and Fred Mattersdorfer (3-5--8). Craig Kowalski (3-0-1, 2.20, .909) and Dan Ragusett (1-1-1, 2.92, .894) have both seen time in the NMU cage.
REVIEWING THE ALASKA FAIRBANKS SERIES
BG rallied from a 1-0 deficit on a Curtis Valentine goal with 9:35 left in the third period for a 1-1 overtime tie against visiting Alaska Fairbanks Saturday night at the BGSU Ice Arena.
The Nanooks took a 1-0 lead 10:20 into the contest on a power-play goal by Blaine Bablitz, while Dennis Williams was serving a slashing penalty. Bablitz scored on a rebound after BG goalie Tyler Masters stopped Jim Lawrence's initial shot. Daniel Carriere garnered the second assist on the play.
UAF outshot BG 34-28 in the game including a 13-7 advantage in the opening 20 minutes. The Nanooks held a 27-13 lead in shots on goal through two periods before the Falcons outshot the guests 10-7 in the third period and 5-0 in overtime.
Valentine's goal was his first of the campaign and came during a BG power play as Chad Hamilton was in the box for roughing. Greg Day started the Falcon scoring play with a pass to blueliner Brian Escobedo who found Ryan Fultz alone to the right of UAF netminder Lance Mayes. Fultz's pass to an open Valentine in front of the net gave him time to make a move on Mayes.
Bowling Green converted one of nine power-play opportunities, while UAF scored once in its six man-advantage chances. Masters finished with 33 saves in the Falcon cage, with Mayes turning aside 27 BG shots.
BG recorded its first win of the season with a 4-2 triumph over visiting Alaska Fairbanks Friday at the BGSU Ice Arena.
After a scoreless first period, UAF's Jim Lawrence scored on a Nanook power play 40 seconds into the middle stanza. BG's Greg Day notched his fourth of the season at the 11:03 mark off assists from Ryan Fultz and Curtis Valentine to tie the game at one.
BG defenseman Grady Moore scored his first of the year during a Falcon power play at 12:55 with Brian Escobedo and Fultz garnering the assists. UAF pulled even at two with 3:36 left in the second period on a power-play goal by Troy Herman.
Falcon senior Ryan Murphy tallied his first of the campaign 2:54 into the third period as he redirected a shot by Kevin Bieksa. Fultz completed the scoring with his first of the year at 10:38 as Escobedo and Valentine assisted on the play.
Both teams were two-for-seven with the man-advantage, while BG held a 27-21 lead in shots on goal. BG netminder Tyler Masters made 19 saves while allowing just two power-play goals. UAF goalie Preston McKay turned aside 23 Falcon shots.
FALCON TIDBITS
Sophomore forward Ryan Fultz led the Falcon offense against Alaska Fairbanks with one goal and three assists. He had a goal and two assists in Friday's win and the primary assist on BG's lone goal in Saturday's tie with the Nanooks.
Sophomore netminder Tyler Masters stopped 52 of 55 Nanook shots (.945 save percentage), while allowing only three power-play goals in 125 minutes.
Freshman defenseman Brian Escobedo had three power-play assists on the weekend, as the Falcons scored on three of 16 man-advantage opportunities. BG had one power-play goal in 29 chances through the first four games.
Senior forward Curtis Valentine assisted on BG's first and fourth goals on Friday and scored the game-tying marker on Saturday, to tie his career-high with three points in a series. He currently leads the squad in plus/minus at +2.
Junior Greg Day scored four straight BG goals (all three vs. Michigan on Oct. 22, and the first goal of the weekend against UAF). Five other Falcons have one goal apiece.
THE LAST TIME AGAINST NMU
BG scored the last four goals of the first period after falling behind 1-0 and went on to defeat the visiting Wildcats 7-4 on Jan. 28 at the BGSU Ice Arena.
Greg Day had two second period goals, while Ryan Fultz and Scott Hewson each added a goal and an assist in the contest. Tyler Masters made 21 saves in the game, with Shawn Timm stopping three of four shots during the second period.
The next night, NMU posted a 3-2 win. Ryan Fultz and Adam Edinger scored power-play goals for BG, while Tyler Masters made 34 saves.
