Bowling Green State University Athletics
The Big Dance: Bowling Green Set To Take On UMD Bulldogs In The NCAA Tournament
March 27, 2019 | Ice Hockey
No. 15 Bowling Green Falcons (25-10-5, 16-8-4-3 WCHA)
vs.
  No. 2 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (25-11-2, 14-9-1-0 NCHC)
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vs.
  No. 2 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (25-11-2, 14-9-1-0 NCHC)
| GAME INFORMATION | Saturday, March 30, 4:00 p.m. ET |
| LOCATION | Allentown, Pa. (PPL Center) |
| RADIO | Falcon Radio Network (Ryan Vallon) |
| LIVE STATS | TBD |
| LISTEN ONLINE | BGSUFalcons.com |
| GAME NOTES | Bowling Green (PDF) |
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>>FALCONS ON TAP
- The No. 15 ranked Bowling Green State University hockey will begin play in the NCAA Tournament this weekend as they travel to Allentown, Pennsylvania to take on the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs in the Midwest Regional. The game will be this Saturday, March 30 at 4:00 PM eastern time in the PPL Center. The winner move on to play in the second game of the regional on Sunday, March 31.
- The Falcons enter the 2019 NCAA Tournament as a No. 4 seed, with the Bulldogs of the University of Minnesota-Duluth entering as a No. 1 seed. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU.
- BGSU Athletics will hold a pep rally/send-off for the BGSU Hockey team on Thursday at noon at The Nest on the first level of Bowen-Thompson Student Union. All BGSU fans are invited to send the team off as the Falcons fly out Thursday afternoon. Do not miss this opportunity to see the Falcons one final time before they take the ice in the NCAA Tournament.
- The official pre-game tailgate for Saturday's BGSU hockey game will take place at Chickie's and Pete's beginning at 1:30 pm. Chickie's and Pete's is located in the same building as the PPL Center. For more information, CLICK HERE.
>>VERSUS MINNESOTA DULUTH
- BGSU versus UMD. These two schools have an interesting history against one another for only having met a few times. All-time, the Bowling Green Falcons and Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs have played a total of five times. UMD has won the majority of those contests holding a record of 4-1-0 against the Falcons. Bowling Green's one victory came in the 1984 National Championship Game, as the Falcons defeated the Bulldogs 5-4 in four overtimes. It was the first appearance in the National Championship game for either school. Saturday, March 30 will be just the second time that Bowling Green and Minnesota Duluth meet in the NCAA Tournament.
- BGSU and UMD first met in the Colonial Bank Invitational mid-season tournament on Jan. 4, 1981. Following the 1984 NCAA Title Game, the two schools would not meet again until Jan. 2-3, 2004 when the Falcons traveled to Duluth for a two game series. Most recently these two schools met in the Ohio Hockey Classic mid-season tournament on Dec. 30, 2006.
>>LAST TIME OUT
- Bowling Green enters their first NCAA Tournament in 29 years following a stretch that saw them sweep their way to the WCHA Championship game before falling in overtime to Minnesota State. Prior to the title game, the Falcons had won five straight games.
- The Falcons earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament following a 21-9- 5 regular season in which Bowling Green finished third in the WCHA standings. Bowling Green then greatly added to their resume by sweeping Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan in the WCHA Playoffs, and advancing to the Championship Game.
- Bowling Green fell in a hard fought contest to decide the champion of the WCHA Tournament on Saturday (March 23) night to the Mavericks of Minnesota State University, Mankato. The Falcons dropped the contest 3-2 in overtime. Bowling Green scored twice on 19 shots on goal. Frederic Letourneau would score in the first period of the game before Alec Rauhauser would tally a power play goal early in the third period. The Mavericks would tally two goals with an extra attacker within the final two minutes of play to tie the game before regulation time expired. Minnesota State would go on to score the game-winning goal in overtime. The Bowling Green Falcons will enter the 2019 NCAA Tournament with an overall record of 25-10-5.
>>BACK IN THE DANCE
- The Bowling Green hockey program will make its long awaited return to the NCAA Tournament this weekend after 29 years. It will be the tenth appearance for the Falcons in the tournament, and their first since the 1989-90 season.
- The Falcons worked their way to an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament following a 25-10-5 season in which Bowling Green finished third in the WCHA regular season and advanced to the WCHA Championship Game. The Falcons swept Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan before falling to top-seeded Minnesota State in overtime 3-2.
