Bowling Green State University Athletics
Hockey Travels To The Joe
March 15, 2001 | Ice Hockey
March 15, 2001
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CCHA Championship Semifinals
#9 Bowling Green (16-18-5, 8-15-5 CCHA) vs. #1 Mich. St. (30-4-4, 22-4-3 CCHA)
5:00 p.m. Friday, March 16
Series Record: MSU leads 22-50-8
Last Meetings: at BG, tie 3-3/MSU 3-1, Dec. 1-2, 2000
Friday Radio: WBVI-FM (96.7)
CCHA CHAMPIONSHIP SEMIFNAL HISTORY
Bowling Green returns to the CCHA Championship Semifinals for the first time since the 1996-97 season. The Falcons are five-time winners of the league's postseason tournament, having been crowned champions in 1972-73, 1976-77, 1977-78, 1978-79, and 1987-88. BG last faced Michigan State in the semifinal round defeating the Spartans 6-4 in 1988 enroute to their last title.
BOWLING GREEN AT JOE LOUIS ARENA
The Falcons have an all-time record of 7-20-0 at Joe Louis Arena, including league playoff games and Great Lakes Invitational (GLI) contests.
Bowling Green has met Michigan State at Joe Louis Arena seven times, compiling a 1-6 mark. Four of those Spartan wins have come in overtime.
POWERS IN SEVENTH SEASON AT BGSU
BGSU coach Buddy Powers, the fourth mentor in the history of Falcon hockey, has compiled a mark of 126-123-20 as BGSU's bench boss in six-plus seasons. Now in his 13th year as a head coach, he has an overall career record of 246-194-35 (includes one season at RIT, and five seasons at RPI).
Powers served as 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 LAST TIME
Michigan State tied (3-3) and beat (3-1) the Falcons at the BGSU Ice Arena on December 1-2, 2000.
MSU received goals from Andrew Bogle, Sean Patchell, and Brian Maloney in the 3-3 tie Friday night. Curtis Valentine, Ryan Murphy, and Ryan Fultz provided offense for the Falcons. Ryan Miller stopped 18 shots in net for the Spartans, while Tyler Masters made 29 saves for BG.
Adam Hall, Jeremy Jackson, and Brian Maloney each put in goals for Michigan State on Saturday night. Bowling Green's Mark Wires scored a shorthanded goal for the lone Falcon tally. Masters stopped 28 shots, while his counterpart Miller made 18 saves at the opposite end of the rink.
FALCON TIDBITS
The Falcons are the only team in CCHA playoff history to have a winning road record (16-12-2). BG has won first round playoff series at Michigan (1989), Western Michigan (1993, 1996 ), Lake Superior State (1997, 2000), and Miami (2001, OT).
Of the 41 overtime games in CCHA playoff history, BG has played the most (18) compiling a 8-10 mark. Michigan State is next with 11 OT contests. Bowling Green has participated in 10 of the CCHA's 12 longest tournament games. BG has 54 CCHA playoff wins, to rank second behind MSU's 60, while BG's five tournament titles is second to MSU's nine.
BGSU has now won five consecutive games, each by a single goal. The Falcons have captured six of the last seven contests.
Tyler Masters stopped 70 shots (34, 36) in the two game sweep of Miami this past weekend, including 19 in the first period of Thursday night's game. Masters made 37 saves in Tuesday's win over Northern Michigan.
Greg Day has a point in 14 of the last 18 matches, and 19 of the last 24. Day has 11 goals, 23 assists (34 points) in his last 24 contests.
Ryan Murphy has scored five points (3-2--5) in his last three games. Murphy leads the team with 23 goals and 11 power-play goals.
With two points at NMU, Ryan Wetterberg now has eight on the year, with five of those points coming in the last five games.
Only five players have seen action in all 39 contests this year with BG's losing 57 man-games to injuries.
REVIEWING NORTHERN MICHIGAN
BGSU became the lowest seed ever to advance to the semifinal round of the CCHA Championships, after posting a 2-1 overtime victory against Northern Michigan University in the CCHA Play-in game.
Tuesday's win marked the second time in as many games that the Falcons advanced by scoring in the extra frame. Ryan Wetterberg continued his recent hot streak, as he opened the scoring 14:23 into the game. Wetterberg received a pass from Austin de Luis and cut inside, sliding a backhand shot past NMU netminder Dan Ragusett for his second goal of the year.
