Falcons Host Critical Series With Ferris State For Senior Weekend

#RV Bowling Green Falcons (17-11-6, 13-6-5)
vs.
Ferris State (14-11-6, 12-8-4)

GAME INFORMATION	Friday, Feb. 26 / 7:07 pm ET
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 \| Ferris State \| WCHA

#RV Bowling Green Falcons (17-11-6, 13-6-5)
vs.
Ferris State (14-11-6, 12-8-4)

GAME INFORMATION	Saturday, Feb. 27 / 7:07 pm ET
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 \| Ferris State \| WCHA

>>THE WEEK AHEAD
The Bowling Green Falcons split a series at Alaska last weekend to maintain a tie with Michigan Tech for second place in the WCHA standings. After a 2-1 loss on Friday, the Falcons rebounded with a key 4-1 victory on Saturday. That win featured a goal and an assist each from Sean Walker and Matt Pohlkamp. This weekend, BGSU hosts Ferris State in a critical series. The Bulldogs are tied for fourth, just three points behind Bowling Green. Senior Weekend at the BGSU Ice Arena will feature games on Friday and Saturday with puck drop at 7:07 pm on both nights.

>>PROMOTIONS
As usual, it will be a busy weekend in the BGSU Ice Arena. Both Friday and Saturday night will be filled with fun events for fans. Listed below is a rundown of the promotions:

Friday
* Pregame Chalk Talk with Coach Bergeron -- CLICK HERE for details
* Eddie Powers and Ray Schneider Book Signing of "Cavallini From Kane" -- CLICK HERE to purchase the book
* Military Appreciation Night -- Free ticket for all active and veteran military / Reduced ticket for family members -- Contact the BGSU Ticket Office (877-BGSU TICKET) for details

Saturday
* Senior Night honoring Tommy Burke, Mark Cooper, Jose Delgadillo, Ben Murphy and Brent Tate
* Sic Sic Unmasking -- Spiderman and Laura Bush unmasked at second intermission

>>ABOUT FERRIS STATE
* 14-11-6 overall record
* Tied for fourth in WCHA (12-8-4, 28 points)
* Lost last two games after 6-0-2 stretch
* 7-4-1 in WCHA road games (29-26 goal differential)
* Gerald Mayhew leads FSU with 10 goals, 17 assists and 27 points
* Mayhew is tied for first in WCHA with 12 power play points
* Corey Mackin is second on team in goals (8), assists (13) and points (21)
* Goalie Darren Smith is 16th nationally in GAA (2.09) and 17th in save percentage (.928)

>>NOTABLE
* The Falcons rank eightth nationally and second in the WCHA with 2.09 goals allowed per game
* Mark Cooper scored a goal on Saturday, now has three goals in his last four games at Alaska
* Cooper leads BGSU with 13 goals; Falcons are 9-0-2 when he scores
* Sean Walker has two goals and six assists in his last nine games
* Walker is third among WCHA defensemen with 17 points
* Since Jan. 1, Falcon rookies have eight goals and 28 points in 14 games
* Brandon Hawkins and Matt Pohlkamp both had a goal and two assists last year against Ferris State

>>WHAT ARE THEY SAYING?
"(The seniors) are leaving Bowling Green hockey better than they found it. They took a chance on a plan. They were part of a revitalization of what once was a national powerhouse. We almost started to take rankings for granted (over the past two years). When you take things for granted, that's because it's expected. And that wasn't the case when they came." -- BGSU Head Coach Chris Bergeron

>>THE USCHO.COM POLL
* BGSU lost one vote but moved up to one spot out of the top 20 poll.
* Bowling Green is one of three WCHA schools earning votes towards the top 20, behind No. 14 Michigan Tech and No. 18 Minnesota State.
* Clarkson and Miami are the two non-conference BGSU opponents that are receiving votes in the poll.

>>THE USA TODAY/US HOCKEY MAGAZINE POLL
* Bowling Green has not appeared in the poll for the fourth straight week.
* BGSU was ranked in the top 15 for four straight weeks at one point this year.
* Michigan Tech is the only WCHA team ranked, sitting at No. 14. Minnesota State has two votes in the poll.

>>THE PAIRWISE
* The PairWise mimics the method of selection for the NCAA Division I men's hockey national tournament, comparing common opponents, head-to-head competition and the RPI.
* BGSU remains tied for No. 27 in the latest PairWise rankings.
* Michigan Tech is the highest ranked WCHA team in the poll, tied for No. 16.
* Bowling Green ended No. 16 a year ago and the Falcons were the first team out of the NCAA Tournament.
* This week's opponent Ferris State is No. 31.

