Turn Back The Clock: BGSU Hockey In the 1980s

In recognition of the 50th anniversary of Bowling Green State University hockey at the varsity level, the BGSU Department of Athletics will take a look back at the history of the program. This is the second of a five-part series looking back at each decade of the program. Today we review the era from 1979-89. BGSU will celebrate the 50th anniversary on Feb. 22 as the Falcons host Ferris State.

PART ONE: 1969-79

1979-1989

Overall Record: 256-149-19 (.626)

From 1979-89, the Bowling Green State University hockey team accomplished many of the historic achievements that helped the program maintain its status as a nationally-recognized power. Five CCHA championships, five NCAA Tournament appearances, two appearances as a national quarterfinalist, the 1983-84 NCAA title, and over 250 wins highlighted the most electric decade in the history of Falcon Hockey. Hall of Fame coach Jerry York and Hobey Baker Award winner George McPhee were among those who led the Orange and Brown to the high standard that Falcon teams continually strive to reach. Also playing that decade were Nelson Emerson and Hobey Baker Award winner Brian Holzinger, who had their number 19 jersey jointly retired. Current BGSU head coach Ty Eigner also played the beginning of his career in the 80s. All of those Falcons and more helped the Orange and Brown win 256 games, the most of any decade in program history.

Notable Games
National Quarterfinal: March 17, 1984 – Bowling Green State University 5, Boston University 1 (OT)
After winning the CCHA regular season crown, BGSU suffered a pair of overtime losses in the conference tournament. Thanks to a strong 31-7-2 record, the Falcons earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament. In the quarterfinals, they faced perennial powerhouse Boston University in a two-game series, with the team with more total goals advancing. The Falcons' postseason struggles continued in the first game, losing 6-3. Needing an improbable four-goal victory in the second game to advance, BGSU returned to form and held a 4-1 lead at the end of regulation.

Because the total goals were tied at seven, the Falcons and Terriers headed to sudden death, golden goal overtime periods. The next team to score would win the series and advance to the NCAA semifinals to face off against Michigan State. Senior defenseman Mike Pikul scored from the right side in the first overtime period to cap a thrilling comeback and vault the Falcons to the national semifinals for the first time since 1978. Pikul would assist on John Samanski's third period goal in the semifinal, which gave the Falcons a 2-1 victory over the Spartans. Pikul, who was also a captain on the National Championship squad, finished his BGSU career with 23 goals and 107 assists.

National Championship: March 24, 1984 – BGSU 5, Minnesota-Duluth 4 (4OT)
In one of the most thrilling games in college hockey history, the Bowling Green State University Falcons triumphed over Minnesota-Duluth in four overtime periods to win the 1984 National Championship. The longest title game in NCAA history featured an astounding 60 shots on goal from the Falcons. The goal's first game went to Garry Galley, who lit the lamp less than six minutes into the game. Minnesota-Duluth responded just 20 seconds later to knot the game at 1, then scored in the second period to take a 2-1 lead into the final period of regulation.

The Bulldogs carried their momentum into the third period, scoring less than a minute in to take a commanding 3-1 lead. A power play goal from Jamie Wansbrough gave the Falcons some life, but a breakaway look for UMD led to another goal. With just over eight minutes remaining, the Falcons trailed 4-2. Just 49 seconds later, Peter Wilson found a deflected Mike Pikul shot and netted a goal to cut the lead in half. Needing a miracle, the Falcons found themselves in favor of the hockey gods with less than two minutes to go.

Defenseman Wayne Wilson's pass from the center line went behind the goal and UMD goalie Rick Kosti went behind the net to clear the puck. Before he could reach it, the puck bounced off the boards and next to the stick of Falcon senior John Samanski. With a wide-open net, Samanski netted the game-tying goal with 1:47 remaining in regulation. When the clock expired on regulation, the teams headed to sudden death overtime, with the next goal clinching a national title.

The first three 10-minute overtime periods were scoreless thanks to strong play between the pipes from BGSU freshman Gary Kruzich and UMD junior Rick Kosti. The fourth overtime period would bring the game to 100 minutes played if completed, but the Falcons had other ideas. Kruzich continued playing at an elite level, keeping the Bulldogs off the board for nearly 50 minutes of game time. Kruzich deflected another Minnesota-Duluth shot with about two minutes remaining and the rebound found the stick of senior Dan Kane. He skated from left to center and flicked a perfect pass to sophomore Gino Cavallini in front of the UMD goal. The left wing crossed from Kosti's left to right side and fired a backhanded shot over the goalie's shoulder to give the Falcons their first and only national championship.

