Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Minnesota State
Falcons Head North To Take On No. 18 Minnesota State
November 06, 2013 | Ice Hockey
at
No. 18 Minnesota State Mavericks
 Verizon Wireless Center
Nov. 8-9
7:37 p.m./7:07 p.m. (CST)
Live Stats   Game Notes   Audio
Local Coverage: Sentinel-Tribune (Kevin Gordon) | BG News | BGSUHockey.com
About Minnesota State
The Minnesota State Mavericks men's ice hockey program began as a varsity sport in 1969-70, and started competition at the NCAA Division I level in the 1996-97 season. The Mavericks began play in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) in 1999-00, and have remained with the conference to the present. Head coach Mike Hastings enters his second season at the helm of the program, earning an NCAA tournament bid a season ago.
All-Time Series
The Falcons and Mavericks have met a total of four times, dating back to 2008 when Bowling Green and the Mavericks tied 2-2 in their first-ever meeting on Nov. 28, 2009. The last time the two teams have met was Oct. 10, 2009, as Minnesota State came out victorious, 4-1. The Mavericks hold a 3-0-1 all-time record against Bowling Green in their short history together.
WCHA Is Here (Courtesy of WCHA)
 Four two-game league series highlight the upcoming schedule in the men's Western Collegiate Hockey Association for the weekend of November 8-9, with Lake Superior State hosting Alaska, Ferris State entertaining Bemidji State, Bowling Green traveling to Minnesota State and Alaska Anchorage hosting Alabama Huntsville.
More WCHA (Courtesy of WCHA)
In Mankato, Minnesota State (3-3-0, 1-1-0 WCHA) hits the ice in their first two home league games this weekend, with the Mavericks welcoming Bowling Green (4-2-2, 2-0-0 WCHA) to Verizon Wireless Center (4832). Puck drops are at 7:37 pm CT on Friday evening and 7:07 pm CT on Saturday night.
So Good, So Far
Bowling Green entered WCHA play for the first time in BGSU history last weekend. The Falcons have not had much success over recent years in conference opening weekend series, coming away only 2-10-1 over the past 13 years. However, the Falcons played in their first-ever WCHA conference weekend series, hosting the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves. The Orange and Brown defeated the Seawolves on back-to-back nights; marking the first time since 1996-97 the Falcons opened conference play 2-0-0 in a season.
The Last Game (Alaska Anchorage)
The Bowling Green State University ice hockey team shut out the University of Alaska Anchorage on Saturday night (Nov. 2), defeating the Seawolves, 1-0, to earn the weekend series sweep. Playing in front of 2,230 Falcon faithful at the BGSU Ice Arena, the Falcons (4-2-2, 2-0-0) lone goal came off the stick of sophomore forward Brent Tate, while freshman goaltender Tomas Sholl turned away a perfect 16-for-16 shots to earn his second shut out victory of the season.
Home Sweet Home
Bowling Green has not lost a game on their home ice this season with a record of 4-0-1. It marks the first time since 1995-96 the Orange and Brown has not lost a home game in their first five games of the season. The Falcons' won six-straight games in 1995-96 before losing to Western Michigan.
Getting Out Early
The Orange and Brown are 3-1-1 when they score the first goal of the game, and a perfect 3-0-0 when leading after the second period. BGSU has outscored their opponents in each period this season, with their largest goal differential in the third period (+5). Â
Splitting Time In The Net
Falcon goaltending has been an even split through the first eight games of the season as both Tommy Burke and Tomas Sholl has each logged over 230 minutes. Burke has allowed eight goals on 87 shots for a 1.92 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage. Sholl has faced 83 shots, stopping 74, for a .902 save percentage and a 2.26 GAA.
Wojtala Scores Twice
Senior captain Cam Wojtala scored his first two goals on the season Friday night to give him three points on the year (2g, 1a). Wojtala now has 58 career points (25g, 33a) in 128 games played.
DeSalvo Reaches 60
Junior forward Dan DeSalvo totaled four points last week (1g, 3a), including an assist in the lone goal against Alaska Anchorage on Saturday night. The assist allowed DeSalvo to reach the 60-point plateau for his career. DeSalvo's 60 career points are second on the current roster, with Ryan Carpenter ranking first with 63 career points. DeSalvo is the second Falcon to pass the 60-point plateau since David Solway in 2010-11. Solway is also the last Falcon to pass the 70-career points, finishing with 73 points in 146 games played.
