Hockey Set For Historic Day at Winterfest

No. 13 BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY FALCONS

The Last Time
The Bowling Green State University ice hockey team defeated Robert Morris University in the Consolation tilt at the Three Rivers Classic on Saturday night (Dec. 28), by a score of 3-2. Playing at the CONSOL Energy Center, the Falcons saw three different skaters score goals, while freshman goaltender Tomas Sholl (3-7-0) turned away 20-of-22 on the night. In the first-ever matchup between the two teams, the Falcons' defense limited the Colonials to 22 shots on goal in the winning effort. Bowling Green went 4-for-6 on the penalty kill, while going 1-for-4 on the power play. The Orange and Brown got goals from Kevin Dufour, Brett Mohler and Bryce Williamson on the night.

About Robert Morris
The Robert Morris Colonials began their ice hockey program in the early 2000s, playing in the College Hockey America conference. Derek Schooley, who is at the helm of the program for his 11^th season in 2014-15, was hired to lead the Colonials at the collegiate level. RMU won their first conference tournament in 2014 and also made their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season, quickly becoming the most successful season since announcing RMU would field a men's ice hockey program in 2004. Robert Morris plays its home games at the Island Sports Center in Neville Township, Pennsylvania.

The Series
Bowling Green and Robert Morris met for the first time in programs' history last December, meeting in the Three Rivers Classic's consolation game. The Falcons came out with a 3-2 triumph in what was called a home game for the Colonials. In what will be the second-ever meeting between the two clubs, each will have played a "home" game, but on unfamiliar ice. The Colonials hosted the Orange and Brown at the CONSOL Energy Center last December, while the Falcons will play host at Fifth Third Field in an outdoor game.

The Last Game
The Bowling Green State University ice hockey team defeated Northern Michigan University Saturday (Dec. 6) night, shutting out the Wildcats by a 5-0 score in their second game of the two-game Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) series. Ben Murphy and Pierre-Luc Mericer each tallied two goals for the Falcons, while freshman goaltender Chris Nell (5-0-0) turned away all 26 shots fired his way. In a clash between two top-20 teams, the 14th-ranked Falcons (11-3-2, 8-1-1) earned two points with the victory –taking three of the possible four points over the weekend. 19th-ranked Wildcats (8-4-2, 5-4-1) stayed at 11 points and currently stand in fourth place in league standings.

National Spotlight
The Bowling Green State University ice hockey team will enter the week ranked 13^th in the USCHO poll. The Falcons earned a No. 19 slot five weeks ago and have jumped six spots to No. 13 since. The Falcons earned their first ranking in the poll since 2007. BGSU
is one of three Western Collegiate Hockey League (WCHA) teams that earned a spot in the Top 20, as Minnesota State (3) and Michigan Tech (5) secured spots in the top 5.

More National Spotlight
The Falcons, who have gone unbeaten at 4-0-1 over their last five games, will enter the week ranked 13^th in the USA Today/USA Magazine poll. The Orange and Brown join Minnesota State (3) and Michigan Tech (5) as the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) representatives.

#WinterfestIsHere
The first "modern-era" collegiate hockey game was played on Oct. 6, 2001 when Michigan State and Michigan played in Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan. By the end of the 2013-14 season, there was 26 NCAA Division I men's hockey games played outdoors, but this will be the first for either Bowling Green or Robert Morris and just the second to ever be played in the state of Ohio (Ohio State vs. Michigan at Progressive Field in 2012).

"Home" Ice Advantage?
In what will be only the second-ever meeting between the two programs on January 3rd, Bowling Green and Robert Morris will each be able to claim playing a "home" game after the outdoor game. The Falcons and Colonials dueled last December at the Three Rivers Classic at the CONSOL Energy Center, eventually being ruled a home game for RMU. BGSU will be able to call the outdoor game at Fifth Third Field a home game, marking each of the first two games in the all-time meeting between the two clubs hosting the other on unfamiliar ice.

Highest Ranking EVER
#FalconHockey's 11-3-2 start marks the best start to a season since 1995-96. However, that's not the only historic fact coming away with their tremendous start. Bowling Green jumped to No. 13 in the USCHO.com poll, marking the highest ranking for the Orange and Brown since the poll began in 1997.

Please Don't Kill My Vibe
The Falcons have played well on special teams this season; ranking second in the penalty kill in the WCHA this season. The Orange and Brown killed off 22 straight power play opportunities their opponents had, until Northern Michigan scored on the first chance Friday (Dec. 5) night. However, the Falcons killed off five in a row headed into the Saturday matchup with the Wildcats– going 5-for-6 on the PK over the weekend. Overall, BGSU is 56-for-61 (92%) on the season, which is ranked second in the nation.

More Special Teams
The Falcons have played well on the penalty kill this season, going 56-for-61 on the season. However, the Orange and Brown have gone 13-for-65 (20%) on the power play in 16 games throughout the first half. In all, BGSU is 69-for-126 (54.8) on special teams, which is 9th in the nation for combined special teams.

Unbeaten Falcons
The Orange and Brown's last loss came at the hands of Ohio State on November 15, giving the Falcons a 4-0-1 record since, which is ranked third in the nation for the longest unbeaten streak. During the stretch, Bowling Green has outscored its opponents by a 19-10 margin, including 5-1 on the power play and one shorthanded goal. The Falcons are averaging 3.8 GPG to 2.0 allowed, which is a +1.8 margin during the stretch.

Just Keep Winning
11-3-2 is where the Falcons sit at before the second half of the season begins (January 3), giving them the sixth best winning percentage (.750) in the nation. The Orange and Brown currently sit in third place in the league (8-1-1, 17pts), behind only Michigan Tech (10-2-0, 20pts) and Minnesota State (10-2-0, 20pts).

