Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Ferris State
Falcons Travel To Ferris State With First Place Up For Grabs
November 13, 2013 | Ice Hockey
BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY FALCONS
at
No. 14 Ferris State University Bulldogs
Robert L. Ewigleben Ice Arena
Nov. 15-16
7:07 p.m./7:07 p.m. EST
Live Stats   Game Notes   Audio
Local Coverage: Sentinel-Tribune (Kevin Gordon) | BGSUHockey.com
About No. 14 Ferris State
Ferris State's ice hockey program began in 1975 as a member of the NAIA, compiling an overall record of 58-40-1 in four years. The Bulldogs then joined the CCHA as an affiliate member and played in the conference until 2013, when Ferris State joined the WCHA. The Bulldogs had a memorable 2011-12 campaign, ending the regular season with their first CCHA Regular Season Championship. Despite being defeated by the Bowling Green Falcons in the second round of the CCHA playoffs, the Bulldogs earned an at-large bid to the 2012 NCAA Tournament and went on to the Frozen Four.
All-Time Series
Friday and Saturday night's meetings between the Falcons and Bulldogs will mark the 122nd and 123rd times these two teams will take the ice against each other. The series is an even split with a 55-55-11 all-time series record against each other. The Bulldogs have won three of the past five meetings, but the Falcons' 4-3 overtime victory in the CCHA second round sent the Orange and Brown to the CCHA Semifinals for the first time since 2001.
Weekend Review (No. 18 Minnesota State)
Game 1: MANKATO, Minn. – The Bowling Green State University ice hockey team defeated the 18th-ranked Minnesota State University on Friday night (Nov. 8), by a score of 4-3. Playing in front of 3,349 fans at the Verizon Wireless Center, the Falcons (5-2-2, 3-0-0) saw four different skaters score goals, while sophomore goaltender Tommy Burke (3-0-2) turned away 30-of-33 shots.
Game 2: MANKATO, Minn. – The Bowling Green State University ice hockey team lost to18th-ranked Minnesota State University on Saturday night (Nov. 9), falling to the Mavericks 1-0 in overtime. Playing in front of 3,657 fans at the Verizon Wireless Center in the second game of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association road series, the Falcons were shut out for the first time this season, dropping their first WCHA game of the season.
WCHA Is Here (Courtesy of the WCHA)
No. 14-ranked Ferris State (7-2-0, 4-0-0 WCHA) and Bowling Green (5-3-2, 3-1-0 WCHA), both out of the gates strong, hit the ice at Robert L. Ewigleben Ice Arena (2490) at 7:07 pm ET both Friday and Saturday nights. The Bulldogs are coming off a Nov. 8-9 sweep over Bemidji State in their first-ever WCHA home series while the Falcons gained a split on the road against pre-season league favorite Minnesota State.
WCHA Love
After an impressive start to the season for some teams in the WCHA, the polls has ranked two teams in the United States College Hockey Online (USCHO) National Poll released on Monday. The Bulldogs, who are in first place in the conference with a 7-2 overall record and a perfect 4-0 in league play, climbed to 14th. Lake Superior State, who is 5-2-1 overall and 1-1 in the WCHA, received the 15th position in the latest poll. Four other schools are also listed outside of the top 20 receiving votes, including Minnesota State (47), Bowling Green (27). Alaska (8) and Alaska Anchorage (5).
The Battle For First Place
Ferris State and Bowling Green will go toe-to-toe this weekend (Nov. 15-16) in a battle for first place. The Falcons, who are 5-3-2 overall and 3-1 in league slate, will head to Grand Rapids, Mich. to take on the 14th-ranked Ferris State Bulldogs -- 7-2 overall and 4-0 in conference. This important early season conference matchup will mark the only time the two teams will play each other in the regular season.
Falcons Fail To Score
Bowling Green failed to score a goal on Saturday night (Nov. 9), dropping a 1-0 decision to then 18th-ranked Minnesota State in overtime. It was the Falcons first time this season they failed to score at least one goal, and marked the first time the team was shut out on the road by a league opponent since Nov. 18, 2011 against Miami (OH). The Orange and Brown are now 3-1-0 on the season in one-goal games.
Friday Night Victory
The Falcons' 4-3 victory over the Mavericks on Friday night (Nov. 8) marked the first time the Orange and Brown has started conference play 3-0 since 1994-95.
Perfect November Bid Ends
With the split over the weekend, the Falcons record sits at 5-3-2 overall, including a 3-1-0 mark in November. Saturday night's 1-0 loss to the Mavericks ended a three-game win streak and a perfect record in the month of November. Even with the loss, Bowling Green remains two games above .500 in the month. The last time the Orange and Brown had a winning month in November was in 2007-08.
Burke With 30
Sophomore goaltender Tommy Burke had a season-high 30 saves on Friday night (Nov. 8), helping the Falcons defeat Minnesota State 4-3. The victory earned Burke's third on the year and the second-straight decision dating back to Nov. 1 against Alaska Anchorage. On the year, Burke has compiled a 3-0-2 record with a .914 save percentage and 2.13 GAA.
Mercier Scores
Freshman forward Pierre-Luc Mercier scored a goal on Friday night, marking his third on the season. On the year, Mercier has played in all 10 games, totaling three goals and one assist. Mercier also has a +1 on-ice rating and one game-winning goal. In all, Mercier has helped the freshman contribute four goals and eight assists for 12 points, good for 15 percent of the teams efforts.
