No. 16 Falcons Open Season Against In-State Rival Ohio State

Friday, October 9

Columbus, Ohio

7:05 pm

Bowling Green State University

Ohio State

Photo by: Ruben Kappler, BGSU Marketing & Communications

October 06, 2015 | Ice Hockey

By: by Jason Knavel, Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Communications

#16 Bowling Green Falcons (0-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA)
at
Ohio State Buckeyes (0-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA)

GAME INFORMATION	Friday, Oct. 9, 7:05 pm
LOCATION	Columbus, Ohio (OSU Ice Rink)
RADIO	WBGU 88.1 FM (Evan Pivnick, Adam Ramos)
LIVE STATS	OhioStateBuckeyes.com
WATCH ONLINE	BTN2Go
LISTEN ONLINE	BGSUFalcons.com
GAME NOTES	BGSU \| Ohio State \| WCHA \| Big Ten

#16 Bowling Green Falcons (0-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA)
vs.
Ohio State Buckeyes (0-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA)

GAME INFORMATION	Saturday, Oct. 10, 7:37 pm
LOCATION	Bowling Green, Ohio (BGSU Ice Arena)
TELEVISION	BCSN (Greg Franke)
RADIO	WBGU 88.1 FM (Evan Pivnick, Adam Ramos)
LIVE STATS	BGSUFalcons.com
WATCH ONLINE	WCHA.tv
LISTEN ONLINE	BGSUFalcons.com
GAME NOTES	BGSU \| Ohio State \| WCHA \| Big Ten
PINK GAME / FALCONS FIGHTING HUNGER DUKE PIEPER BOOK SIGNING

On Tap
Bowling Green, which is ranked No. 16 in the USCHO.com preseason poll, opens the regular season Friday and Saturday with a home-and-home series against in-state rival and former CCHA league-mate Ohio State. Friday night's game will start at 7:07 pm in Columbus, Ohio before the series turns to Bowling Green for a 7:37 pm Saturday start.

About Ohio State
The Falcons open the 2015-16 season with a home-and-home series against in-state (and former conference) rival Ohio State. The Buckeyes are coming off a disappointing 14-19-3 season during which they went 8-11-1 in Big Ten play and were bounced by Minnesota in the second game of the Big Ten Tournament. OSU is led by head coach Steve Rohlik, who is beginning his third season in Columbus and owns a 32-33-8 record with the Buckeyes. On the ice, OSU returns forward Anthony Greco, who was second on the 2014-15 team with 23 points and led with 15 goals. Also returning is primary goaltender Christian Frey. Frey posted a 9-12-2 record and a .909 save percentage in 24 starts last season.

The All-Time Series
Bowling Green owns a 91-61-8 advantage over Ohio State in the all-time series. Since moving to the WCHA at the beginning of the 2013-14 season, the Falcons have faced the Buckeyes four times, twice on each team's ice. The two teams have split the four games, as well as the pair of games at each arena. Last season, BGSU fell to Ohio State 3-2 at the "Madhouse On Mercer" in front of a record crowd of 5,353 fans, but they avenged the loss by beating the Buckeyes 3-2 in Columbus just 24 hours later.

Think Pink And Fight Hunger
The BGSU hockey program will be raising money and awareness for breast cancer prevention when it opens the 2015-16 home schedule with its annual Pink Game Saturday against Ohio State. As well, BGSU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will be collecting canned goods for Falcons Fighting Hunger. The Falcons will donate $1 to the Wood County Cancer Center for every single-game ticket purchased. The first 1,000 fans will receive a pink rally towel from Kroger, and the first 650 students will receive a "Madhouse on Mercer" pink rally towel. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to promote breast cancer awareness and research.

Eight Crazy Nights
The first eight days of the regular season could be critical to the Falcons' success. BGSU will play five games in five different arenas over the first eight days of the season, with just one contest coming at home. Bowling Green opens with a home-and-home series with Ohio State before a Tuesday night contest at Western Michigan. BGSU will then play on the road Friday and Saturday, Oct. 16-17, at Canisius and at RIT (at Blue Cross Arena).