>>THE WCHA TOURNAMENT
The Bowling Green Falcons clinched a berth in the WCHA Tournament for the third consecutive year with their 3-1 win over Minnesota State on Saturday, Feb. 6. Now, the Falcons' attention has turned to clinching home ice for the first round. The top four tournament teams play at home, and BGSU is currently tied for second with Michigan Tech at 31 points. The Falcons are three points ahead of Ferris State and Northern Michigan, who are tied for fourth with four games remaining. BGSU would clinch this weekend against FSU with two wins or a win and a tie. They will clinch with a win and a loss if NMU earns no more than one point in their series against Lake Superior State. The Falcons have hosted a playoff series in each of their first two WCHA seasons and have won a playoff series in five consecutive years.

>>SENIOR NIGHT
This weekend's series against Ferris State will be the final regular season home games for five members of the Bowling Green Falcon hockey team. Mark Cooper has played in all 34 games this season and is the team leader with 13 goals and 20 points. Among BGSU's 17 wins this season, he is responsible for four game-winning goals. Cooper has 42 goals and 79 points in 150 career games. Brent Tate has nine points in 28 games. Of his four goals this season, three have occurred on the power play. Tate has played in 109 career games and has scored 27 goals and 53 points. Ben Murphy has contributed four goals, seven assists and a +3 on-ice rating in 24 games this season. Overall, he has 34 goals in 141 games. Jose Delgadillo has played in 11 games this season and helped BGSU to a 4-3-4 record in those contests. He has two career assists and has played in 73 contests during his Falcon career. Tommy Burke has been one of the best goalies in BGSU history. He is second on the team's all-time list with 2.42 goals against average and third with a .909 save percentage. His 37 wins are tied for ninth in school history. Burke is 4-3 this season with a 2.88 GAA and a .896 save percentage.

>>SENIOR WEEKEND
Senior weekend has been a special time for the Bowling Green Falcons in recent years. They have earned at least one point during the final home series of the regular season in each of Chris Bergeron's five years at the helm and are 6-3-1 overall in those games. They have won five in a row and have scored five or more goals in four of those games. Two years ago, the Falcons swept Bemidji State to secure home-ice in their first WCHA tournament, then scored nine goals in a pair of wins last year against Alabama-Huntsville.

>>WCHA SCHOLAR-ATHLETES
On Thursday, Feb. 18, the WCHA named the recipients of the 2015-16 WCHA Scholar-Athlete Award. Overall, 123 student-athletes were recognized, and that group included three members of the BGSU hockey team. Junior goalie Tomas Scholl received the award for the second time. Junior forward Matt Pohlkamp and sophomore forward Jakob Reichert were first-time honorees. In order to receive the award, student-athletes must have completed at least one year of residency at their present institution prior to the current year and must have a 3.50 GPA (4.0 scale) for the previous two semesters (or three quarters). An athlete may also qualify if his GPA is at least 3.50 for all terms at his or her present institution.

>>THE MCNAUGHTON TROPHY
While trying to secure home ice for the first round of the WCHA Tournament, Bowling Green is also competing for the 2015-16 WCHA regular season championship and the McNaughton Trophy. The Falcons are currently two points behind conference leader Minnesota State in the standings with four games to play. Many scenarios exist, including multiple team ties, but the simplest is this: BGSU will win the championship if they win their final four games, MSU loses at least once and Michigan Tech suffers at least one loss or tie. MSU concludes the season at Alaska-Anchorage and against Bemidji State, while BGSU finishes against Ferris State and at Alabama-Huntsville.

>>WALKING ON SUNSHINE
Junior defenseman Sean Walker has played a key role for Bowling Green in some recent series. He has earned a point in three straight games, which is his longest streak of the season. Walker owns two goals and six assists in his last nine contests, including a power play goal that opened the scoring in Saturday's 4-1 win at Alaska. He is one of the Falcons' leaders with a +10 on-ice rating and is +3 over his last five games. Among WCHA defensemen, Walker is tied for second in assists (14) and is third in points (17).

>>MARKED MAN
Bowling Green senior forward Mark Cooper really enjoys facing the Minnesota State, as demonstrated by his four goals against the Mavericks this season. However, he also really likes the Carlson Center in Fairbanks, Alaska. On Saturday against the Alaska Nanooks, he scored a short-handed goal in the second period to give BGSU a 3-0 lead en route to a 4-1 victory. In his last four games at the Carlson Center, Cooper has three goals and an assist. He has seven points in his last nine games and leads Bowling Green this season with 13 goals and 20 points. Among WCHA players, Cooper's 13 goals are tied for third-most, and his four game winning goals are tied for second.

