Falcons Continue WCHA Stretch, Heads To Bemidji For Weekend Series

Friday, January 30

Bemidji, Minn.

8:37 P.M.

Bowling Green State University

Bemidji State

Photo by: Todd Pavlack / BGSUHockey.com

Falcons Continue WCHA Stretch, Heads To Bemidji For Weekend Series

January 28, 2015 | Ice Hockey

Bowling Green, who enters the weekend No. 6 in the USCHO poll, will continue their nine-week WCHA stretch.

By: by BGSU Athletic Communications

Falcon Weekly: Coach Bergeron

On Tap
The Falcons will continue its second-half league schedule, traveling to Bemidji, Minnesota to take on the Beavers of Bemidji State in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) clash. The Orange and Brown are in the midst of an eight-week WCHA stretch, playing 16 consecutive league games to finish the regular season. BGSU will trek to the Sanford Center going just 3-2-1 over the last six games, averaging 2.8 goals-per-game during that stretch –marking the worst GPG of the season in six games. However, the Falcons will still enter the weekend holding a steady 24 points in league play, which is third behind only Michigan Tech (27 pts.) and Minnesota State (31 pts.). Meanwhile, the Beavers –who lost two games in Bowling Green last November—will look to keep its undefeated record (2-0-0) against the Falcons all-time at the Sanford Center. BSU defeated No. 7 Minnesota-Duluth and No. 1 Minnesota State in the North Star College Cup last week, and will look to continue to improve in league standings against BGSU.

About Bemidji State
The Bemidji State ice hockey program began in 1947-48, and holds an all-time record of 1,014-547-109 (.640). The Beavers' first season at the NCAA Division I level was in 1999-2000 (15 seasons) and holds a record of 228-252-61 (.478) at the NCAA D-I level. Bemidji State played ice hockey beginning of 1946 playing inaugural through 1996-67 as an independent member. The Beavers also spent time in the NAIA from 1968-69 through 1979-80, and also played a part of the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association.

The Series
Bowling Green –having swept Bemidji State last November—now holds the all-time series between the two teams by a 4-2 advantage in six meetings. The Falcons hold a perfect 4-0 mark at the BGSU Ice Arena, while the Orange and Brown are still searching for its first win at the Sanford Center in Bemidji, Minnesota. The first meeting dates back to Dec. 30, 2011, where Bemidji State defeated Bowling Green by a 4-1 score. The Falcons have won the past four meetings against the Beavers.

The Last Time Out
The Bowling Green State University ice hockey team defeated Lake Superior State University, 3-1, Saturday (Jan. 24) evening in front of 3,206 fans at the BGSU Ice Arena. The Falcons' Adam Berkle , Ben Murphy –who scored his team-leading fourth power play goal—and Brett D'Andrea all found the back of the cage, while junior netminder Tommy Burke (6-2-3) turned away 26-of-27 shots in the winning effort. With the win, Bowling Green improved to 15-5-4 overall and 11-3-2 in league standings –solidifying its strong stance in third place with 24 points after 16 conference games. The Falcons improved to an impressive 5-0-0 after a loss on the season, and 12-1-0 when scoring at least three goals in a game.

Rising In The Polls
The Bowling Green State University ice hockey team will enter the week ranked 6th in the USCHO poll, earning a top 10 spot in the rankings for the second time this season. The Falcons earned a No. 19 slot on November 10 and has not dropped since entering the top 20 in what has been their first national ranking since 2007. In fact, the Falcons have increased its points total for 13 straight weeks. BGSU is one of three Western Collegiate Hockey League (WCHA) teams that earned a spot in the Top 20, as Minnesota State (1) claimed the top spot for the second consecutive week and Michigan Tech (10) secured spots in the top 10.

USA Today /USA Hockey Magazine
The Falcons will enter the week ranked No. 6 in the nation, according to the USA Today/ USA Magazine poll, improving in the polls for the third week in a row. The Orange and Brow join Minnesota State (1) and Michigan Tech (10) as the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) representatives.

