Falcons Travel To Omaha For Fifth-Place Battle With The Mavs

Feb. 12, 2008

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University hockey team will head west this weekend when they travel to Omaha, Nebraska to take on the Mavericks of Nebraska-Omaha in a big fifth-place showdown. UNO currently sits just two points ahead of the Falcons in fifth-place in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association standings as they enter the week with 24 league points, while the Falcons, who are coming off a home split against Alaska, sit just behind in sixth-place with 22 points. Last season the two teams met six times with UNO coming out victorious in each meeting. This weekend will be the 13th and 14th meetings between the two teams in the last four seasons as they will drop the puck at 8:05 p.m. both nights from Omaha's Civic Auditorium.

Complete Release in PDF Format (45 Pages)

Games #29-30
Bowling Green at Nebraska-Omaha

Feb. 15-16, 2008  Civic Auditorium, 8:05 p.m.

RECORDS: BGSU 14-14-0, 11-11-0 CCHA // UNO 13-13-4, 10-10-4 CCHA
RADIO:WBGU (88.1): Danny Nieves (Play-by-Play)

RADIO BROADCAST
Friday and Saturday night's action between the Falcons and Mavericks can be heard by tuning into WBGU 88.1 FM. Danny Nieves will be providing all the play-by-play of the action. A pregame show will air 30 minutes prior to the opening face-off. The broadcast can be heard locally on WBGU 88.1 FM and globally on both www.bgsufalcons.com and www.bgrso.org.
LIVE STATS
Live stats for Friday and Saturday's games will be available at www.bgsufalcons.com via gametracker, which can be found on the team's schedule page.
THE OPENING FACEOFF (STORYLINES)
Back On Track
 After gaining a split with Alaska this past weekend at the BGSU Ice Arena, the Falcons have now guaranteed themselves an 11th-place or higher finish in the 2007-08 CCHA standings. With a few more points this weekend, BG could possibly clinch a ninth-place finish or higher if Lake Superior State and Ohio State fail to get more points on the weekend. Only 12 points remain up for grabs between the three teams as the Falcons have a nine-point spread on the Lakers and a 10-point spread on the Buckeyes. BG's 14 wins this season are already the most they've had the past three seasons as they are just two wins shy of their 16-win total from 2004-05 when they finished fifth and hosted their first home playoff series in over a decade. The Falcons are also just three wins shy of tying their highest win total in the last 10 seasons, which came back in both the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 campaigns when they won 17 games. BG was picked to finish 12th this season both preseason CCHA polls.
Whitmore Closing In On Some Falcon Career Lists
 Falcon senior forward and tri-captain Derek Whitmore is in the midst of having one of the Falcons' best offensive seasons in the last 20 years as he has tallied a career-high 23 goals in 28 games this season, while also adding five assists. His 23 goals are tied with former Falcons Rob Blake, Adam Edinger, Mike Hall, Ryan Murphy, Marc Potvin and Sean Pronger for the 11th-best single-season total in the last two decades. It is then tied for the second-best total in the last 11 years as only Mike Johnson had more when he tallied 30 goals in the 1996-97 season. Falcon great and Hobey Baker Award winner Brian Holzinger had 35 goals in 1994-95 to rank as the top total in the last 20 years. With just two more goals this year, Whitmore will finish his career on the BGSU's top-20 career list for goals in a career, tying the likes of Rich Nagai (1972-76), Curtis Fry (1993-97) and Peter Wilson (1980-84) with 68 career goals. Fry was the last to reach the list during the 1996-97 season. Whitmore, with 94 career points, is also just six points away from becoming the 69th-player in Falcon history to hit the 100-point plateau. His former teammate and classmate, Jonathan Matsumoto, was the last player wearing the orange and brown to accomplish the career feat when he finished up his career with 113 points last season. Matsumoto was the first to hit 100 career points in three seasons after D'Arcy McConvey did so in 2004.
Early Leads Have Meant Everything
 Getting the game's first goal is always important in setting the tone for a game, but no more so has it been important for the Falcon hockey team this season. When tallying the game's first goal this season, BG is 12-2-0, while they are the exact opposite at 2-12-0 when they allow their opposition the first point. BG has lost a game just once when leading at the first intermission this season, which came in game one of the Badger Hockey Showdown in Madison, Wis. against Northeastern. BG led 2-0 at the end of the first 20 minutes, but were out-scored 4-1 in the game's final 40 minutes to lose 4-3. BG is 2-8-0 when trailing heading into the first intermission locker room and 0-5-0 when tied after 20.
