Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Michigan Tech
Falcons Set To Host Michigan Tech In WCHA First Round
March 12, 2014 | Ice Hockey
The Orange aned Brown will host a first round playoffs series for first time since 2007-08.
vs.
No. 5 MICHIGAN TECH HUSKIES
BGSU Ice Arena
March 14-16, 2013
7:07/7:07/7:07 p.m.
About Michigan Tech
Michigan Technological University men's ice hockey team is a NCAA Division I program located in Houghton, Mich. The Huskies play at the John MacInnes Student Ice Center (4,200 capacity) and play in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. The Huskies are three-time NCAA Champions (1962, 1965 and 1975) and are six-time WCHA Champions. Michigan Tech is coached by Mel Pearson (3rd season), and has led the Huskies to their second-best two-season stretch over the last 18 years with 29 wins.
All-Time Series
The playoff weekend showdown between the Falcons and Huskies will mark the 17th, 18th and possibly the 19th time these two teams will play each other. Michigan Tech holds a 9-5-2 all-time record against BGSU, including a 2-1-1 mark against the Orange and Brown this season. Bowling Green are 2-4-2 all-time against MTU on the road, while the Falcons are just 3-5 against the Huskies at the BGSU Ice Arena.
The Last Time Out (Michigan Tech - Jan 31 - Feb. 1)
Game 1: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University ice hockey team lost to Michigan Tech University on Friday night (Jan. 31), by a score of 5-2, in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association affair. Playing in front of 2,169 Falcon faithful at the BGSU Ice Arena, the Falcons saw Brent Tate and Ralfs Freibergs tally goals, while Tomas Sholl and Tommy Burke combined for 23 saves on the night.
Game 2: BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University ice hockey team lost to the visiting Huskies of Michigan Tech on Saturday night (Feb. 1), 5-4, in overtime Western Collegiate Hockey Association battle. Playing in front of 3,104 Falcon faithful at the BGSU Ice Arena, the Falcons had three different skaters score goals, while sophomore goaltender Tommy Burke turned away 27-of-32 shots on the night.
WCHA Is Here (Courtesy of WCHA)
And at the BGSU Ice Arena (5000) this weekend, No. 4 seed Bowling Green (16-14-6) goes up against No. 5 seed Michigan Tech (14-17-7) in a best-of-three playoff series. The Falcons will host the Huskies at 7:07 pm ET on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (if necessary). Michigan Tech prevailed 2-1-1 over Bowling Green in their four-game regular season. In Houghton on Dec. 13-14, the Huskies won game one 3-2 before a 4-4 (ot) draw in game two. Then on Jan. 31-Feb. 1 in Bowing Green, MTU swept the Falcons 5-2 and 5-4 (ot). BGSU sports a 10-5-2 record on home ice this season while Michigan Tech is 6-11-3 away. Two teams, Lake Superior and Alabama
Playing Host In The Playoffs
Coming off a sweep over Bemidji State University last weekend (March 7-8), the Falcons earned the right to host the best-of-three series against Michigan Tech in the first round of the 2014 WCHA playoffs with a little help from Minnesota State. The Orange and Brown finished the season with 30 points -- one better than the Huskies in the conference standings. IT will mark the first time the Falcons will host a first round playoff series since the 2007-08 season when the Orange and Brown defeated Lake Superior State in three games.
Better Than .500
The Bowling Green ice hockey team finished the regular season on a three-game winning streak, pushing their overall record to 16-14-6 in 36 games. The last time the Falcons had a winning regular-season record was back in 2004-05, as the Orange and Brown went 16-14-4. The Orange and Brown's 13-11-4 WCHA record also marked the first winning record in league play since the 2004-05 season as well.
Season-Ending Win Streak
Bowling Green's three-game winning streak allowed the Falcons to host a first round playoff series this weekend at the BGSU Ice Arena. The winning streak tied the longest winning streak of the season for the Orange and Brown, as the Falcons had a three-game winning streak on two other separate occasions this season.
Taking Care Of Business At Home
The Falcons ended the regular season with a home record of 10-5-2, and 8-5-1 against conference opponents at the BGSU Ice Arena. The last time the Orange and Brown had a winning home record was in the 2008-09 season when the Falcons went 10-9-2 in front of the Falcons faithful.
More Home Ice
The Falcons have had an impressive season playing in front of their fans at the BGSU Ice Arena, outscoring their opponents by a 60-38 margin in 17 games. The Orange and Brown averaged 3.5 goals-per-game on 33 shots per game. Defensively, BGSU allowed only 2.2 GPG and just over 24 shots per game to its opponents on their home ice.
Offensive-Minded Falcons
Bowling Green had their best regular season under fourth year head coach Chris Bergeron offensively. The Falcons averaged 3.11 goals-per-game for a total of 112 goals in 36 games. The Falcons reached the 100-goal plateau in a single season for the second consecutive season for the first time since the Falcons scored 117 and 124 goals respectively from 2004-06. Under coach Bergeron, the Falcons have increased their goal total in every year, scoring 74,85, 100 and now 112.
Jumping Out In Front
The Falcons once again jumped out in front of their opponent over the weekend, staying true to what has become their identity. The Orange and Brown have outscored their opponents by a 77-53 margin in the first and second period combined for a +24 goal differential. BGSU outscored the Beavers by a margin of 8-5 over the two games in the first two frames, helping them go 2-0-0 against BSU. The Falcons hold a 14-6-2 record when leading after two periods, and are 11-6-3 when leading after the first period.
