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Bowling Green State University Athletics
Icers Prepare For First Round Of CCHA Tournament
March 07, 2000 | Ice Hockey
March 7, 2000
FALCON ICERS TRAVEL TO LAKE SUPERIOR FOR FIRST ROUND OF THE 2000 CCHA TOURNAMENT
The Bowling Green State University hockey team, after splitting against fourth-ranked Michigan (1-3, 6-3) this past weekend, will play a best two-of-three first round CCHA tournament series at Lake Superior this weekend. Game time all three nights (Sunday if necessary) is 7:05 p.m. This marks the 27th time in the 29-year history of the CCHA that the Falcons have participated in the league's post-season tournament.
CCHA TOURNAMENT FORMAT ...
The 2000 Central Collegiate Hockey Association tournament format consists of five best two-of-three first round series the weekend of March 10-12. The five on-campus winners are re- seeded based on regular-season standings with the #5 seed playing at the #4 seed in a single elimination game on Tuesday, March 14.
The March 14 winner will join the top three qualifying seeds for the CCHA Finals at Joe Louis Arena on Friday and Saturday, March 17-18.
The 2000 CCHA Awards Banquet will be held on Thursday, March 16 in Detroit's historic Fox Theatre. Tickets are $45 for dinner and awards presentation. Tickets for the awards presentation only are available for $15. All tickets may be purchased by calling the CCHA Office at (248) 888-0600.
THE COACH ...
Falcon mentor Buddy Powers is tied-for-81st place on the NCAA all-time win list with 228 victories. He is tied with current New Hampshire coach Dick Umile (90-present). They trail Fairfield's John McCarthy (1974-96) by one win. 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.
Powers has compiled a 12-8-0 record versus Lake Superior including a mark of 7-5-0 against the Lakers in the Soo.
THE SERIES ...
Bowling Green leads in the all-time series versus Lake Superior with a 58-50-4 mark. Over the last two seasons, BG has a 3-2 record against LSSU, including a 1-1 mark this year (LS won 7-5 on Nov. 26, BG won 1-0 on Nov. 27).
The Falcons are 7-3-0 in their last 10 games against LSSU in the Soo, and 9-4-0 overall in the last 13 meetings.
BG has a 7-6 mark in the CCHA tournament against the Lakers, outscoring LS 60-51. The Falcons won a 1997 first round series in Sault Ste. Marie (5-3, 8-4), avenging a 1996 7-0 semi-final loss to LSSU at Joe Louis Arena.
The Lakers won a 1993 quarterfinal game at The Joe, 7-1, behind Brian Rolston and Blaine Lacher, and a 1990 semi-final contest at JLA, 4-2.
BG won the two previous games against the Lakers in Detroit - 1988 championship game (5-3), and the 1986 consolation game (3-0). LSSU won a 4-1 decision in the 1985 semi-final game.
In terms of post-season games held at campus sites, BG won a 13-10 (7-3, 6-7) total-goals series in 1984 at home, and an 18-3 (12-2, 6-1) total-goals series in BG in 1979.
The first CCHA post-season meeting between the two schools was in the 1975 tournament held at St. Louis. The Lakers won the semi-final contest 6-4 behind Rob Clemmens and Pat Tims.
PREVIEWING LAKE SUPERIOR ...
Lake Superior won its last three games of the regular season to climb into the third spot in the final CCHA standings. Last weekend, the Lakers took both ends of a home-and-home series against Northern Michigan (4-3, 3-1).
The Lakers are led in scoring by Ryan Vince (6-16--22), Ryan Knox (4-16--20), Jeremy Bachusz (10-9--19) and Jason Nightingale (9-10--19). Bachusz has a team-best four power- play goals, while Ben Keup has a team-high 13 goals.
Goaltender Jayme Platt (18-11-2, 2.39, .927) has played all but 150 minutes in the LSSU net this season.
LSSU scored 27 power-play goals during the regular-season in 216 chances (12.5%), and allowed 31 man-advantage markers in 232 opportunities (86.6%).
REVIEWING THE MICHIGAN SERIES ...
Bowling Green earned a hard-fought split against the fourth- ranked Michigan Wolverines last weekend by winning in Ann Arbor 6-3 on March 4. UM claimed a 3-1 victory at the BGSU Ice Arena on March 3.
Michigan scored twice in a three-minute span late in the first period in Friday's contest to take a 2-0 lead at the first intermission. Jay Vancik scored a four-on-four goal at the 15:50 mark, while Scott Matzka, who had the lone assist on Vancik's goal, scored short-handed at 18:12.
BG would score the only goal of the middle stanza when Adam Edinger tallied his 14th of the campaign during a five-on-five situation (the only five-on-five goal in the game). Edinger's lamp-lighter was assisted by Craig Desjarlais and Ryan Murphy.
Wolverine blueliner Jeff Jillson scored the lone power-play goal of the contest at the 10:13 mark of the third period to complete the scoring.