NMU would rally to tie things up in the middle frame. Wildcat captain Mike Sandbeck scored his third goal of the campaign, a power-play tally on a shot from the point at 12:27.
NMU and BG would play to a draw in the third period to send the game into overtime. It was Northern Michigan's third extra-period match of the playoffs and Bowling Green's second.
With the puck deep in the Bowling Green zone, Wetterberg raced along the boards to reach it before a Wildcat defender. Wetterberg was able to pass the puck out to Dennis Williams in the slot, who beat Ragusett at 14:54 of the extra period to seal the win for the Falcons. For Williams, the goal was his second of the year, and his first against a CCHA opponent.
Sophomore Tyler Masters made 37 saves in net for BG, while Ragusett stopped 27 shots for the Wildcats. Northern went 1-1 on the power play, while the Falcons were 0-1.
REVIEWING THE MIAMI SERIES
Bowling Green swept Miami in the first playoff meeting between the two teams, winning 4-3 Thursday and 4-3 (OT) Friday at Goggin Ice Arena. With the sweep, BG eliminated Miami from the playoffs and served the RedHawks their first series loss on home ice in the program's history. In game 1, defenseman Marc Barlow would give BG a 1-0 lead with his fifth goal of the season. Barlow was positioned in front of the net and knocked the puck past Miami netminder David Burleigh after corralling a rebound off a Ryan Murphy shot. Greg Day also helped set up the play.
Miami would answer less than two minutes later, with Pat Leahy posting his 12th score on the year at 15:23. Mike Glumac and Nick Jardine were awarded helpers on the play.
MU's Evan Cheverie would be the lone goal scorer in the middle frame, netting his 12th at 3:47. Assists were given to Chris Knupp and Anthony Donskov.
The Falcons were not about to call it quits, although Miami led 3-1 with 15 minutes to go in the contest. BG would mount a dramatic comeback, sparked by their third line. Austin de Luis, Tyler Knight, and Ryan Wetterberg have been responsbile for 5 points over the past two games, and they continued to be hot Thursday, with Knight netting his fourth goal of the season to fire up the team. Wetterberg started the play, pulling the puck off the boards and centering out to defenseman Doug Schueller. Schueller passed it ahead to Knight, who put the puck behind Burleigh at 5:48.
BG's top line of Ryan Murphy, Greg Day, and Scott Hewson would combine to tie the game at three a piece. Freshman Brian Escobedo started the play by breaking up a Miami pass in the defensive zone. He carried the puck and a RedHawk defender up ice, breaking into the offensive end. Greg Day came in to help Escobedo and got the puck up ahead to Murphy.
The senior winger skated behind the net and tried to score on a wraparound, but Burleigh was able to get his stick down and keep the puck out. In the meantime, Hewson had planted himself in the crease and was able to knock the loose puck past Burleigh at 10:22.
With time winding down, Murphy put the Falcons ahead for the first time since the opening goal. Murphy's team leading 21st of the year came off a deflection of a Grady Moore shot. Greg Day also garnered an assist on Murphy's power-play marker, scored at 15:36.
Falcon goaltender Tyler Masters stopped 34 RedHawk shots, including 19 in the first period to earn the win for BG. Burleigh made 22 saves in net for Miami. Bowling Green's power play was successful once in three chances, while their penalty kill held the RedHawks scoreless during their three man-advantage opportunities.
The Falcons completed the upset sweep Friday night in overtime. The game was a low scoring affair through the first two periods, with Miami carrying a 1-0 lead at the beginning of the third. BG's Kevin Bieksa scored to tie it, and Ryan Murphy scored shortly thereafter to put the Falcons in the lead.
After Miami tied it at two, Murphy would again score to put BG up by one. Miami evened the game at three with less than two minutes remaining in regulation to send the match to overtime.
Bowling Green defenseman Grady Moore sealed the sweep for the Falcons with his third goal of the season at 9:55 of the extra period.
David Burleigh stopped 22 Falcon shots, while Tyler Masters made 36 saves on 39 RedHawk shots. Bowling Green's power play scored two goals in six chances, while Miami was successful once in eight opportunities.