More DeSalvo
Dan DeSalvo had an assist in each game over the past week, and is currently on a four-game point streak for the Orange and Brown. DeSalvo leads the WCHA in assists with eight, averaging 1.00 APG. DeSalvo is currently second on the current roster in points on the season with 10 points (2g, 8a).
Mingo On The Board
Sophomore forward Dajon Mingo tallied an assist on Friday night's 6-1 victory over UAA. It was Mingo's first point since Mar. 9, 2013 when he had two assists in the 6-3 loss against Lake Superior State University.
No Longer Streaking
Senior forward Bryce Williamson failed to score a goal on Saturday night, ending his five-game goal streak. Williamson still leads the team in points with 11 (6g, 5a) on the year. Williamson leads the WCHA in points scored, averaging 1.38 PPG in eight games.
More Streaks Ending
The Falcons failed to score a power-play goal on Saturday night, ending their three-game streak with at least one PPG. Senior forward Bryce Williamson and sophomore forward Ben Murphy lead the WCHA in power-play goals with four each, averaging 0.50 GPG.
Penalty Kill Success
The Falcons' special teams have been much stronger as of late. Bowling Green went a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill against Ohio State last Tuesday, including a five-minute major. The Orange and Brown has allowed two power-play goals dating back to Oct. 15 when the Falcons' defeated the Buckeyes at the BGSU Ice Arena, and has gone 21-for-22 since then. On the year, Bowling Green is 39-for-47 (83%) on the penalty kill.
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 3.38 G/GM (T-2nd)
Scoring Defense:Â Â Â 2.25 G/GM (2nd)
Power Play:Â Â Â 22.2% (3rd)
Penalty Kill:Â Â Â 83% (6th)
Bowling Green Leaders
Points: Bryce Williamson (11)
Goals: Bryce Williamson/Ben Murphy (6)
Assists: Dan DeSalvo (8)
Shots: Bryce Williamson (30)
Penalties: Sen. Walker (11 - 33:00)
Coaches Poll     Â
1 Minnesota State (9) Â Â Â 81
2 Ferris State              65
3 Michigan Tech (1)Â Â 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 Minnesota State
Head Coach: Mike Hastings (2nd season)
2012-13 Overall Record: 24-14-3
Minnesota State Last Week: 16th-ranked Minnesota State split a pair of WCHA games against conference-foe Bemidji State last week. The Mavericks outshout the Beavers 28-20 in the first game, but went 0-for-5 on power play chances to drop the first game 4-1.
Minnesota State rebounded on the second game of the series Saturday night, defeating the Beavers 4-3. Senior forward Johnny McInnis scored a late goal in the third period to break a 3-3 tie, giving the Mavericks their third victory of the season and first in the WCHA.
Minnesota State sits at 3-3-0 on the season and 1-1-0 in WCHA play, slipping into a tie for fifth place in the league standings. Bemidji State currently sits at the top of the standins in the early part of the season, with a 3-4-1 overal recordl and 3-1-0 in conference play.
Key Players
# Player                   GP    G    A    Pts.
9   Bryce Gervais           6     3     1     4
22 Johnny McInnis        6    1    3    4
16 Jordan Nelson        6    2    1    3
26 Dylan Margonari        5      2     1     3
25 Zach Stepan             6    1    1    2Â
Key Goalies
# Player                 GP    W-L-T    GAA    Sv%
34 Cole Huggins         2      1-0-0     2.52    .927
35 Stephon Williams   5      2-3-0     2.92    .882
Minnesota State Team Ranks (WCHA)
Scoring Offense:Â Â Â 2.33 G/GM (7th)
Scoring Defense:Â Â Â 2.83 G/GM (6th)
Power Play:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 8.8 (8th)
Penalty Kill: Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 83.9% (5th)
Bergeron And The Media
Head coach Chris Bergeron took some time on Tuesday afternoon (Nov. 5) to meet with the media. His team is currently 4-2-2 overall and 2-0-0 in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). The Falcons will play at 18th-ranked Minnesota State this weekend. Below is a video of Bergeron's press conference.
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