- BGSU went 3-1-1 against other teams in the NCAA Tournament, going 2-1-0 against Minnesota State and 1-0-1 against Ohio State. Minnesota State earned a No. 1 seed and Ohio State picked up a No. 3 seed for the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
>>STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Bowling Green continues to bolster one of the strongest team defenses in all of college hockey. The Falcons enter the 2019 NCAA Tournament with the second lowest goals-against-per-game average of 1.82, and the second best scoring defense. BGSU has spent the majority of the season among the top three in team defense. BGSU's penalty kill unit also remains one of the best sitting in second place with a percentage of .882. The Falcons have scored nine shorthanded goals this season, which leads all NCAA Tournament teams.
- Behind this defense is BGSU netminder Ryan Bednard, who has remained one of the greatest goaltenders in the country during post-season play. He enters the Tournament with a goals-against-average of 1.78 (third best).
- Bowling Green enters the 2019 NCAA Tournament eighth in scoring offense. This has been in large part to a dynamic group of sophomore forwards. Max Johnson not only leads the team in points (42) and goals (19), but is also tied nationally with his teammate Connor Ford for the lead in power play goals with 10 each. Brandon Kruse has continued to be a key playmaker with 31 assists, which has him tied for tenth in the country in assists-per-game at 0.78.
- Junior Lukas Craggs has remained a strong power forward for Bowling Green all season long. Often a deciding factor for the Orange and Brown, Craggs is tied for eighth in total game-winning-goals nationally with five total. He is fifth on the roster in total points.
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>>PRESEASON POLLS PEG BOWLING GREEN
- Bowling Green was voted to finish second overall in the UAHhockey.com WCHA Media preseason poll, and third in the 2018 Mankato Free Press preseason poll.
- Junior Falcon defenseman Alec Rauhauser was voted First Team All-WCHA by both the media and the coaches. Rauhuaser's contributions to the 2017-18 campaign included leading the squad with 39 points by nine goals and a team-leading 30 assists. The 39 points marked the most by a single Falcon since the 2008-09 season.Â
- Three more Falcons were voted Second Team All-WCHA by the media. Sophomore forward Brandon Kruse, senior defenseman Chris Pohlkamp and junior goaltender Ryan Bednard all made the cut.
 >>2018-19 FALCON HOCKEY OUTLOOK
- Coming into this season, the Falcons returned 12 of 16 forwards, all seven defensemen, and all three goaltenders from the 2017-18 campaign that saw the Falcons claim a Great Lakes Invitational Championship.
- Bowling Green garnered 159 points in the media preseason poll, and 76 points in the coaches'. The Falcons also had one vote for the top finish on the year in the media preseason poll.
- In total, there are a minimum of 18 opportunities to watch the team in the Slater Family Ice Arena. Season tickets are available for as low as $190 and provide the greatest value for fans. Full information is available by CLICKING HERE.
 >>COMING INTO THIS SEASON
- With an overall record of 23-12-6 in 2017-18, it marked the Falcons' fourth consecutive 20+ win season and fifth straight winning season. Bowling Green had records 21-18-2 in the 2016-17 campaign, 22-14-6 in the 2015-16 campaign, and a 23-11-5 record in the 2014-15 season. Last year was the 22nd season that the Falcons have tallied a 20-plus win season.
- By competing in the WCHA Championship at the end of the 2016-17 season, it marked Bowling Green's first conference championship appearance since 1988.
>>ON THE MIC
- All games this season can be heard on the radio by tuning into the Falcon Radio Network and can be heard globally on www.bgsufalcons.com and WBGUFM.com. Falcon Hockey play-by-play broadcaster Ryan Vallon will begin the pregame show 30 minutes prior to the opening face-off, and can also be heard on WTOD/WQQO-HD2 (Talk Radio 100.7) and WLQR-FM (106.5 The Ticket).
>>FLOSPORTS
- An exciting new avenue to catch all Falcon Hockey action at home and select road events, the new agreement brings more than 180 WCHA games annually to the FloSports platform, including all 140 league regular season games, any preseason, exhibition and nonconference games hosted by a league school and the entirety of the annual WCHA postseason tournament. Fans will also have access to FloSports' additional college hockey coverage, which includes select Big Ten Conference hockey games through the company's distribution deal with the Big Ten Network.
- Featuring live streaming of premier events, original video programming and weekly studio shows, FloSports is a leading provider in the collegiate space, including partnerships with the Big Ten Conference, the Big 12 Conference, Conference USA, the Mountain West Conference and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
- To access live and on-demand coverage of WCHA games, visit FloHockey.tv and become a monthly or annual PRO subscriber. Either subscription unlocks access to premium content across the entire FloSports network. Watch the games on all screens by downloading the FloSports app on iOS, Roku or Apple TV 4.
 >>LIVE STATS
- Live stats for all Bowling Green home games and 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.
>>FOLLOW THE FALCONS
- Twitter: @BGFalconHockey and @BGathletics
- Instagram: @bgfalcons
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/BGSUathletic
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