The game lasted 97:11, the longest championship game in NCAA history and the second-longest game in NCAA Tournament history. It also served as a revenge game for BGSU, who was snubbed from the 1983 NCAA Tournament. Despite a CCHA regular season title, finishing second in the CCHA Tournament, and ranking second in the final national coaches' poll, BGSU was not selected for the tournament. Instead, the committee opted for tenth-ranked UMD. The NCAA Championship was the first meeting between the teams since the decision, and the Orange and Brown left no doubt with a thrilling victory. The Falcons finished the historic season with a 34-8-2 record, CCHA regular season title, and National Championship.

CCHA Championship: March 5, 1989 – BGSU 3, Michigan 2 (3OT)
In the decisive third game of the CCHA quarterfinals, Bowling Green and Michigan needed more than 60 minutes to determine a winner. In fact, they needed nearly 90 minutes. With 2:47 remaining in the third overtime period, the score was still tied at 2-2. BGSU defenseman Rob Blake scored the game-winner to end the fourth-longest game in school history, putting the Falcons in the CCHA semifinals for the 16^th consecutive season. The Falcons ended the season with a 26-18-3 record and their third straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Rob Blake ended his BGSU hockey career as a Hobey Baker Award finalist, first team All-American, and one of only four Falcons to score over 100 points and accumulate over 300 penalty minutes. In 1996, he was inducted into the BGSU Hall of Fame. He found even more success professionally, winning the 2002 Olympic gold medal with Canada and the 2001 Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche. He was a six-time All-Star and 2014 inductee into the NHL Hall of Fame. His number 4 jersey is retired by the Los Angeles Kings, where he currently serves as the vice president and general manager.

Longest Win Streak – 17 in 1983-84
The longest win streak in program history occurred during the historic 1983-84 campaign, when the Falcons won the school's first national championship. After a tight 2-1 loss to Lake Superior dropped their record to 3-1-0, the Orange and Brown closed the 1983 portion of their season with 16 consecutive wins. A decisive 8-2 victory over Michigan in the 1984 opener extended the streak to a program-record 17 games. Although an overtime loss to the Wolverines ended the winning streak, the Falcons sat at 20-2-0 entering the back half of their season.

Among the 17 consecutive wins was a come-from-behind 8-6 victory over number one ranked Ohio State. The Falcons entered the weekend ranked third but replaced OSU atop the rankings the following week. The winning streak proved important at the end of the season, when the Falcons were selected to play in the NCAA Tournament with a 31-7-2 record, despite losing their final three CCHA tournament games. Although they lost the first game of the NCAA Tournament, the Orange and Brown rebounded to win three consecutive games to win the national title.

Notable Performance
In the first game of a CCHA quarterfinal series, freshman Jamie Wansbrough tied a school record with five goals against Notre Dame. He did it in just 35:24 of game time, helping the Falcons win 8-3. He scored two more goals the following night, setting a BGSU series record and eliminating the Fighting Irish. Wansbrough finished his Falcon career with 127 goals, a record that still stands. He was a second team All-American selection in 1986 and a 1991 inductee into the BGSU Hall of Fame.

Notable Players
George McPhee (W): The first Hobey Baker Award winner in Bowling Green and CCHA history, George McPhee impacted the Falcon hockey program from the moment he laced up his skates. As a freshman, McPhee won CCHA Rookie of the Year thanks to an 88-point season. That single-season total is the most for any BGSU freshman and second-most in program history. That year, he was named All-CCHA Second Team. The following season, McPhee collected First Team All-Academic CCHA and honorable mention All-CCHA honors. This was the first of three consecutive seasons McPhee was recognized as All-Academic CCHA, tied for the most in program history.

McPhee was named captain of the Falcons before his junior year, in which he led the Orange and Brown to a fourth-place finish in the CCHA. He returned to the All-CCHA second team that season and received his second All-Academic CCHA honor. The captain returned for his senior season, where he would lead the Falcons back to the NCAA Tournament and claim the most coveted individual award in college hockey. He scored 80 points (28 goals, 52 assists), the third-highest total nationally. McPhee's performances helped him earn the Hobey Baker Award, First Team Titan West All-America, CCHA Player of the Year, All-CCHA First Team, and All-Academic CCHA.