No Longer Streaking
Failing to score on Saturday night marked the end to some Falcons' point streaks. Dan DeSalvo, who had scored at least one point over the past five games, ended his streak on Saturday night. DeSalvo scored nine points (2g, 7a) over that time, tying Bryce Williamson for the longest point streak on the year. Sophomore forward Brent Tate also failed to score, ending his three-game point streak and two-game goal streak.
Power Play Worries
Bowling Green continued their special teams drought over the weekend, failing to score a goal on the power play for the third consecutive game. The Falcons went 0-for-8 over the weekend, and has not scored a PPG in their last 14 opportunities.
Owning The Second Period
Bowling Green scored three goals in the second period on Friday night, helping them defeat Minnesota State 4-3 in the first game of the weekend series. The Falcons has seen success in the second period throughout the season, holding a 14-9 goal advantage in the middle frame. The +5 goal differential in the period has helped the Orange and Brown to a perfect 4-0 record when leading after the second frame.
Month Of October
The Hockey team ended the month of October with an overall record of 2-2-2, improving their opening month record from last season's 1-4-2 record in the opening month.
Bowling Green WCHA Ranks
Scoring Offense:Â Â Â 3.10 G/GM (T-3rd)
Scoring Defense:Â Â Â 2.20 G/GM (1st)
Power Play:Â Â Â 18.5% (5th)
Penalty Kill:Â Â Â 83.9% (6th)
Bowling Green Leaders
Points: Bryce Williamson/ Dan DeSalvo (11)
Goals: Bryce Williamson/Ben Murphy (6)
Assists: Dan DeSalvo (8)
Shots: Bryce Williamson (33)
Penalties: Sean Walker (14 - 39:00)
Coaches Poll     Â
1 Minnesota State (9) Â Â Â 81
2 Ferris State             65
3 Michigan Tech (1) Â Â Â Â 64
4 Bowling Green         58
5 Alaska                   54
6 Northern Michigan    40
7 Bemidji State           35
8 Lake Superior State   25
9 Alaska Anchorage    18
10 Alabama Huntsville  10
Media Poll
1. Minnesota State (22) Â Â Â Â Â Â 244
2. Ferris State (2) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 218
3. Alaska                          168
4. Bowling Green State       149
5. Michigan Tech              144
6. Northern Michigan          137
7. Lake Superior State        117
8. Bemidji State (1) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 108
9. Alaska Anchorage           54
10. Alabama Huntsville       36
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Radio
All games this season can be heard on the radio by tuning into 88.1 WBGU-FM. Kevin Meyers will provide the play-by-play commentary. The pregame show will air 30 minutes prior to the opening face-off. The broadcast can be heard globally on www.bgsufalcons.com.
LiveStats
Live stats for all BGSU home games are available on the BGSU website- www.bgsufalcons.com - via Live Scoring. The stats can be accessed from the schedule page in the hockey section of the website by clicking on the "details" icon on the right hand side of the page, then by clicking "live scoring".
Looking At Ferris State
Head Coach: Bob Daniels (22nd season)
2012-13 Overall Record: 16-16-5
2011-12 Overall Record:Â 26-12-5 (Frozen Four)
2010-11 Overall Record: 18-16-5
Ferris State Last Week: Then 19th-ranked Ferris State played in their second Western Collegiate Hockey Association matchup with conference-foe Bemidji State, defeating the Beavers in both games of the home series. The Bulldogs game-winning goal in overtime on Friday night (Nov. 8) gave them their first-ever WCHA home contest victory in Ferris State's hockey program.
The 19th-ranked Bulldogs, who hosted their first-ever home WCHA series in program history, came out aggresive on the offensive end on Saturday night (Nov. 9). Ferris State exploded for four goals in the first frame, holding on to a furious comeback from the Beavers and withstood three-straight goals in the second frame. The Bulldogs won 4-3 to remain unbeaten in the WCHA.
Ferris State sits at 7-2-0 on the season and a perfect 4-0-0 in WCHA play, jumping out to first place in league standings.
Key Players
# Player                   GP    G    A    Pts.
21 Justin Buzzeo          9      6    5     11
16 Garrett Thompson   9     4    7    11
2   Scott Czarnowczan  9       4    6     10
7   Jason Binkley          9       2    7      9
19 Justin DeMartino      8       2    5      7
Key Goalies
# Player                 GP    W-L-T    GAA    Sv%
30 CJ Motte             7/7    7-0-0      2.56    .901
29 Charles Williams   2/2    0-2-0      2.03    .931
Ferris State Team Ranks (WCHA)
Scoring Offense:Â Â Â 2.889 G/GM (1st)
Scoring Defense:Â Â Â 2.44 G/GM (3rd)
Power Play:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 18.5% (5th)
Penalty Kill: Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 81% (8th)
Bergeron And The Media
Head coach Chris Bergeron took some time on Tuesday afternoon to meet with the media. His team is currently 5-3-2 overall and 3-1-0 in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). The Falcons will play at 14th-ranked Ferris State this weekend, which will be the only regular season matchup between the two teams. Below is a video of Bergeron's press conference.
