Bowling Green State University Athletics
BGSU Hosts Undefeated Union This Weekend (Oct. 24-25)
October 22, 2003 | Ice Hockey
Oct. 22, 2003
Bowling Green, Ohio -
Bowling Green Hosts Union in Two-Game Series
Bowling Green will play host to the Union Dutchmen this Friday and Saturday, Oct. 24-25, at the BGSU Ice Arena. The weekend series will be the first non-conference action for the Falcons this season.
Start Time Changed for Saturday, Oct. 25
The start time for Saturday's game vs. Union has been moved from 7:05 p.m. to 8:05 p.m. Friday's face-off is still scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
BGSU vs. Union
BGSU has faced Union only once before, skating to a 5-4 overtime win against the Dutchmen (Dec. 30, 1999) in the consolation game of the RPI/HSCB Holiday Invitational. The Dutchmen are a member of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).
Union Connection
Bowling Green assistant coach Kevin Patrick was an assistant at Union from 1998-2002. Patrick is currently in his second season on Scott Paluch's staff at BGSU.
Falcons Facing Tough Opponents From the Start
For the third week in a row, BGSU will be facing an opponent that has votes in one or both of the national polls. This week Union enters Bowling Green having received votes in both the USA Today and USCHO.com national polls. BGSU began the year on the road at Northern Michigan (votes in both polls) and faced Notre Dame last week (votes in USA Today poll).
Jordan Gettin' Siggy With It
JR Jordan Sigalet broke a 29-year-old school record of 55 saves set by Al Sarachman vs. Michigan State on Dec. 8, 1974, when he stopped 56 out of 59 shot attempts by the Irish on Oct. 17. The Surrey, British Columbia, native had 22 saves in the second and third periods each and also stopped 23 of 24 shots by Notre Dame on the power play. The 56 saves marked the ninth time in Sigalet's career he has recorded 40 or more saves in a game. His previous best was 48 saves (three times)
Defenseman Bieksa Getting Offensive
Senior defenseman Kevin Bieksa tied a career-high with three points (1g, 2a) in a 5-3 road victory at Notre Dame on Oct. 17. Bieksa scored the GWG at 3:18 of the third period. He helped the Falcon defense kill off 13 of Notre Dame's 14 power plays in the two games. Bieksa leads the Falcons with four points on the season (2g, 2a) and is among the top-scoring defensemen in the CCHA.
New Duds for Falcons
Bowling Green debuted new home sweaters, helmets, gloves and pants on Saturday, Oct. 18, in the 2003-04 home opener vs. Notre Dame. The primary color scheme of the home (dark) and away (light) sweaters is orange.
Streak Snapped vs. Notre Dame
BGSU snapped a six-game losing streak to Notre Dame on Oct. 17 with a 5-3 win at Joyce Center. It was the first road win vs. the Irish in nearly seven years (Jan. 11, 1997, 3-2) for the Falcons.
Falcon Firsts
Three Falcons registered their first collegiate point in a 5-3 win at Notre Dame on Oct. 17. FR James Unger netted his first collegiate goal while classmate Jonathan Sigalet earned an assist on the first goal of the game. SO Bryan Dobek, who did not play last season, earned his first collegiate point with an assist on the final goal of the game.
Ryan's Run Stopped at Three Games
BGSU's Ryan Minnabarriet had his three-game point streak snapped in the 3-0 loss on Saturday to Notre Dame. The junior had recorded two assists and a goal in the first three games of the season to tie his personal-best point streak.
McConvey Has Irish Eyes vs. Notre Dame
SR captain D'Arcy McConvey improved his career numbers vs. Notre Dame with a goal and assist last weekend vs. the Irish. In 12 games against Notre Dame, McConvey has six goals and seven assists. Four of those goals came his sophomore season, including three goals in the two-game series in South Bend.
Brotherly Love
Two brothers played in the same game for the Falcons for the first time since Brad and Brian Holzinger skated together in the 1994-95 season. JR Jordan Sigalet and FR Jonathan Sigalet took to the ice together for the first time in their hockey careers on Friday, Oct. 10, at NMU. Previous brothers to skate for the Falcons have been Bill, Bruce, and Tom Newton; Dan and Scott Bylsma; and Brad and Brian Holzinger. All three Newton brothers played together during the 1978-79 season. The Bylsma's were never teammates.
Sigalet Stops 45 Shots at NMU
JR Jordan Sigalet stopped 45 of 52 shots faced at Northern Michigan, including a game-high 30 in the season opener. He finished the weekend with a .865 save pct. Sigalet made 30-plus saves in 13 games last season
Bryan Dobek Becomes First Falcon "Legacy"
SO Bryan Dobek is the first second-generation Falcon to wear the Brown and Orange in the 34-year history of the program. Dobek is the son of former United States Olympian Bob Dobek. Senior Dobek played in Bowling Green from 1972-75 and was a member of the 1976 U.S. Olympic hockey team. Dobek was a two-time CCHA First-Team member and is the all-time leader at BGSU with 2.111 ppg. in 108 games played.
Several Close Shaves Last Season
Nearly half of BGSU's 36 games last year were decided by one goal or less (17). The Falcons posted a 5-9-3 record in those games a year ago, an improvement from the 2001-02 season when BGSU was 2-8-6 in games decided by one goal or less.
Falcons Spend Less Time in Penalty Box
BGSU ended the 2002-03 season with an average of 7.6 penalties and 17.22 PIM per game in 36 games played. Those numbers marked the lowest per game totals in 10 years for the Falcons. BGSU averaged 7.3 penalties and 16.1 PIM per game in the 1992-93 season. In the nine years between, the Falcons averaged 9.2 penalties and 21.1 PIM per game (348 games played). BGSU's 17.2 PIM per game ranked it 18th in the nation last year.