A FALCON VICTORY OR LOSS WOULD ...
VICTORY
 Would give the Falcons their first win over the Mavericks in nine games.
 Would stop a six-game skid in games played in Omaha.
 Would give BG its' ninth game one win in a CCHA series on the season as they are 8-2-0 in game on coming in.
 Would give the Falcons their ninth road win of the year, equalling a new regular-season high under Scott Paluch and tying for the most in a regular-season in the last 13 years.
 Could clinch a ninth-place finish or higher in the final regular-season standings.
 Would tie the Falcons for fifth-place with the Mavs at 24 league points.
 Would put the Falcons in position for their first sweep of UNO since November of 2005.
 Would put BG in position for their first-ever sweep in Nebraska as the most they've taken from UNO at home was three points in 2003-04.
 Would put BG just one win shy of their win total in 2004-05, both overall and in league play.
LOSS
 Would put the Falcons in position to get swept by the Mavericks for the fifth-straight time.
 Would be the Falcons ninth-straight in the series.
 Would be just the second time that BG was under .500 in league play since losing their league-opener to Notre Dame.
 Would be just their third in game one of a CCHA series.
 Could move BG into a three-way tie for the last home ice slot in the first round of the playoffs and just one point away from ninth-place.
A LOOK AT THE FALCONS
The Falcons of sixth-year head coach Scott Paluch currently sit at 14-14-0 overall with a 11-11-0 mark in the CCHA, which currently has them in sixth-place, two points behind Nebraska-Omaha in fifth ... they are 8-7-0 on the road this season, 6-6-0 at home and 0-1-0 in neutral site contests ... BG comes into the weekend 2-3 in their last five and 5-5 in their last 10 ... overall on the season, nine of the Falcons' 13 losses came to ranked opponents as they are 1-9 against ranked opponents and 13-5 against non-ranked foes ... the Falcons however, have only lost five games all season decided by three goals or more ... leading the way for the Falcons in the scoring column is senior forward Derek Whitmore (23-5-28), while freshman forward Jacob Cepis sits just four points back with a line of 12-12-24 ... Whitmore leads the team with 23 goals scored, while Cepis is second on the team with 12 ... on the blue line, the Falcons are led by junior defenseman Kevin Schmidt who has 20 points this season on four goals and 16 assists ... senior defenseman Mike Nesdill and junior Tim Maxwell each then have 14 points ... in net, BG has gotten 13 starts from junior goaltender Jimmy Spratt and 14 from freshman Nick Eno as the two have combined for a 2.88 goals-against average and a .895 save percentage ... against non-ranked opponents though, the duo has combined for a 2.32 GAA and a .913 save percentage ... the Falcons came into the season returning 20 letterwinners, including 11 forwards, seven defensemen and two goalies ... they also welcomed in seven newcomers, including five forwards, one defenseman and one goalie .. overall BG returned 73% of their goals from last season and 78% of their points.
A LOOK AT THE MAVERICKS
The Mavericks of 11th-year head coach Mike Kemp are currently 13-13-4 on the year with a CCHA record of 10-10-4 ... UNO is currently sitting in fifth-place in the CCHA standings, four points behind Notre Dame in fourth and just two in front of the Falcons in sixth ... like the Falcons at times, the road has been a kinder place to the Mavericks this season as they are 8-6-0 on the road, 5-7-4 at home and 0-0-0 in neutral site games ... this weekend's games at the Civic Auditorium will be the Mavs first two played at their old home this season as they first played at the venue on Oct. 17, 1997 ... the Civic Auditorium was home to the Mavs for their first six seasons as a program, before they moved to Qwest Center Omaha for the 2003-04 season ... if UNO were to host first round playoff games, the games would be held at the Civic Auditorium as concerts fill the schedule at Qwest Center Omaha ... the Mavs come into this weekend fresh off taking three points at home from Ohio State as the two teams tied 3-3 on Friday, before UNO rebounded with a 5-2 victory on Saturday ... sophomore defenseman Eddie Del Grosso was named CCHA Defensive Player of the Week in the weekend effort as he tallied two goals and an assist on the weekend, including the game-winning goal in Saturday's contest ... Del Grosso was aided in the two games by forwards Mick Lawrence and Dan Charleston who also had three points on the weekend ... Lawrence had a