Highest Ranking EVER
#FalconHockey's 15-5-4 start marks the best start to a season since 1994-95. However, that's not the only historic fact coming away with their tremendous start. Bowling Green jumped as high as No.6 in the USCHO.com poll this season, marking the highest ranking for the Orange and Brown since the poll began in 1997.It's the seventh time since November 10 the Falcons have jumped at least one spot in the poll, beginning at No. 19 all the way to No. 6 this week. The Orange and Brown will enter the weekend ranked No. this weekend after splitting a WCHA weekend series against Lake Superior State.

800 More
With #FalconHockey's steady improvement over the course of the season, the BGSU Ice Arena has seen an increase in the bleachers at home games. The BGSU Ice Arena saw crowds of 2,751 and 3,206 against Lake Superior last weekend, continuing their support of Bowling Green. In fact, the BGSU Ice Arena is averaging 2,894 fans per game, which is 800 more than last season. The most memorable crowd this season, and now in program's history, was a record-breaking attendance of 5,353 vs. Ohio State on November 14.

15 Wins
After the Falcons earned a weekend split against Lake Superior State at the BGSU Ice Arena, the Orange and Brown improved to 15-5-4 overall on the season. With another victory in the books, the Falcons reached 15 wins in their first 22 games. The last time Bowling Green won 14 of its first 21 games was back in 1994-95. In fact, with 20 wins on the horizon, the last time the Falcons reached that mark was in 1995-96 –going 26-14-1 that season.

Falcons On The PK
The Falcons had another successful weekend killing penalties, going a perfect 8-for-8 against Lake Superior State. The Orange and Brown have gone 60-for-61 on the PK since Nov. 8, 2014m propelling them to a nation's best 93.8 percent on the season. The top penalty kill unit was put to the test once again Saturday night against LSSU, killing off two 5-on-3 and five power play opportunities .

Special Teams Shining
The Falcons have played well on the penalty kill this season, going 91/97 (93.8%) on the season. Additionally, the Orange and Brown have gone 17-for-97 (17%) on the power play in 24 games this season—including back-to-back games with a PPG. In all, Bowling Green 10/194 (55.7%) on special teams, which ranks third in the nation for combined special teams.

Offensive-Minded Falcons
The Falcons enter the week as one of the best offensive teams in the WCHA, scoring 3.17 goals in 24 games—ranking third in the league behind only Minnesota State and Michigan Tech. However, the Falcons are also in the top 10 nationally in scoring margin, ranking ninth with a 1.00 scoring margin to its opponents.

Berkle's Contribution
Senior forward Adam Berkle tallied two points (1g, 1a) in Saturday night's 3-1 victory over Lake Superior at the BGSU Ice Arena. The Falcons are 4-0-1 when the senior scores a goal in a game, and sit at 6-1-0 when the winger tallies an assist. In all, Berkle has totaled five goals and eight assists for 13 points in 24 games played this season.

#ChurchOfDufour Strikes Again
Kevin Dufour, who earned the nickname "Church of Dufour" after leading the nation with nine goals in the first eight games this season, has helped out other on the scoring sheet by handing out assists as of late. The sophomore winger tallied his sixth assist Saturday night, which is his third assist in five games. In all, the Falcons are 5-0-1 when the Church assists on a goal and are 8-0-1 with a positive on-ice rating.

Friedman's Strong Stretch
The freshman forward from Toronto, who was a third-round NHL Draft selection by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2014, has been playing his best hockey for the Falcons over the past several weeks. Mark Friedman has totaled one goal and nine assists since Dec. 6, 2014, marking the best stretch of any Falcons. In fact, the defenseman is currently on a five-game point streak with six assists during that span. The Orange and Brown are 7-2-1 when Friedman totals an assist and a 8-1-0 mark when recording a positive on-ice rating.

Bowling Green WCHA Ranks
Scoring Offense: 3.17 G/GM (3rd)
Scoring Defense: 2.187 G/GM (4th)
Power Play: 17/97 (17%)
Penalty Kill: 91/97 (94%)

Bowling Green Leaders
Points: Pohlkamp/Dufour (17)
Goals: Kevin Dufour (11)
Assists: Friedman/Mercier (12)
Shots: Brandon Hawkins (73)
Penalties: Mark Friedman (51:00)

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".