BG goalie Tyler Masters made 18 saves, while Michigan's Josh Blackburn was credited with 20 stops as each team had 21 shots on goal. The Falcons went 0-for-8 on the power play, while Michigan converted on one of its six man-advantage opportunities.
The Falcons completed their 1999-2000 regular-season with a 6-3 victory at fourth-ranked Michigan Saturday night.
The victory snapped a 15-game Falcon losing streak at Michigan's Yost Ice Arena dating back to a 4-3 BG win on February 8, 1992 (Brian Holzinger tallied the game-winning goal in that Falcon victory).
BG jumped out to a 2-0 lead on the Wolverines in the first period as freshman netminder Tyler Masters stopped all 12 Michigan shots. Freshman right wing Ryan Fultz scored the first goal of the contest at the 14:34 mark during the Falcons' fourth power play of the period. Fultz's 16th of the campaign was assisted by Curtis Valentine and Adam Edinger.
Forty seconds later, Austin de Luis lit the lamp to put the Falcons in front 2-0. De Luis scored into an empty Michigan cage as Wolverine goalie Josh Blackburn had come out to cut down the angle on a blueline blast by Michael Jones. Jones' shot went wide and caromed directly to de Luis. Scott Hewson garnered the second assist on de Luis' seventh of the year.
Marc Barlow banked in his fourth of the year off a Wolverine defenseman at the 6:39 mark to give BG a 3-0 lead. Michigan responded at 14:35 on Scott Matzka's first of the game.
Greg Day, who earlier had assisted on Barlow's goal, scored during a four-on-four situation 1:37 into the third period to re-establish BG's three-goal advantage. Michigan's John Shouneyia scored a power-play goal at 4:31 to cut BG's lead to 4-2.
Scott Hewson scored at 14:21 and Craig Desjarlais scored during a 5-on-3 Falcon power play at 15:55. Matzka completed the scoring with a short-handed goal at 19:08.
Masters made 26 saves in the contest, while Blackburn stopped 24 BG shots. The Falcons went two-for-nine with the man-advantage, with Michigan scoring once in its 10 power play chances.
FALCON NOTES ...
BG's defense limited the nation's third-best offense (of teams in the four major conferences) to three goals each night, one below Michigan's average of 4.08. The Falcon penalty-killing unit stopped 14 of the Wolverines 16 power-play chances (87.5%). UM was 10th in the country in power-play efficiency (19.8%).
Bowling Green also did it offensively scoring seven times against the nation's fifth-ranked defense (Michigan went into the weekend allowing 2.29 goals per contest).
BG has scored at least two power-play goals in a game in three of its last four contests.
Senior center Adam Edinger increased his point-streak to five games by scoring the lone BG goal on Friday and assisting on the first Falcon lamp-lighter on Saturday.
Freshman goalie Tyler Masters has won two of his last three decisions, while stopping exactly 90.0% (63 of 70) of the opponents shots.
BG senior blueliner B.J. Adams reached the 300 career penalty minute mark in Saturday's game at Michigan. He his only the seventh Falcon to reach the 300 plateau. Adams also leads BG in plus/minus this year at +8.
Freshman wing Ryan Fultz scored the first goal of the game in Saturday's victory at Yost, giving him five goals in the last five games, and increasing his team-leading total to 16. He also has a team-high seven power-play goals.
After scoring two points (one goal, one assist) in his first 14 games, senior defenseman Michael Jones has recorded 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in his last 17 games.
Sophomore defenseman Grady Moore has three assists in the last four games and is BG's top-scoring blueliner this season with 24 points on seven goals and 17 assists. He has been on the ice for 60 of BG's 109 goals.
Sophomore forward Greg Day has seven multiple-point games this season, including two of the last three contests. Day scored his team-leading third game-winner in Saturday's triumph at Michigan. He is third on the squad in both goals (13) and assists (15), and second in points (28).
Second-year wing Austin de Luis had a goal and an assist on Saturday increasing his season total to 21 points on seven goals and 14 assists. In his rookie campaign, he had four goals and three assists.
BG IN THE CCHA TOURNAMENT ...
Bowling Green is the only school in the history of the league to have a .500 playoff road record (11-11-2). The Falcons have won first round road playoff series at Michigan (1989 - 6-4, 1-4, 3-2 3OT), Western Michigan (1993 - 5-4, 6-3, 1996 - 8-1, 3-1) and Lake Superior (1997 - 5-3, 8-4).
Of the 34 overtime games in CCHA playoff history, BG has played the most (15) compiling a 5-10 mark. Michigan State is next with 10 OT contests. Bowling Green has participated in 10 of the CCHA's 12 longest tournament games.
BG has 49 CCHA playoff wins, to rank second behind MSU's 54, while BG's five tournament titles is second to MSU's eight.
CCHA TOURNAMENT PAIRINGS ...
#10 Western Michigan at #1 Michigan #9 Miami at #2 Michigan State #8 BOWLING GREEN at #3 Lake Superior #7 Nebraska Omaha at #4 Northern Michigan #6 Ferris State at #5 Notre Dame