Recapping The Exhibition
Bowling Green was victorious Saturday night in the team's only exhibition game of the season, defeating Toronto 4-3 on a Matt Pohlkamp short-handed goal with 47.7 seconds remaining. BGSU took leads of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 but the Varsity Blues responded each time to tie the contest. Sophomore Brandon Hawkins posted two goals, one on the power play, and freshman John Schilling lit the lamp as well. BGSU held Toronto scoreless on six power play attempts a year after ranking second in the country on the penalty kill. The Falcons had a 38-21 edge in shots and senior goalie Tommy Burke made 11 saves in 12 chances over the first 45 minutes of action.

The Preseason Is The Right Season
After ending the 2014-15 season ranked No. 18 in the country in the USCHO.com poll, the Falcons ticked up a couple of spots to No. 16 in this year's preseason poll with 316 total votes. It is the first time BGSU has earned a ranking in the existence of the USCHO.com preseason poll, which started in the 1997-98 season. The Falcons did earn votes (but not enough to be ranked) in the USCHO.com preseason polls in 2014 (11 votes), 2013 (4 votes), 2008 (3 votes), 2005 (1 vote), 2004 (1 vote), 1999 (1 vote) and 1997 (3 votes). BGSU is one of three teams from the WCHA in the poll as Minnesota State begins the year ranked sixth and Michigan Tech is 15th. Three other WCHA teams (Alaska, Bemidji State and Ferris State) received votes.

Bylsma Headed To The Hall
While the 2015-16 Bowling Green hockey team begins its season against Ohio State on Friday night, the eyes of the program will also be in Bowling Green. On that night, Dan Bylsma, who played hockey for the Falcons from 1988-92, will be inducted into the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame. He played in 157 games for the Falcons and scored 87 points during that period. Bylsma became the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins midway through the 2008-09 season, led them to 40 points in 25 games, then defeated Detroit in the Stanley Cup Final. He also coached Team USA in the 2014 Winter Olympics and is in his first season as head coach of the Buffalo Sabres.

Rising Towards The Top
BGSU is widely considered to be one of the top teams in the WCHA for the 2015-16 season, and that belief is reflected in both the coaches' and media preseason polls, which were released on Monday, Sept. 21. The Falcons were ranked second in the Mankato Free Press Coaches' Poll and received one first-place vote. They received 79 points, just ten behind preseason championship favorite Minnesota State. In the Bemidji Pioneer Media Poll, Bowling Green was picked to finish third. Eight of 29 voters ranked the Falcons first, and they totaled 250 points. Michigan Tech was voted second with 263, while Minnesota State again received the top position with 265.

First Take With Stephen Baylis
While Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless have one of the most popular sports talk shows on television in "First Take", those two can only dream of having the potential of namesake Stephen Baylis. A freshman forward from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Baylis has been named the Bemidji Pioneer WCHA Preseason Newcomer of the Year. He received five votes and edged Ferris State's Corey Mackin, who received four. Baylis is the reigning regular season Most Valuable Player for the CCHL, where he played for the Carleton Place Canadians. In 54 games, he scored 32 goals and provided 37 assists. He added seven goals and 15 assists in 15 playoff games. Since the 2010-11 season, he has scored 185 points for Carleton Place in 214 games. Baylis also received two votes for the Mankato Free Press WCHA Preseason Rookie of the Year award.

Preseason All-WCHA
Several Bowling Green players received votes for the coaches' and media preseason All-WCHA teams. Sophomore forward Brandon Hawkins and sophomore defenseman Mark Friedman received votes for both teams, while junior defenseman Sean Walker earned votes for the media's All-WCHA team. Hawkins and Friedman were on last season's WCHA All-Rookie Team. Hawkins led the Falcons with 16 goals and 30 points and ranked in the top 10 overall and first among freshman in WCHA scoring. Friedman had a +7 on-ice rating, and he placed seventh in points among WCHA freshmen and defensemen. Hawkins won BGSU's Jim Ruehl Best Defensive Player award. He posted a +10 on-ice rating and earned 20 points in 39 games.

