Bowling Green State University Athletics
Friday, November 6
Bowling Green, Ohio
7:37 PM
Bowling Green State University
vs
Lake Superior State
No. 14/15 Falcons Finally Home For Weekend Set
November 04, 2015 | Ice Hockey
#14/15 Bowling Green Falcons (4-2-1, 1-1-0 WCHA)
vs.
Lake Superior State Lakers (2-6-0, 0-2-0 WCHA)
vs.
Lake Superior State Lakers (2-6-0, 0-2-0 WCHA)
| GAME INFORMATION | Friday, Nov. 6 / 7:37 pm ET |
| LOCATION | Bowling Green, Ohio (BGSU Ice Arena) |
| RADIO | WBGU 88.1 FM (Evan Pivnick) |
| LIVE STATS | BGSUFalcons.com |
| WATCH ONLINE | WCHA.tv |
| LISTEN ONLINE | BGSUFalcons.com |
| GAME NOTES | BGSU | Lake Superior State | WCHA |
#14/15 Bowling Green Falcons (4-2-1, 1-1-0 WCHA)
vs.
Lake Superior State Lakers (2-6-0, 0-2-0 WCHA)
| GAME INFORMATION | Saturday, Nov. 7 / 7:07 pm ET |
| LOCATION | Bowling Green, Ohio (BGSU Ice Arena) |
| RADIO | WBGU 88.1 FM (Evan Pivnick) |
| LIVE STATS | BGSUFalcons.com |
| WATCH ONLINE | WCHA.tv |
| LISTEN ONLINE | BGSUFalcons.com |
| GAME NOTES | BGSU | Lake Superior State | WCHA |
On Tap
Bowling Green, ranked No. 14 in the USCHO.com poll and No. 15 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll, returns to the BGSU Ice Arena this weekend for a pair of games with Lake Superior State University. The home games will be the Falcons' first since their 2-0 victory over Ohio State in the home opener on Oct. 10. On Friday, the Falcons will face the Lakers beginning at 7:37 pm. The teams will then face-off on Saturday at 7:07 pm for Parents Night. This will be the second WCHA series of the season for BGSU and the first at home. The Lakers began WCHA play last weekend by suffering a home sweep at the hands of Alabama-Huntsville.
About Lake Superior State
Lake Superior State has struggled during the first month of the 2015-16 season. Through eight games, the Lakers are only 2-6-0 overall and 0-2-0 in WCHA play. They began the season with a pair of losses to North Dakota and Michigan State in the Ice Breaker Tournament in Portland, Maine. They followed by splitting a designated non-conference home-and-home series with Northern Michigan. After another split against Michigan State, the Lakers opened their WCHA schedule with a pair of home losses to Alabama-Huntsville. In their six losses, LSSU has been outscored 27-10. Sophomore forward J.T. Henke leads the Lakers with five goals and seven points. Junior forward Matt Johnson is the team leader with four assists. Head coach Damon Whitten is in his second season and has a record of 10-34-2 overall and 7-22-1 in the WCHA.
The All-Time Series
Bowling Green has skated against Lake Superior State more times than all but one opponent. Since their first meeting in 1970, the Falcons and Lakers have met 156 times. BGSU has earned a 77-69-10 record in those contests. Since the two teams moved to the WCHA prior to the 2013-14 season, the Falcons have a 1-4-1 record against LSSU, including a 1-2-1 mark at home. In their most recent meeting last January, the teams split a pair of 3-1 decisions at the BGSU Ice Arena. Kevin Dufour scored two points, including one goal, during the series, while Mark Friedman posted three assists.
Still Ranked In The Polls
After a weekend split with Alaska Fairbanks, Bowling Green fell two spots in the USCHO.com poll to No. 14 and three spots in the USA Today/US Hockey Magazine poll to No. 15. The Falcons have been ranked in the USCHO.com poll for each of the first five weeks of the season, while the team has earned a ranking for the last four weeks in the USA Today/US Hockey Magazine top 15.
