Falcons Set To Host Simon Fraser Saturday In Exhibition Affair

Saturday, October 4

Bowling Green, Ohio

12 P.M.

Bowling Green State University

Simon Fraser

Photo by: BGSU Marketing and Communications

October 01, 2014 | Ice Hockey

Coach Bergeron and the Falcons set to host exhibition game against Simon Fraser on Saturday at the BGSU Ice Arena.

By: by Jake Dorow, Athletic Communications

BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY FALCONS
vs.
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
*Exhibition
Saturday, Oct. 4 | 12 p.m. | BGSU Ice Arena

Coach Bergeron Press Conference (10/1/14)

Falcon Weekly With Evan Pivnick (Coach Bergeron)

Falcon Weekly With Evan Pivnick (Mark Cooper)

Bowling Green, Ohio -- The Bowling Green State University ice hockey team will drop the puck for the first time against another opponent on Saturday, Oct. 4 at the BGSU Ice Arena. The Falcons will play host to Simon Fraser University in an exhibition game to jumpstart the 2014-15 season.

"Our group is ready to go and very excited to drop the puck this Saturday against Simon Fraser University," head coach Chris Bergeron said.

The Falcons have increasingly shown improvement each of Bergeron's first four seasons. Now entering his fifth season at the helm of the Orange and Brown, Bergeron believes the Falcons can take the next step to contend for a league championship and a berth in the NCAA tournament –- a field that features 16 teams.

Bowling Green finished the 2013-14 campaign with an 18-15-6 overall record and tied for third in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) with a 13-11-4 record. The Falcons earned home ice for a first-round playoff series against Michigan Tech for the first time since 2008, sweeping the Huskies to earn a spot in the WCHA Final Five.

"The league (WCHA) is a competitive league and last year proved it," Bergeron said. "We are excited to enter year two."

The Falcons' overall record last season game them their first winning record since 1997. Bowling Green also had their best offensive season (3.05 gpg) and defensive (104 total goals allowed) in more than seven seasons. Looking to build upon those numbers, Bergeron and the Orange and Brown will try to win 20 games for the first time since 1996.

"We are deep in all three positions and we feel like we are continuing to move forward in the right direction," Bergeron said.

The Falcons will enter the 2014-15 season with 17 lettermen returning, consisting of nine forwards, six defensemen and two goals. Of those returning, Dan DeSalvo has been named the lone captain for the Falcons. DeSalvo returns to the roster as the leading scorer for the current Falcons, totaling 82 career points – including a team-leading 32 last season – in 115 games. Adam Berkle, Mark Cooper and Brent Tate have all been named assistant captains for the Falcons for the upcoming season.

In all, the four leaders have tallied 41 goals and 55 assists for a combined 96 points. For a full release and information about the 2014-15 selected captain and assistants, please CLICK HERE.

"It's a very exciting time for us and I we can't wait for things to get going," Bergeron said.

In addition, the Falcons brought in 11 freshmen to fill out a 28-man roster for the upcoming season. The Orange and Brown brought in seven forwards, three defensemen and one goalie to help the Falcons compete for the upcoming season.

BGSU Freshman: Austin Carroll | Brett D'Andrea | Mark Friedman | Ben Greiner | Brandon Hawkins | Mitchell McLain | Chris Nell | Braden Pears | Jakob Reichert | Tyler Spezia | Nolan Valleau

Bowling Green will turn their attention to Miami University after the exhibition for its season opener on Friday, Oct. 10 at the BGSU Ice Arena. The Falcons will then wrap up the home-and-home series on the road against the Redhawks on Sunday, Oct. 12. Please CLICK HERE to view a view schedule of the 2014-15 season.