Seeing 20-20
With 23 wins during the 2014-15 season, Bowling Green posted the 19th 20-win season in program history, a mark with includes five 30-win seasons. It is the first time the team won 20 games since the 1995-96 campaign.

Offensive Fireworks
Despite losing important pieces from last year's team such as Adam Berkle and Dan DeSalvo, the Falcons return a vast majority of their offensive firepower for this season. All four players (Brandon Hawkins, Ben Murphy, Mitchell McClain and Kevin Dufour) who scored at least 10 goals during the 2014-15 season are back. The top four and 11 of the top 14 players on the points list are also back. All told, BGSU returns 17 of the 23 players who scored at least one point last season, and they account for 75.8% of all points earned. Of the 119 goals scored during the 2014-15 season, players who scored 103 of those (86.6%) will compete for this year's team.

"Potent"ial Offense
With players returning who scored 103 goals a year ago, Bowling Green figures to have one of the most veteran offenses in the country. In fact, only three other teams return more offense from a year ago -- UMass Lowell (117 goals), Minnesota State (107 goals), and Harvard (106 goals). In total, the 86.6 percent of returning offense ranks seventh in the country behind Nebraska Omaha (91.4 percent), Holy Cross (89.3 percent), Merrimack (88.9 percent), Quinnipiac (88.7 percent), Harvard (87.6 percent) and UMass Lowell (87.3 percent).

Here For The Long Haul
Bowling Green head coach Chris Bergeron signed a five-year contract extension following the 2014-15 season that will keep him at the helm of the Falcons through the 2022-23 season. Bergeron, who is in his sixth season at BGSU, has compiled 80 wins through his first five seasons and has led the Falcons to a win total increase in each of those campaigns. That five-year run of improved win totals is a first in team history. The Falcons' 23 wins in 2014-15 were the most for BGSU in 19 years, since they won 26 in 1995-96. Bergeron has also led the Falcons to at least one best-of-three postseason series victory in each of the last five seasons. BGSU is the only program in the country to accomplish this feat.

The Puck Stops Here
BGSU's returning goaltending group is among the best in team history. Tomas Sholl went 3-1 last season with a 2.58 goals against average and a .909 save percentage, while Chris Nell posted a 6-4-2 record with a .917 save percentage and a 2.32 GAA. The primary starter, Tommy Burke, won 14 games, allowed a BGSU record-low 2.18 goals per contest and saved shots at a .920 clip. Both Nell and Burke have three career shutouts, tied for the third-most in team history. Burke's career GAA is 2.37 and is the best in BGSU history with a minimum of 1,000 minutes played. He's also third on the all-time BGSU list with a .908 save percentage. Together, the trio allowed just 2.38 goals per game last season, which ranked 21st in the country and was a big improvement over the 2.62 mark from the previous year.

#MadhouseOnMercer
With increased success, the BGSU Ice Arena has seen more and more fans line up for BG hockey games. A year ago, Bowling Green played in front of crowds exceeding 3,000 fans four times and the program averaged 2,601 fans per game, an increase of almost 600 per game over the 2,022 in 2013-14. The most memorable crowd last season, and now in program's history, was a record-breaking attendance of 5,353 vs. Ohio State on November 14.

Crossing A Hawk With A Falcon
Brandon Hawkins earned one of the best seasons of any freshman across the NCAA during the 2014-2015 season. He ranked third among Division I freshmen with a 0.41 goals per game average and was ninth against his fellow rookies with 0.77 points per game. In the WCHA, he led all freshmen in both points (30) and goals (16). He tied for fourth in the WCHA with four game-winning goals, and he put two shots in the net during the 4-1 win over Northern Michigan that clinched BGSU's spot in the WCHA Final Five. Hawkins' play earned him a spot on the WCHA All-Rookie Team, as well as BGSU's co-Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards.

The Falcon Flyer
Whereas Brandon Hawkins was BGSU's leader on offense as a freshman, Mark Friedman played a similarly large role on defense during his rookie season. Friedman tied for the team lead with 17 assists. His 19 points were tied for seventh in the WCHA among both defensemen and freshmen, and he added a +7 on-ice rating and a BGSU-best 64 blocked shots. His efforts earned co-Rookie of the Year status with Hawkins, as well as a spot on the WCHA All-Rookie team. Friedman began his BGSU career after being selected in the third round (86th overall) by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2014 National Hockey League draft.