Special Teams Down The Stretch
Bowling Green ended the season on a high note with their special teams. The Falcons went a blistering 5-for-9 (55%) on the power play, while killing a perfect 13-for-13 of their opponents PP chances over the final four games, pushing the Orange and Brown's record to 3-1-0. The Falcons are 12th in the nation in combined specials teams, going 158/303 (52.1%) on the season. In all, the Falcons finished the regular season at 19.2 percent (2nd WCHA) on the power play and 84.9 percent (4th WCHA) on the penalty kill.
'Walk'ing Into The Playoffs
Defenseman Sean Walker has been on fire over the last four games of the regular season. The rookie entered his final four games with a season total of one goal and six assists. However, Walker has scored at least one point in his last four games to push his season total to 2-11=13. Walker's four-game point streak is a career-best, and his two points against the Beavers last Saturday (March 9) evening marked a career high for most points in a single game.
Rookies' Contributions
Speaking of rookies... the freshman played a key role over the past weekend against Bemidji State. Kevin Dufour, Pierre-Luc Mercier, Matt Pohlkamp and Sean Walker combined for four goals and seven assists for 11 total points versus the Beavers. The contributions were exactly 50 percent of the team's total points, helping the Falcons sweep the Beavers in two games. For the year, the rookies have combined for 19 percent of the team's offensive output.
Senior Focus
Senior Bryce Williamson lit-the-lamp last Saturday night (March 8) against the Beavers breaking a 10-game stretch in which he failed to score a goal. The tally on Saturday night gave him his 11th goal of the season and a career-best 26 points in a single season. Overall, Williamson has scored 11 of the 18 goals (61%) scored by the seniors this season.
Patrolling The Crease At Home
Netminder Tommy Burke 35-of-40 saves over the weekend against Bemidji, earning two decisions to bump his overall record to 12-6-6 on the season. The sophomore goaltender has been stellar at home the entire season, going 7-2-2 with a 2.05 goals-against average and totaling a .912 save percentage in 12 appearances.
Bowling Green WCHA Ranks
Scoring Offense: 3.11 G/GM (4th)
Scoring Defense: 2.69 G/GM (4th)
Power Play: 19.2% (2nd)
Penalty Kill: 84.9% (4th)
Bowling Green Leaders
Points: Dan DeSalvo (27)
Goals: Mark Cooper (12)
Assists: Dan DeSalvo (21)
Shots: Bryce Williamson (89)
Penalties: Sean Walker (18 - 58:00)
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 No. 5 Michigan Tech University
Head Coach: Mel Pearson (3rd season)
2013-14 Overall Record: 14-17-7
2012-13 Overall Record: 13-20-4
2011-12 Overall Record: 16-19-4
Key Players
# Player GP G A Pts.
19 Blake Pietila 37 8 19 27
23 Alex Petan 37 11 15 26
10 Tanner Kero 38 15 10 25
22 Shane Hanna 38 4 18 22
7 Reid Sturos 28 7 13 20
15 David Johnstone 23 10 8 18
18 C.J. Eick 38 5 13 18
20 Blake Hietala 34 8 8 16
Key Goalies
# Player GP W-L-T GAA Sv%
30 Jamie Phillips 28 10-11-6 2.47 .912
31 Pheonix Copley 13 4-6-1 2.82 .892
Michigan Tech Team Ranks (WCHA)
Scoring Offense: 2.53 G/GM (8th)
Scoring Defense: 2.66 G/GM (3rd)
Power Play: 14.3% (9th)
Penalty Kill: 82.8% (6th)
Looking At The Schedule For The WCHA First Round Playoff Action:
Games for Thursday, March 13: #6 Alaska Anchorage at #3 Alaska (NC), 7:07 pm AT.
Games for Friday, March 14: #8 Bemidji State at #1 Ferris State (NC), 7:07 pm ET; #7 Northern Michigan at #2 Minnesota State (NC), 7:07 pm CT: #6 Alaska Anchorage at #3 Alaska (NC), 7:07 pm AT; #5 Michigan Tech at #4 Bowling Green (NC), 7:07 pm ET.
Games for Saturday, March 15: #8 Bemidji State at #1 Ferris State (NC), 7:07 pm ET; #7 Northern Michigan at #2 Minnesota State (NC), 7:07 pm CT: #6 Alaska Anchorage at #3 Alaska (NC), 7:07 pm AT (if necessary); #5 Michigan Tech at #4 Bowling Green (NC), 7:07 pm ET.
Games for Sunday, March 16 (*if necessary): #8 Bemidji State at #1 Ferris State (NC), 5:07 pm ET; #7 Northern Michigan at #2 Minnesota State (NC), 7:07 pm CT; #5 Michigan Tech at #4 Bowling Green (NC), 7:07 pm ET.
Bergeron And The Media: Playoffs - Michigan Tech
Head coach Chris Bergeron took some time on Tuesday afternoon (March 11) to meet with the media. His team enters the 2014 Western Collegiate Hockey Assocaition (WCHA) playoffs with a 16-14-6 overall record, and a 13-11-4 mark in league play. With 30 points, the Falcons earned the No. 4 seed in the playoffs, earning home ice for the opening round for the first time since the 2007-08 season. The Orange and Brown will welcome fifth-seeded MIchigan Tech to the BGSU Ice Arena this weekend (March 14-16), as the Huskies went 2-1-1 against Bowling Green in the regular season. The best-of-three series will begin at 7:07 p.m. on Friday night. Below is a video of coach Bergeron's press conference.
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