McPhee finished his Falcon career with 267 points, third-highest in program history. He ranks fourth in school history in both goals (114) and assists (153). His average of 1.745 points per game is second among BGSU's 72 100-point scorers, and he is one of just five Falcons to average at least one assist per game. His number 9 was the first jersey to be retired by the BGSU hockey program, and he was a 1987 inductee to the BGSU Hall of Fame. McPhee spent seven seasons in the NHL, scoring 49 points in 115 regular season games. He also notched eight points in 29 playoff games, all with the New York Rangers. After retiring, McPhee was named vice president and director of operations for the Vancouver Canucks. He became the league's youngest general manager when he took a position with the Washington Capitals in 1997. He was the first general manager of the Vegas Golden Knights, who made an appearance in the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals.

Brian Hills (C): Bowling Green's first two-time First Team Titan West All-American, Brian Hills ranks second in school history with 270 career points. His 116 goals are the third-most in program history and he is tied for second with 154 assists. In the two seasons Hills was selected All-American, he was a finalist for the Hobey Baker award. He also was selected All-CCHA first team both years, winning CCHA Player of the Year as a senior. He was also earned second team Academic All-American his senior year, pairing with his First Team Titan West All-American honor.
Hills also excelled in the classroom, earning First Team CCHA All-Academic twice. He was also an honorable mention CCHA All-Academic selection as a sophomore. The 1982-83 season featured a school-record 94 points from Hills, with 37 goals and 57 assists in 40 games. His goal and assist totals both rank third in BGSU single-season history. 82 of his points (35 goals, 47 assists) came during CCHA competition, all of which are Falcon records. Hills also holds the single-game record for assists with seven, which occurred in a 10-4 victory over Ferris State in 1982. Hills was an assistant to Bowling Green head coach Buddy Powers from 1994-2001, helping the Falcons to three top-five finishes in the CCHA.

Gary Kruzich (G): Over the past 50 seasons, no goaltender has collected more wins than Gary Kruzich. His 88 wins include 14 consecutive victories and a 24-game unbeaten streak, all BGSU records. No win was bigger than the 1984 National Championship, where Kruzich had 32 saves to help the Falcons win a thrilling 4OT game against Minnesota-Duluth. Kruzich was named tournament MVP as a freshman, marking the beginning of an illustrious career between the pipes. Kruzich was named honorable mention All-CCHA as a sophomore. The following season, he was a first team selection for the Titan West All-America and All-CCHA teams. He collected 1,043 saves that season, a BGSU record that stood for 15 years. Kruzich's senior season featured a 14-game winning streak, which helped the Falcons reclaim the CCHA crown and return to the NCAA Tournament.

Kruzich was named to the Titan West All-America and All-CCHA first team as a senior, when he spent over 2,228 minutes backstopping for the Orange and Brown. He joins Brian Hills as the only Falcons to be two-time first team All-American selections. Kruzich ended his career with a program-high 3,580 saves and 7,783 minutes played, both school records that stand today. His 2,604 saves in conference play rank second in BGSU history. He also totaled 10 assists, the Falcon record for goalies. In 1994, Kruzich was inducted into the BGSU Hall of Fame.

Nelson Emerson (C): One of the most prolific scorers in NCAA history, Nelson Emerson's career point total of 294 ranks first in BGSU history, first in CCHA history, and sixth in NCAA Division I history. The nation's first three-time finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, Emerson was a First Team Titan West All-American selection as a senior. He was also a First Team All-CCHA selection that season. These honors came just a year after earning Second Team Titan West All-American and Second Team All-CCHA.

Emerson began his career with 61 points, helping him earn CCHA Rookie of the Year. The following season, he was a First Team All-CCHA selection thanks to a career-high 83-point season. Emerson helped the Falcons make an appearance in the NCAA Tournament each of his four seasons, including a quarterfinal appearance his sophomore season. He finished his career with 112 goals (sixth in BGSU history) and 182 assists (first in BGSU history). He is one of just three Falcon skaters to average over one assist per game, and he is tied with teammate Greg Parks for most games played in his career (178).

Emerson's number 19 uniform was retired with Brian Holzinger, who won the 1995 Hobey Baker Award while wearing number 19. Emerson was inducted into the BGSU Hall of Fame in 1995, five years after he was the 44^th overall selection in the NHL Draft. He played 12 seasons in the NHL, scoring 488 points in 771 regular season games. He also played in 40 playoff games, scoring 22 points. He is currently the Director of Player Personnel for the Los Angeles Kings, working with general manager and Falcon hockey alumnus Rob Blake.