>>NELL AND VOID
Sophomore goalie Chris Nell has given up just 50 goals in 28 starts (13-8-6) this season. He has allowed two or fewer in 21 of the 28. A WCHA Goaltender of the Year contender, Nell ranks first in the league in goals against average (1.77) and save percentage (.934). He is tied for second in shutouts (three) and fourth in winning percentage (.593). Nationally, Nell ranks fourth in goals against average and sixth in save percentage. In just 40 career starts, Nell has earned six shutouts, third-most in program history. He needs just one more to match the school record of seven, held jointly by Tyler Masters (1999-03) and Andrew Hammond (2010-13).

>>CENTURY MEN
Bowling Green now has seven players with over 100 career games. The group is led by seniors Mark Cooper (150 games) and Ben Murphy (141), while juniors Matt Pohlkamp (112), Sean Walker (111) and Pierre-Luc Mercier (109) joined the club earlier this month. Senior Brent Tate (109) added his name to the list on Jan. 16 against Miami. Junior Kevin Dufour (105 games) eclipsed the century mark on Friday, Jan. 29 against Michigan Tech. These players have combined for 44 goals and 106 points this season.

>>CENTURY MAN, PART TWO
Head coach Chris Bergeron earned his 97th career victory on Saturday at Alaska. He needs just three more to become the fourth coach in Bowling Green history to reach 100 wins. He would join Jerry York (342 wins), Ron Mason (160) and Buddy Powers (135). Powers was the last to reach the century mark, when his Falcons defeated Ohio State 3-0 on Jan. 14, 2000. Bergeron is 58-37-17 since the start of the 2013-14 season.

>>HAWK=FALCON
Sophomore forward Brandon Hawkins lit up Alaska Anchorage for three goals and five points on Jan. 21-22 and earned his first career WCHA Offensive Player of the Week honor. He followed that with another goal and two points on Jan. 29 against Michigan Tech. Hawkins' four goals are the most in three consecutive regular season games since Tyler Spezia did it between Oct. 25 and Nov. 1, 2014, while no Falcon had scored seven points in three games since Dan DeSalvo had eight from Jan. 3-10, 2014. Hawkins now has six goals and 11 points in his last 14 games. He is tied for second on the team with nine goals and third with 18 points.

>>HELP IS HERE
BGSU Hockey added two defensemen, both of whom are eligible to play for the Falcons in the second half of the season. Freshmen Jordan Ernst and Adam Smith have both joined the team to battle for playing time in the back end, and the pair played in each of the first 13 games after joining the team. Ernst most recently played for the Madison Capitols of the USHL and Smith was a member of the Newmarket Hurricanes of the OJHL. Smith scored three points in the series against Alaska Anchorage, including his first collegiate goal on Friday, Jan. 22. Ernst assisted on a goal for his first career point in a win on Friday, Jan. 8 at Lake Superior State, then posted another assist in the Falcons' 4-4 tie with Michigan Tech on Jan. 29.

>>FANTASTIC FRESHMEN
The Falcons have eight freshmen, and all of them have notched their first career points. Against Alaska-Anchorage on Jan. 21-22, Adam Smith and Joe McKeown earned their first points while Smith, McKeown and Connor McDonald lit the lamp for the first time. Bowling Green freshmen have poured in eight goals and 28 points in 14 games since the beginning of January, and they have combined for 13 goals and 51 points overall. Four BGSU freshmen rank among the WCHA's top 16 rookie point scorers (John Schilling, 11; Connor McDonald, 10; Stephen Baylis, 9; Shane Bednard, 8).

>>DON'T UNDERESTI-TATE
Brent Tate scored only one goal in his first 20 games of the season, but his offense has been important for the Falcons during the last month. Tate has lit the lamp three times in BGSU's last eight games, including a power play goal against Miami on Friday, Feb. 12. That goal came against the nation's top-ranked penalty kill unit and was only the seventh power play goal allowed by the RedHawks all season.

>>DEFENSE, DEFENSE
Bowling Green is on pace to shatter the program record for fewest goals allowed in a season. The 1975-76 team allowed a program-low 90 goals in 32 games. This year, the Falcons have given up just 71 goals through the first 34 contests. BGSU is on pace to end the regular season with only 79 goals allowed, despite playing 38 regular season games.