Ohio's Hockey Town
Wallethub.com has named Bowling Green the top hockey city in Ohio and 18th out of 74 cities nationally that host either an NHL or NCAA Division I team. The rankings were a combination of several factors, including team performance, ticket prices, arena accessibility and friendliness/engagement of the fans. Each area was weighted differently, and some were comprised of a three-year average. "The Madhouse on Mercer" housed an average of 2,601 fans per game during the 2014-15 season. A total of 5,353 fans broke the BGSU Ice Arena attendance record Nov. 14, 2014 when the Falcons hosted Ohio State.

The Captain And His Assistants
Bowling Green has named its captain and assistant captains for the 2015-2016 season. Junior defenseman Sean Walker will serve as the Falcons' captain, while senior forwards Mark Cooper and Brent Tate will compete as the team's assistant captains. Both Cooper and Tate are in the role for the second consecutive season. The trio provided 51 points for the Falcons during the 2014-2015 season. They scored 20 goals and combined for a +11 on-ice rating. During BGSU's three-game postseason run, the three posted three goals and totaled eight points as the Falcons won a best-of-three playoff series for the fifth consecutive year.

Taking Over Toledo
The BGSU hockey team has once again partnered with the ECHL's Toledo Walleye to feature the Falcons at Toledo's Huntington Center. This year, the Falcons will host the Western Michigan Broncos on Dec. 30 at 5:00 p.m. in the first game of a doubleheader with the Walleye. BGSU last skated in the Huntington Center during the 2009-10 season against Michigan. The Falcons also played in Toledo last season, when they earned a 2-2 tie against No. 19 Robert Morris in the program's first outdoor game, at the Walleye's Winterfest. Tickets can be purchased online at BGSUFalcons.com/tickets or through ToledoWalleye.com, by phone at 877-BGSU-TICKET, or in person at the BGSU Ticket Office, located in the Stroh Center.

The Bergeron Factor
BGSU Head Coach Chris Bergeron arrived in Bowling Green in 2010-11 and the Falcons won 10 games in his first season at the helm, doubling the team's win total over the previous season. The next year, Bowling Green climbed to 14 wins and then added another win on top of that in 2012-13. During the 2013-14 season, the Falcons improved their win total for the fourth straight season with an 18-victory campaign and BGSU posted 23 wins a year ago. It is the first time in program history that the team has improved its win total in five consecutive seasons.

Road Warriors
BGSU went 11-6-4 away from the BGSU Ice Arena in 2014-15. The team had not won more than 11 games away from home since the 1987-88 team posted 16 victories.

Coming Soon
Bowling Green commit Ryan Bednard was selected in the 2015 National Hockey League Draft. Bednard, a goalie from Macomb, Mich., was picked in the seventh round by the Florida Panthers. He was the 206th overall selection. This marks the second consecutive year in which a BGSU player was drafted by an NHL team, as Mark Friedman went to the Philadelphia Flyers in the third round during the 2014 draft. BGSU had not featured draftees in consecutive seasons since a four-year stretch from 2004-2007. Bednard was a goalie with the NAHL's Johnstown Tomahawks last season and earned a 16-16-5 record with a 2.66 goals against average and a .913 save percentage.

WCHA.TV
In partnership with industry leader Stretch Internet, WCHA.tv will allow fans to watch all 10 league teams and up to 196 games during the 2015-16 season on just about any device – computer, tablet, phone and many Smart TVs – with a responsive experience customized for that particular medium. High-quality HD streams, when available from the originating arena, will be viewable in multiple screen layout options (including picture-in-picture, multi-view format to watch up to four games simultaneously and full-screen video). For more information, visit WCHA.tv.

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 and WBGUFM.com.

Live Stats
Live stats for all BGSU home games are available on the BGSU website at BGSUFalcons.com. Navigate to the hockey schedule for links to all available ways to follow the action.