Notable Coach
Jerry York (1979-94): The winningest coach in BGSU and NCAA history, Jerry York led the Falcon hockey program to new heights in the 1980s. Taking over for Ron Mason, who departed for Michigan State, York amassed 342 victories in 15 seasons behind the Falcon bench. Although his teams finished below .500 in his first two seasons, he led the Orange and Brown to 27 wins, a conference championship, and an NCAA Tournament appearance in his third year. This was the start of a historic run that lasted the entire decade.

The Falcons finished 28-8-4 the following season, winning the CCHA regular season title and finishing second in the CCHA Tournament. Although they were not selected for the NCAA Tournament, BGSU had a strong foundation for the next season, which would prove to be the best in program history. They began the 1983-84 campaign with a 29-2-2 record and spent several weeks ranked first in the country. From the end of October to the start of January, the Falcons won a school-record 17 consecutive games. Despite losses in the CCHA Tournament, BGSU was selected for the NCAA Tournament. After losing their first game against Boston University, York turned the Falcons around and led them to three consecutive wins. The final win came in the National Championship, when the Orange and Brown outlasted Minnesota-Duluth in a 97-minute, four-overtime thriller.

Despite a regular season record of 21-21-0 the following season, the Falcons still made it to the CCHA semifinals for the sixth time under York. They returned to form the next season, finishing 28-14-0 and tying for second in the CCHA. York's 1986-87 team won 33 games and the CCHA title, returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since winning the 1984 National Championship. After a pair of disappointing losses to Harvard in the first round, York led the Falcons back to the tournament the following year. This time, they won a pair of games in the first round to advance to the quarterfinals for the third time in program history.

Coach York's squad closed the decade with a 26-win season, once again earning a trip to the NCAA Tournament. BGSU played in the national tournament once more for York before he took the head coach position at Boston College in 1994. York coached George McPhee and Brian Holzinger, BGSU's two recipients of the Hobey Baker Award. He also coached Rob Blake, Nelson Emerson, and Brian Hills, who were finalists for the award. The Falcons had 15 All-American selections under York, including 12 First Team selections and a trio of two-time All-Americans. York's teams were successful in the classroom as well, with six Falcons earning Academic All-America honors.

Jerry York was selected CCHA Coach of the Year in 1982. That season, the Falcons won 27 games, more than twice what they won the previous season. They also won the CCHA and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1979. York's record of 342-248-31 gives him the most wins in BGSU history, and he led the Falcons to a program-high four conference titles. His career record is 1082-657-120, giving him the most wins in NCAA history. He is still the head coach for Boston College, marking his 48^th season leading a Division I hockey team.

While playing at Boston College, York was a First Team All-American, scoring 134 points in 81 games. York's assistant coach Buddy Powers coached the Falcons from 1994-2002, winning 135 games. York also coached Scott Paluch, who scored 169 career points, the most for any BGSU defenseman. Paluch was a captain and First Team All-American in 1988 and coached under York at Boston College. Paluch also coached the Falcons from 2002-09. Current Falcon head coach Ty Eigner also played for York, dressing in the Orange and Brown from 1988-93. York was inducted into the BGSU Hall of Fame in 2003 and Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019.

CCHA Regular Season Champions
1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84, 1986-87

CCHA Tournament Champions
1987-88

NCAA Tournament Appearances
1981-82, 1983-84 (National Champion), 1986-87, 1987-88 (National Quarterfinalist), 1988-89

NCAA Championships
1983-84

Year	Overall Record	CCHA Record	Head Coach	Team Captain(s)
1979-80	16-20-2	9-11-0	Jerry York	Mike Cotter, Steve Dawe, Tom Newton
1980-81	13-24-2	10-12-0	Jerry York	Brian MacLellan, George McPhee
1981-82	27-13-2	20-7-1 CCHA Champions, NCAA Tournament Participants	Jerry York	Brian MacLellan, George McPhee
1982-83	28-8-4	24-5-3 CCHA Champions	Jerry York	Brian Hills, Barry Mills
1983-84	34-8-2	22-4-2 CCHA Champions, NCAA Champions	Jerry York	Mike Pikul, Wayne Wilson
1984-85	21-21-0	17-15-0	Jerry York	George Roll
1985-86	28-14-0	23-9-0	Jerry York	Iain Duncan, Todd Flichel, Jamie Wansbrough
1986-87	33-10-2	24-6-2 CCHA Champions, NCAA Tournament Participants	Jerry York	Iain Duncan, Todd Flichel
1987-88	30-13-2	19-11-2 CCHA Champions, NCAA Tournament Quarterfinalist	Jerry York	Scott Paluch
1988-89	26-18-3	15-14-3	Jerry York	Alan Leggett, Greg Parks

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