Bowling Green State University Athletics
BGSU Hockey to Kick-Off 2003-04 Season
October 08, 2003 | Ice Hockey
Oct. 8, 2003
Bowling Green, Ohio -
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Bowling Green Kicks Off 2003-04 Season at Northern Michigan (Oct. 10-11)
Bowling Green begins the 2003-04 hockey season this weekend (Oct. 10-11) with a two-game Central Collegiate Hockey Association series at Northern Michigan in Marquette, Mich. Both games are schedule for a 7:35 p.m. face-off and can be heard on 88.1 FM, WBGU and on www.BGSUFALCONS.com. It will be the season-opener for the Wildcats, as well.
BGSU vs. Northern Michigan
This weekend will mark the second time in three years the Falcons have kicked off league play in Marquette, Mich. BGSU leads the overall series vs. the Wildcats (29-20-5) and have won three straight by the combined score of 14-5. In Marquette, the Falcons have a record of 12-12-4, while at home BGSU is 16-8-1 against the Wildcats. The Falcons are 1-0-0 in the one neutral-site meeting. BGSU swept the two-game series last year with NMU (3-2/5-3) at the BGSU Ice Arena. The first meeting between the two schools was a 3-2 Falcon victory on Nov. 12, 1976.
Falcons and Season Openers
BGSU won last year's season-opener vs. Niagara at the Lefty McFadden Invitational (4-2). That was the first season-opening victory for the Falcons in four years. Over the past 10 seasons, BGSU is 6-4 in season-openers.
Career Numbers vs. Northern Michigan...
SR D'Arcy McConvey has 0-4--4 in nine career games
SR Kevin Bieksa has 2-2--4 in eight career games
SR Brian Escobedo has 2-2--4 in nine career games
JR Ryan Minnabarriet has 2-2--4 in six career games
JR Steve Brudzewski has 1-2--3 in six career games
SO Mike Falk has 0-3--3 in two career games
JR Jordan Sigalet has 2.50 gaa., .923 save pct., and one assist in two games
Recent Bowling Green Games...
Oct. 3 - BGSU 9, Windsor 2
Bowling Green used 47 shot attempts and three players with two goals to roll over visiting University of Windsor in an exhibition game Oct. 3, 9-2, at the BGSU Ice Arena. Ryan Barnett, Bryan Dobek, and Mark Wires each netted two goals for the Falcons. SO Bryan Dobek put the Falcons on the scoreboard at just 3:17 of the first period with assists from D'Arcy McConvey and Dana Hanson. After Windsor's Alex White answered just over one minute later (4:43) to knot the game at 1-1, BGSU scored five unanswered goals to build its lead to 6-1. Starting goalie Jordan Sigalet played 34:52 with two goals allowed and 10 saves. SO Bob Frazee (13:13, one save) and FR Bobby Pruchnik (11:55, two saves) finished between the pipes for BGSU. Six different Falcons netted goals, including Steve Brudzewski, James Unger, and Ryan Minnabarriet. Besides two goals, SO Ryan Barnett ended with two assists, as well. McConvey and Kevin Bieksa also had two helpers.
Falcons to Debut New Jerseys
BGSU will debut its new road (light) jerseys at Northern Michigan on Friday, Oct. 10. The Falcons will be donning new pants, sweaters, gloves and helmets this season. BGSU will debut its new home (dark) jerseys on Saturday, Oct. 18, vs. Notre Dame in the season's home opener. The predominant color in both the home and away jerseys will be orange.
Returning Firepower for the Falcons
BGSU returns its top three scorers from a year ago, including forwards D'Arcy McConvey, Mark Wires, and defenseman Kevin Bieksa. A year ago at this time, only one of the top-five scorers from the 2001-02 season were coming back. Also, JR goalie Jordan Sigalet returns as the man between the posts after playing in 20 out of 36 games last season (3.28 gaa., .910 save pct.). In all, 18 letterwinners return for second-year coach Scott Paluch.
Falk Looks to Carry Over Freshman Numbers
SO Mike Falk led all Falcon freshmen a year ago in goals (11), assists (11), points (22) and PPGs (four). Two of his 11 goals were game-winners that came in the final seconds of action. On Jan. 21, Falk scored the GWG with 13 seconds remaining in the third period vs. Wayne State (4-3 win), and on March 1 at Lake Superior, Falk scored with just nine seconds remaining in overtime (3-2 win).
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 All-American and 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. He is the all-time leader at BGSU with 2.111 ppg. in 108 games played.
Sigalet Moving Up the Charts
JR Jordan Sigalet enters his third year at Bowling Green tied for the school's career record in save pct. with a .909 pct. in 33 games and 1865:28 minutes played. He posted a .910 save pct. his sophomore campaign and a .909 save pct. his freshman year. His .910 save pct. last year tied him for fourth-best among CCHA goalies and 25th nationally.
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.
Brotherly Love
Jonathan and Jordan Sigalet will become the fourth brother combination to wear the Brown and Orange this season. 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 and the Holzinger brothers played together in the 1994-95 season. The Bylsma's were never teammates.