The PairWise
The PairWise Ranking is a system which attempts to mimic the method of selection for the NCAA Division I men's hockey tournament. It compares all teams by these criteria: record against common opponents, head-to-head competition, and the RPI. Bowling Green jumped 10 spots to No. 19 in the PairWise this week, putting the Falcons squarely on the bubble for an NCAA Tournament bid. A year ago, BGSU ended the year No. 16 in the PairWise with each of the top 15 teams earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Starting Strong (Again)
For the third consecutive season, the Falcons have completed the first seven games of the season with only two losses. BGSU began the 2014-15 season with an identical 4-2-1 record, while the 2013-14 team earned a 3-2-2 mark through seven games.
Century Men
Redshirt senior Dajon Mingo played in his 100th career game on Oct. 9 against Ohio State. He has now played in 103 career games and joins classmates Ben Murphy (124 games) and Mark Cooper (121 games) as the three current Falcons who have 100+ games of collegiate experience.
Passing A Hall Of Famer
Head coach Chris Bergeron owns 84 wins in his six-year career at Bowling Green. With BGSU's 2-0 win on Sunday, Bergeron tied BGSU Athletics Hall of Famer Scott Paluch for fourth place on the all-time coaching wins list as a Falcon. He now trails only Buddy Powers (135 wins), Ron Mason (160) and Jerry York (342). Bergeron is 45-28-12 since the start of the 2013-14 season.
Fantastic Freshmen
Four Falcon freshmen have notched their first career points this year, while five have seen their first collegiate action. John Schilling leads the group with four points (two goals and two assists). Chris Pohlkamp scored his first collegiate goal against Alaska Anchorage and now has two points. Forward Shane Bednard and defenseman Connor McDonald have recorded one assist each. Forward Joe McKeown saw his first collegiate action in a 4-2 win at Canisius.
The Burke Wall
In a 4-2 win at Canisius, senior goalie Tommy Burke recorded his 35th career victory to move past Jordan Sigalet (2001-04) for sole possession of 10th place all-time on the BGSU goalie leaderboard. He is two wins shy of Al Sarachman (1973-77) for ninth. Gary Kruzich (1983-87) is the all-time Falcon goalie leader with 88 career wins. Burke is 2-0-0 during the 2015-16 season.
Nell And Void
Sophomore goalie Chris Nell posted a 2-0 shutout on Sunday at Alaska Anchorage. It was the second shutout he has recorded among his four starts this season. In just 16 career starts, Nell has now earned five shutouts and is in sole possession of third place on the all-time BGSU shutouts list. He needs only two more to match the school record of seven, held jointly by Tyler Masters (1999-03) and Andrew Hammond (2010-13). Nell has a 2-1-1 record this season and ranks fifth nationally in save percentage (.957) and goals against average (1.14). Among the players above Nell on both lists, only Thatcher Demko of Boston College has saved more shots and played more minutes.
The NHL Calls
Bowling Green has two active alumni in the NHL, as well as one head coach. Defenseman Kevin Bieksa is a regular in the Anaheim Ducks lineup, while goalie Andrew Hammond, who took the Ottawa Senators on a wild ride a year ago, returned from the injured list to play in his first game of the season on Oct. 22. Buffalo Sabres' first year head coach Dan Bylsma was just inducted in the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 9 and is a Stanley Cup winner in Pittsburgh as well as having coached the 2014 US Winter Olympic team.
Home Ice
BGSU Hockey is 1-0-0 this year at the BGSU Ice Arena and has won five consecutive home games dating back to last year. Over the past 15 contests at the Madhouse on Mercer, Bowling Green is 11-3-1.
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. At 4-2-1, the Falcons are off to a strong start in an effort to earn back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 1994-95 and 1995-96.
Mr. October Turns It On In November
Junior Kevin Dufour is off to a quick start for the second consecutive year. A year ago, Dufour scored a goal in each of the first six games of the season and posted eight of his 13 goals in the month of October. This year, he scored four times in six October games. But Dufour has carried the hot streak into November this year, posting a power play goal in the second period of the team's 2-0 win over Alaska Anchorage on Nov. 1.
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.
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. The Falcons are already 3-2-1 on the road in 2015-16 but will be home for eight of the next 10 games.
#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. This year, BGSU had 3,022 fans for the home opener against Ohio State.
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 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.
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 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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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