goal and two assists on Saturday, while Charleston assisted on thee of the Mavs' five goals ... backstopping the effort was junior goaltender Jerad Kaufman who stopped 51-of-56 Buckeye shots he faced in the two games .... UNO was 4-for-13 with the man-advantage on the weekend, which included a 4-for-9 effort on Saturday ... overall on the season, the Mavs now have 11 games with at least two power-play goals or more , including four with three or more ... the Mavs' penalty-kill held the Buckeyes then to a 1-for-12 effort on the power play ... UNO is led up front by senior forward Bryan Marshall who has 43 points on the season thanks to 13 goals and 30 assists ... senior forward Mick Lawrence leads the team with 18 goals scored with 13 coming on the power play ... on the blue line, it has been sophomore Eddie Del Grosso leading the way as he has 20 points on seven goals and 13 helpers ... Juha Uotila is second amongst the defensive core members with a line of 1-11-12 ... in net, the Mavs have gotten 21 games out of junior netminder Jerad Kaufman who has a 11-7-3 record with a 2.89 goals-against average and an .889 save percentage ... UNO is 6-3-1 in their last 10 contests.
The NEBRASKA-OMAHA SERIES
This weekend's meetings between the Falcons and Mavericks will be the 28th and 29th between the two schools and the 13th and 14th meetings in the last four years ... last season the two squads met six times with the Mavericks coming away victorious in all six games, including a first round sweep of BG in the playoffs at the Qwest Center Omaha for the second-straight season with UNO being the fifth-seed and the Falcons being the 12th ... BG is 2-8-0 against the Mavericks in the last 10 meetings ... overall the Mavericks own a 17-8-2 edge in the all-time series since the team's first-ever meeting on Jan. 2, 1999 at the Civic Auditorium, a game BG won 4-2 ... the Falcons are 3-6 all-time in games played at the Civic Auditorium and 5-13-1 all-time in Omaha with two victories in 10 games at Qwest Center Omaha ... senior forward John Mazzei leads all Falcon scorers against the Mavericks with seven career points (3-4-7) ... junior goaltender Jimmy Spratt earned his first two career victories in a weekend sweep at home against the Mavericks in November of 2005.
TIDBITS RELATED TO THE UNO SERIES
 In last year's CCHA first round matchup between the Mavericks and Falcons, senior forward and tri-captain John Mazzei tied a CCHA playoff record with three assists in the first period of game two as he helped on three of James Unger's four goals in the contest.
 Current Falcon goaltending coach, Tyler Masters, was in net for the Falcons back in the team's CCHA Play-In game at UNO back in March of 2000, a game UNO won 3-1. Also on that team with Masters was current BG assistant coach Doug Schueller who was a Falcon defenseman in the team's first meeting back in 1999.
 UNO was 8-for-41 (19.5%) on the power play last season against the Falcons in six games as they enter this weekend with the league's top power play unit.
 Brandon Scero had a line of 3-7-10 and Bryan Marshall had a line of 3-5-8 against the Falcons last season in six games, while Mick Lawrence had a line of 3-4-7. Both Marshall and Scero picked up hat tricks in last year's series.
 Both teams feature players that come from Slovakian and Finnish descent as UNO has Tomas Klempa, who hails from Prestany, Slovakia, while BG has Tomas Petruska, who hails from Presov, Slovakia. Maverick defenseman Juha Uotila then fails from Espoo, Finland, while Falcon sophomore forward Kai Kantola first grew up in Finland and played for Finland last season in the World Juniors.
 Three of UNO's more prominent players called the Detroit area their homes prior to moving to Omaha. Sophomore forward Nick Fanto grew up in Dearborn, senior forward Brandon Scero grew up in Canton, while senior forward Bryan Marshall grew up just up the road in Livonia.
SOMEWHERE IN MIDDLE AMERICA
This weekend's series in Omaha will be a trip to a part of the country that so many Falcons called home prior to coming to school. The United States Hockey League is based largely around the middle part of the country and the midwest states and many Falcons found themselves living fairly close to the greater Omaha area. Just 50 miles west on I-80 in Lincoln is where senior forward and tri-captain Derek Whitmore played his USHL hockey at, along with senior defenseman Mike Nesdill, sophomore forward James Perkin and junior defenseman Russ Sinkewich. Head north out of Omaha about 100 miles and you'll hit Sioux City, Iowa where senior defenseman Michael Hodgson and junior goaltender Jimmy Spratt both played for the Sioux City Musketeers. Head north even further and you'll find Sioux Falls, South Dakota where freshman forwards Dan Sexton, David Solway and Patrick Tiesling all played for the Sioux Falls Stampede and helped the squad to the Clark Cup in 2007. Freshman defenseman Andrew Krelove was just 80 miles east of Omaha then on I-80 as he spent his USHL time in Des Moines.