>>MORE DEFENSE
This season, BGSU held opponents to three or fewer goals in 21 consecutive games, a streak which ended on Jan. 29 against Michigan Tech. The 21-game streak is a school record, as the Falcons broke the previous mark of 14 in their 6-3 win on Jan. 2 against Clarkson. That 14-game stretch occurred during the 2012-13 season. This string of excellence has helped BGSU achieve a 2.09 goals against average, which would shatter the school record (2.39). In the 41 years of Falcon hockey prior to the arrival of Chris Bergeron, BGSU had six seasons with a 3.00 or better goals against average. Bergeron's teams have already matched that total in his six seasons, and his defenses own four of the top five seasons for goals against average in school history.

>>THE MADHOUSE ON MERCER
Bowling Green has earned a 6-1-5 record through 12 conference home games this season. The Falcons are on pace for their best home slate of conference games since the 1994-95 team went 11-1-1 in the CCHA. In the 20 seasons since, the Falcons' best conference records at the BGSU Ice Arena were 9-4-1 in both 2004-05 and 2014-15.

>>FLIGHT ATTENDANCE
More than 3,000 fans have piled into the BGSU Ice Arena in four of the last five home games, raising the average attendance this year to 2,551 fans. Most recently, BGSU had a season-high 4,025 fans to host Miami Friday. A year ago, BGSU averaged 2,601 fans.

>>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 17-11-6, the Falcons are vying to earn back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 1994-95 and 1995-96.

>>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 IS LIVE
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 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.

>>CAN I GET A BIG MAC WITH THAT?
BGSU freshman defenseman Connor McDonald had a season-long four-game point streak, posting assists in both games of the first Minnesota State series, sandwiched between assists in games vs. Northern Michigan and at Bemidji State. McDonald was +3 on-ice during the critical four-game season series against Minnesota State and is +11 in the last 19 games, which gives him the overall team lead at +12. McDonald is the only freshman on the team to have played in every game this year, and he posted his first multi-point game of his career with two assists against Clarkson on Jan. 3. He scored his first collegiate goal in the 6-2 win over Alaska Anchorage on Jan. 22.

>>OFFENSIVE SPARK
Junior forward Matt Pohlkamp had a career night on Saturday (Nov. 21) against Alabama-Huntsville. He scored BGSU's first two goals and assisted on two others in the 4-3 victory over the Chargers. The four-point game is a career-best for Pohlkamp and is the first four-point game by a Falcon since Ryan Carpenter did it during a 5-2 win over Michigan Tech on March 15, 2014. That win sent Bowling Green to the 2014 WCHA Final Five. Pohlkamp posted his seventh goal of the season with a second-period score on Saturday at Alaska. He also had an assist in that 4-1 win and is now tied for the team lead with 20 points.

>>THE FALCON FLYER
Sophomore defenseman Mark Friedman, a third round draft pick of the Philadelphia Flyers, turned around a slow start and has been the team's anchor defensively. Friedman had no goals, six assists and a +2 on-ice rating through the first 13 games of the season. However, over the last 21 games, Friedman has four goals, eight assists and a +4 on-ice mark. He ranks second for assists (14) and points (18) among WCHA defensemen. Friedman has scored points in five of his last ten games.

>>OVERTIME IS THE RIGHT TIME
Bowling Green has played in nine overtime games through the first 29 contests of the season, and the Falcons are 2-1-6 in games with an extra session. The program record for overtime games in a season is 11, in both the 2003-04 and 1991-92 seasons.

>>STOPPING THE STREAK
Bowling Green was ranked in the USCHO.com top 20 poll for 36 consecutive weeks before falling out last week. Only seven teams had a longer active streak -- North Dakota, Boston College, Providence, UMass Lowell, Boston University, Nebraska Omaha, and Denver.

>>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 9-7-1 on the road in 2015-16 and need just one win at Alabama-Huntsville to earn a double-digit road win total for the second straight year.

>>NHL ALUMS
Three Bowling Green alumni have seen action in the NHL this year and one head coach is also a Falcon. Defenseman Kevin Bieksa has played in each of the Anaheim Ducks' first 58 games (as of Feb. 21, 2016), while goalie Andrew Hammond, who took the Ottawa Senators on a wild ride a year ago, now has 34 career decisions (as of Feb. 21, 2016) with a record of 23-7-0-4. Ryan Carpenter, a member of the San Jose Sharks organization, made his NHL debut on Dec. 12 against the Minnesota Wild, centering the team's fourth line. 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.

>>THE BURKE WALL
In a 6-3 win over Clarkson, senior goalie Tommy Burke recorded his 37th career victory to tie Al Sarachman (1973-77) for ninth place all-time on the BGSU goalie leaderboard. He needs just one more win to tie Tyler Masters (1999-03) for eighth. Gary Kruzich (1983-87) is the all-time Falcon goalie leader with 88 career wins. Burke is 4-3-0 during the 2015-16 season.

>>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, 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.

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