Falcon First Goal Challenge
The Orange and Brown have found success this season when scoring the game's first goal, going 10-2-0 when completing that feat. The Falcons are also 8-1-1 when leading after the second period. For the season, Bowling Green has outscored its opponents 37-15 through the first two periods of play – good for a +22 margin.

Back Together Again
After playing together for most of the first half together, sophomore forwards Kevin Dufour, Pierre-Luc Mercier and Matt Pohlkamp played together again this weekend after take a few weeks playing on other lines. The three classmates totaled 2-5-7 against No. 19 Northern Michigan. For the season, the three Falcons have combined for 16 goals (30%), 21 assists (24%) for a total of 37 points (26%) of the Orange and Brown's scoring.

More Underclassmen
The Falcons will enter the break with its best start to the season since the 1995-96 season at 11-3-2. Playing a big factor to that statistic is the Falcons' underclassmen. The freshman and sophomores have combined for 38 goals and 54 assists for the season. The 38 goals are good for 70 percent of the team's scoring output, and the 54 helpers have accounted for 61 percent of the Falcons' first-half success.

Nell's Big Performance
Nell stopped all 26 shots he faced on the Falcons' second game of the WCHA weekend series against then-No. 19 Northern Michigan on Saturday, Dec. 6,as No. 14/14 BGSU earned a 5-0 triumph to take three out of four possible WCHA point. The freshman from Green Bay, Wisconsin turned away a total 20 shots in the first two periods and then stopped all six shots fired his way in the third to solidify the shutout. Nell also helped the Falcons go a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill – including a key 5-on-3 penalty kill in the third period—, making six saves throughout the Wildcats' four opportunities. In all, Nell has a perfect 5-0-0 record and a .945 save percentage in 299:35 minutes between the pipes.

Greiner For Two
Freshman forward Ben Greiner tallied his first two goals of his collegiate career during the Falcons' 5-5 OT tie against then-No.19 Northern Michigan on Friday, Dec. 5. The forward from Newport Beach, California, played in his fifth game this season, netting back-to-back goals in the first period to give the Falcons a 2-1 lead at the time.

Bowling Green WCHA Ranks
Scoring Offense:    3.31 G/GM (2nd)
Scoring Defense: 2.19 G/GM (4th)
Power Play:  13/65 (20%)
Penalty Kill:  56/61 (92%)

Bowling Green Leaders
Points: Matt Pohlkamp (13)
Goals: Kevin Dufour (9)
Assists: Mercier/Pohlkamp (9)
Shots: Brandon Hawkins (45)
Penalties: Mark Friedman (33:00)

WCHA.TV
The season, fans of the WCHA can watch more than 180 games of its games live and in high definition thanks to WCHA.tv. Powered by America One Sports and Eversport.tv on WCHA.tv the platform enables fans to watch all 10 conference teams in action throughout the season. Every league game will be streamed live, along with each team's non-conference home contests, the league's postseason and the WCHA Final Five. With WCHA.tv, fans can follow their team wherever they are. Each game will be available on multiple platforms, including traditional web browsers on PCs, tablets and mobile phones using the iOS and Android platforms.

#FalconHockey/Social Media
The Bowling Green Falcons hockey team is on Twitter and Instagram. You can follow along all season long by following the Falcons on Twitter @BGFalconHockey. The Orange and Brown use their official hashtags FalconHockey and WeAreBG throughout the entire season. You can also follow the Falcons' Instagram account, BGFalcons.

Evan Pivnick "The Voice" On The Mic
All games this season can be heard on the radio by tuning into 88.1 WBGU-FM. Evan Pivnick will provide the play-by-play commentary throughout the season. 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 No. 19 Robert Morris
Head Coach: Derek Schooley (11th Season)

Robert Morris Last Week:
*www.rmucolonials.com*

GAME 1: It took the Robert Morris University men's hockey team a few minutes to rediscover its game Monday night at CONSOL Energy Center, but the result still looked rather familiar at the final buzzer. The 19th-ranked Colonials earned their 12th win in 17 games this season, downing in-state rival Penn State 4-2 in a Three Rivers Classic first-round matchup. Daniel Leavens had a goal and an assist – one of nine Colonials with at least a point – and Terry Shafer stopped 35 shots as RMU advanced to face Colgate in Tuesday night's championship game.

GAME 2: For the second time in the three-year history of the Three Rivers Classic, the Robert Morris University men's hockey team earned a spot in the championship game.Unlike 2012, however, the Colonials will not be bringing the Confluence Cup back to Neville Island, as they fell 6-1 to No. 14/17 Colgate on Tuesday night at CONSOL Energy Center. Wydo and the Colonials will seek that breakout in the open air of northwest Ohio. Faceoff is set for noon Saturday at the home of Triple-A baseball's Toledo Mudhens. RMU will then play its fourth game in seven days when Bowling Green makes the trip to 84 Lumber Arena for a 7 p.m. matchup Sunday.

Key Players
#   Player                             GP           G            A            Pts.
23 Cody Wydo                        18            11            14            25
12 Brady Ferguson                17            7             10            17
27 Zac Lynch                          18            7              10           17
26 Daniel Leavens                  14            5             12            17
44 Brandon Denham               18            5            11             16
9   David Friedmann                18           8             6               14

Key Goalies
#   Player                             GP           W-L-T    GAA       Sv%
30 Andrew Pikul                    1-0            0-0-1        0.000    1.000
1   Terry Shafer                      9-9            6-1-2        2.18      .923
31 Dalton Izyk                       9-9            6-2-0        2.72       2.72

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Kevin Dufour

Kevin Dufour

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