DON'T WE KNOW EACH OTHER
Another hidden return home this weekend relates to the Falcon support staff. This weekend's games between the Falcons and Mavericks will be a return back to Omaha for BG hockey SID Kevin Shields. Prior to returning to his alma mater this fall, Shields was an intern for Rob Anderson and Rob Simms in the Creighton University Sports Information Office where he was in charge of the Bluejay baseball team this past spring. In his one season as the CU baseball SID, the Bluejays won their first-ever Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Tournament Championship in Springfield, Missouri and qualified for the Fayetteville, Arkansas Regional. It was there that he worked with baseball phenom Pat Venditte, who graced the cover of the New York Times and gained national-attention from media outlets everywhere on way to having an All-American season. He stood out because he was ambidextrous and had an ERA of under 2.00 with his left arm and just above 2.00 with his right arm.
LAST TIME OUT ...
This past weekend the Falcons earned a home split against Alaska, winning 4-2 on Friday, before falling 4-1 on Saturday. BG was led on Friday by two-point efforts from Kai Kantola (1-1-2), James Perkin (0-2-2) and David Solway (1-1-2), Jimmy Spratt had a season-high 31 saves on 33 shots. BG led 1-0 after one and 4-1 after two as a three-goal outburst in the second period keyed the victory. On Saturday, Nanook senior goaltender Wylie Rogers had 46 saves on a season-best 47 shots from the Falcons as UA stole a split in the series. Landon Novotney scored just 27 second in to give the Nanooks a 1-0 lead as added two more in the second and an empty-netter in third to put the game on ice. Derek Whitmore tallied the lone goal for the Falcons on the nigth on what may be one of his best goals, while wearing the orange and brown uniform. BG went 2-for-10 on the power play for the weekend as their 2-for-4 effort on Friday stopped a streak of 43-straight power plays without a goal. The Falcon penalty-kill was superb, killing-off all six UA chances with the man-advantage in the two games.
IN FOURTEEN FALCON WINS THIS SEASON ...
 BGSU has averaged 4.1 goals a game, while giving up an average of 1.9.
 BGSU out-shot their opponents by a 32.8 to 26.6 average.
 BGSU was a combined 22-for-85 on the power play (25.9%), while they held opponents to just 11-for-73 (15.1%).
 BGSU had an average of 22.0 penalty minutes per game, while their opponent averaged 25.9.
 BGSU out-scored their opponents, 19-4, in the first period, 21-12 in the second and 15-11 in the third.
 BGSU won 57.1% of their faceoffs.
 Derek Whitmore scored 21 points (19-2-21) and had eight power-play goals and one short-haned marker.
 Jacob Cepis had 18 points (9-9-18) and two power-play tallies.
 James Perkin scored 16 points (6-10-16) and dished out 10 assists.
 Kevin Schmidt had three goals and 11 assists.
 Jimmy Spratt had a 1.97 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage.
 Nick Eno had a 1.88 goals-against average and .929 save percentage.
 Jacob Cepis, Dan Sexton, Todd McIlrath, Tim Maxwell, James Perkin, Kevin Schmidt and Derek Whitmore were a combined +65.
 The Falcon freshmen were a combined +26.
 BG had 133 recorded blocked shots.
 The Falcon goaltenders allowed just 15 even strength goals of the 27 they allowed in the 14 games.
IN FOURTEEN FALCON LOSSES THIS SEASON ...
 BGSU averaged 1.6 goals a game, while giving up an average of 3.9.
 BGSU was out-shot by their opponents by a 28.4 to 27.9 average.
 BGSU was a combined 6-for-78 on the power play (7.7%), while their opponents were 13-for-65 (20.0%).
 BGSU averaged 17.8 penalty minutes a game, while their opponent also averaged 17.8.
 BGSU won 51.0% of their faceoffs.
 BGSU was out-scored by their opponent, 18-8 in the first period, 17-12 in the second and 19-3 in the third period.
 Derek Whitmore, Jacob Cepis, Kevin Schmid and James Perkin combined for just 25 points (9-16-25).
 BG surrendered three short-handed goals and tallied two short-handed goals.
 Freshmen Dan Sexton had five goals and David Solway had four.
 The five Falcon seniors were a combined -25 in the plus/minus category, while the eight sophomores and four juniors were a combined -76.
 Kevin Schmidt was -14, while Tim Maxwell was -13 and Derek Whitmore was -12.
 Senior Mike Nesdill was the lone Falcon with a plus rating as he had a +3.
For the complete notes, please see the release at the top of the page.