Falcons to Face Western Michigan in Home-and-Home Series

#20 Bowling Green Falcons (0-2-0, 0-2-0 WCHA)
vs.
#RV Western Michigan (2-0-0, 0-0-0 NCHC)

GAME INFORMATION	Friday, Oct. 14, 7:07 p.m. ET Saturday, Oct. 15, 7:07 p.m. ET
LOCATION	Bowling Green, Ohio (BGSU Ice Arena): Friday Kalamazoo, Mich. (Lawson Ice Arena): Saturday
RADIO	WBGU 88.1 FM (Evan Pivnick)
LIVE STATS	BGSUFalcons.com: Friday WMUBroncos.com: Saturday
WATCH ONLINE	WCHA.tv
LISTEN ONLINE	BGSUFalcons.com
GAME NOTES	Bowling Green

>>FALCONS ON TAP
Bowling Green, which is ranked No. 20 in this week's USCHO.com poll, is to split a home-and-home series with Western Michigan. Both games in the series will start at 7:07 p.m. eastern time, first at the BGSU Ice Arena in Bowling Green, Ohio on Friday, followed by action at the Lawson Ice Arena in Kalamazoo, Mich. on Saturday night.

>>FAN PROMOTIONS
The first 250 fans in the doors at the #MadhouseOnMercer on Friday get a free BGSU water bottle, while the first 500 students can snag a free t-shirt. Also don't forget to check in for Ziggy points and the Greek Challenge at Friday's home opener!

>>HOME (OPENING) ADVANTAGE
Bowling Green has won its last three consecutive home-openers at the BGSU Ice Arena. Last season, the Falcons downed in-state rival Ohio State 2-0, while in 2014 they beat Miami 3-2, and back in 2013 the Falcons rallied for a 4-3 win over Ohio State to open the season.

>>THE WMU WASH
In Western Michigan, Bowling Green faces an opponent the Falcons formerly played on a yearly basis as members of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, but this will be the two teams' second match-up since the league dissolved. BGSU is 71-57-7 all-time against the Broncos. Last season, the Falcons fell to WMU 4-1 in October, before dropping a narrow 1-0 final at the Huntington Center in Toledo on Dec. 30 to the Broncos. In 2012-13, WMU went 2-1-1 in four games, including two wins in Kalamazoo. In fact, the Falcons are 0-6-1 at Western Michigan in Chris Bergeron's tenure and have come away without a win in nine straight Kalamazoo meetings.

>>ABOUT WESTERN MICHIGAN
Western Michigan began its 2016-17 season with a home-and-home series against then-ranked No. 20 Ferris State. The Broncos swept the Bulldogs, as they took the season opener in Big Rapids, Mich. 5-3, before skating to a 2-1 win at home. Last season, the Broncos finished 8-25-3 overall, as well as with a 6-17-1 mark in NCHC conference play.

>>CENTURY MEN
Senior Matt Pohlkamp played in his 122nd career game Saturday at Bemidji State. As the active career leader for the Bowling Green squad, Pohlkamp leads four current Falcons who have 100+ games of collegiate experience, which includes Sean Walker (121), Pierre-Luc Mercier (119), and Kevin Dufour (115).

>>MOOSE MCLAIN
Mitch McLain now joins Matt Pohlkamp on the career records watch list for Bowling Green. McLain and Pohlkamp each tally three career shorthanded goals, while the all-time high for the program is nine, set by Andy Gribble from 1984-88. McLain's third career shorty had tied up the Falcons with the Beavers on Saturday night at one goal apiece, although Bowling Green ultimately fell 4-1 to the WCHA rival on the road. With the goal, McLain is tied for first overall in the WCHA, as well as tied for second in the NCAA statistical charts.

>>PRESEASON POLLS PEG BOWLING GREEN
Bowling Green was picked to finish first in the WCHA by both the coaches' and media preseason polls, in addition to being ranked No. 14 in the country by USCHO.com. It is just the second time in school history that Bowling Green has been ranked in the first USCHO.com poll of the year since the poll was initiated for the 1997-98 season, and improved from a No. 16 ranking at the start of the 2015-16 campaign. 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). Bowling Green is also ranked No. 15 in the first USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll of the season. This is the Falcons first appearance in the poll since receiving a No. 13 ranking on 12/14/15.

>>ALL-CONFERENCE ACTION
Multiple Falcons were named for preseason All-WCHA, including junior Mark Friedman and goaltender Chris Nell. Senior Sean Walker also received votes for the Preseason All-WCHA Team, while Friedman and Nell joined Walker in Bowling Green upperclassmen that received votes for Preseason WCHA Player of the Year. Three Falcon freshmen were recognized for the Preseason WCHA Rookie of the Year award, in defenseman Alec Rauhauser and forwards Frederic Letourneau and Casey Linkenheld.

>>STANDOUT SPECIAL TEAMS
Although the Falcons were unable to capitalize on the power play this past weekend, Bowling Green held Bemidji State to 2-12 on the man-advantage across the 120 minutes of play. The Falcons racked up 11 shots on its 13 power play opportunities, while the Beavers tallied 17 shots on the 12 attempts. With the defensive efforts, Bowling Green killed penalties at a mark of 83.30 percent, matching this weekend's opponent Western Michigan at the same odds on the penalty kill.

>>#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 on eight occasions, doubling the four times from the 2015-15 campaign. Although the program averaged 2,549 fans per game, the team set a season-high attendance mark against Ferris State on Feb. 27, 2016 with 4,613. The home opener at the Madhouse on Mercer brought in a crowd of 3,022 against Ohio State last season.

>>FIRST TAKE WITH STEPHEN BAYLIS
A sophomore forward from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Baylis tops the Falcons stat sheets with one goal and one assist through the first two games of the season. By notching the lone goal against the Beavers on Friday, then by assisting Mitch McLain in his third career shorthanded goal, Baylis had a hand in both goals the Falcons scored on the weekend. Baylis' 1.00 points per game ranks him 73rd in the NCAA.

>>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 RIT on Dec. 30 at 5:07 p.m. in the first game of a doubleheader with the Walleye. BGSU last skated in the Huntington Center on Dec. 30, 2015 against Western Michigan, which resulted in a narrow 1-0 Broncos win. Prior to the event last season, the last time the Falcons played in the Huntington Center was during the 2009-10 season against Michigan. 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.

>>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.

>>LIVE STATS
Live stats for all Bowling Green home games and select road matchups are available on the BGSU website at BGSUFalcons.com. Navigate to the hockey schedule for links to all available ways to follow the action while the Falcons are both at home and on the road.

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