No. 7 Falcons Look To Continue Strong Start Against Bemidji State

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University hockey team will carry their 11-1 record into a Thursday, Friday WCHA series against Bemidji State. Both games are set for 7:07 p.m. puck drops at the Slater Family Ice Arena and will be available to stream on FloHockey.

No. 7 Bowling Green Falcons (11-1-0, 2-0-0-0 WCHA)
vs.
RV Bemidji State (2-3-2, 0-0-0-0 WCHA)

GAME INFORMATION	Thursday, Jan. 7, 7:07 p.m. // Friday, Jan. 8, 7:07 p.m.
LOCATION	Bowling Green, Ohio / Slater Family Ice Arena
WATCH (FloHockey)	Thursday / Friday
RADIO	Falcon Radio Network
LIVE STATS	BGSUFalcons.com
LISTEN ONLINE	BGSUFalcons.com
GAME NOTES	Bowling Green
GAME NOTES	Bemidji State
GAME PROGRAM	Bowling Green

Falcons Host Bemidji State For WCHA Series
Bowling Green will play host to Bemidji State for the upcoming series, taking place on Thursday and Friday (Jan. 7-8). For the Falcons it will serve as their second WCHA series of the season after sweeping Ferris State last weekend. As for the Beavers, the series will mark their first WCHA play of the year after a non-conference series against Lake Superior State last weekend. The Orange and Brown will enter the series on a hot streak that includes a current eight-game win streak as well as going 19-1-2 over their last 22 games dating back to last season.

Battling The Beavers
While only playing against WCHA opponents in non-conference games, Bemidji State has had a tough task through their first seven games of the 2020-21 campaign. The Beavers have picked up two wins over the span, being a 6-3 victory over Michigan Tech on Dec. 12 and a 4-1 win over Lake Superior State this past weekend. As for their losses, they dropped one to Michigan Tech and two to Minnesota State while also tying Minnesota State in another game as well as Lake Superior State. Statistically, Bemidji State is led by Brendan Harris who has logged a team-high six points, including four goals, so far this season. As for in net, Zach Driscoll returns for the Beavers, holding a 2.74 GAA and .915 save percentage through their seven games.

The Games At A Glance
The series against Bemidji State will be the first of two this season, playing the Beavers again in a non-conference series on Jan. 21 and 22. The series has been a back-and-forth affair of late. The last time either team won three or more consecutive games in regulation during the series was a four-game win streak by the Falcons that spanned from January until December of 2017. As for this year, the difference could come from the power play. Bemidji State is averaging just 3.6 penalties per game, limiting power play opportunities for the other team. However, when given the man advantage the Beavers have scored just one power play goal this year on 24 opportunities.

Last Time Out
Bowling Green is coming off of a series sweep over Ferris State that saw the Falcons capture a 6-1 victory on Saturday (Jan. 2) followed by a 4-2 win on Sunday (Jan. 3). Over the series the Orange and Brown saw 15 different players log a point including a series-high four points from both Cameron Wright and Brandon Kruse. Wright logged three goals in the series, including both game-winning goals. As for Kruse, he tallied three assists over the course of the weekend. Connor Ford also tallied three points over the course of the series to reach 100 career points, giving the Falcons three players on the active roster to have reached the milestone in their tenure at Bowling Green.

Falcons Set New Program Record
With the win over Ferris State on Sunday (Jan. 3) the Falcons tallied their 12th consecutive road win dating back to last season, setting a new program record that had stood since 1978-79 at 11 games. This season, Bowling Green is 8-0-0 on the road thus far. Beyond road wins, the Falcons are 19-1-2 over their last 22 games dating back to last season. In addition, the Falcons' 11-1-0 record accounts for the second highest winning percentage in the country at .917. Bowling Green is also riding an eight-game win streak that is the second longest active behind only Minnesota's nine-game run.

Moving Toward The Millennium Falcons
Picking up yet another win, Bowling Green is now up to 997 wins in program history, needing just three wins to reach the millennium mark of 1,000 wins all-time. If the Falcons can reach the mark, they would become the 26th program in the country to hit the milestone in NCAA ice hockey history.

Ford Notches Career Point 100
Registering an assist on Sunday, Connor Ford became the 75th player in program history to record 100 career points. Ford joins Max Johnson as Falcons to hit the milestone this season. With Brandon Kruse reaching the mark last year, Bowling Green is now the only team in the country with three active 100-point scorers on roster. While Ford is at exactly 100 points, Johnson stands at 106 and Kruse at 123.

Pacing The Nation
The Falcons currently are leading the nation for scoring margin, outscoring opponents by an average of 2.58 goals. This is a result of outstanding play on both sides of the puck. On offense, the Falcons are averaging 4.17 goals per game which slots in as one of just two teams to be north of four goals a game, seeing only Boston College with a better mark. As for defense, the Falcons are third in the country with a 1.58 standing behind only Minnesota and Minnesota State. The Falcons were also the first team in the nation to crack 50 goals scored, having exactly that many through the team's first 12 games of the 2020-21 campaign.

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