Back From Bye, Bowling Green Battles Bulldogs In Big Rapids

BIG RAPIDS, Mich. – The Bowling Green Falcons hockey team (12-9-3, 9-6-1-2) will return from the bye week with a CCHA series against the Ferris State Bulldogs (9-17-0, 7-11-0-1). The first game of the series starts at 7:07 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 28. The second game is on Saturday, Jan. 29, with puck drop slated for 6:07 p.m. ET. Both games will be held at the R.L. Ewigleben Sports Complex in Big Rapids, Michigan.

How to Follow
Both games will be streamed live on FloHockey, broadcast HERE. The games will also be broadcast by BGRSO on 88.1 FM, found online HERE. Live stats for Friday are available HERE. Live stats for Saturday are available HERE.

The games will also have live updates on Bowling Green Hockey's official Twitter page, @BGFalconHockey.

Tickets, Parking, and Attendance Guidelines
Tickets for both games are for sale beginning at $6. Friday's tickets are available for digital download HERE. Saturday's tickets are available for digital download HERE. Parking is available in the lots surrounding the R.L. Ewigleben Sports Complex. Per Ferris State University policy, all visitors must wear a face covering over the nose and mouth inside all University buildings, regardless of vaccination status.

Falcon Facts

Nathan Burke, a senior forward from Scottsdale, Arizona, has been nominated for the 2022 Hobey Baker Memorial Award. Burke leads the Falcons with 13 total goals and five power play scores. He is tied for 15th in the NCAA in total goals and tied for 11th in the country in power play goals. He is tied for fourth in the CCHA in goals and tied for second in the conference in power play goals. Fans can vote for Burke, once per day, at hobeybaker.com/awards/vote-for-hobey.
Sam Craggs enters the weekend with 168 games played in his BGSU career, ranking sixth in program history. The senior forward can move into a tie for fifth place with Todd Flichel if he plays in both games this weekend. Two weeks ago, Craggs scored two goals against Bemidji State. He netted a shorthanded goal on Friday, his first of the season and third of his career. On Saturday, he scored the game-winning overtime goal, his first of the season and fourth of his career.
The Falcons rank 14^th in the NCAA with a .226 conversion rate on power plays. 13 Falcons have scored at least one point on the power play, with Taylor Schneider tallying a team-best 12 (4G, 8A). Schneider is tied with Austen Swankler for the team lead in total points with 24.

Series Info
This is the second series of the season between the Falcons and Bulldogs, with the teams splitting their December series in Bowling Green. Like the upcoming tilt, the games were played after BGSU had a week off. In the first game, two-point performances from Justin Michaelian (2G), Brenden MacLaren (1G, 1A), Stepan Pokorny (1G, 1A), and Brenden Rons (2A) gave the Bulldogs a 6-3 victory. Bowling Green earned a 2-1 victory the following night, with Nathan Burke and Austen Swankler scoring goals and Christian Stoever making a career-best 41 saves. The Falcons have a 77-61-13 lead in the all-time series and have won their last three games in Big Rapids by a combined score of 16-5.

Breaking Down the Bulldogs
Ferris State split a series with St. Thomas two weeks ago, with Ethan Stewart earning CCHA Forward of the Week after a three-point weekend. Last weekend, the Bulldogs swept Bemidji State, winning 2-1 and 5-2. Forward Kaleb Ergang earned CCHA Rookie of the Week after scoring the game-winning goal on Friday with just over a minute remaining in regulation. Noah Giesbrecht was named CCHA Goaltender of the Week after picking up a pair of wins and a .953 save percentage. After losing his first two games, the freshman transfer has won his last three starts, compiling a .905 save percentage and 2.68 goals against average in his five appearances this season. Ferris State is tied for fifth in the CCHA standings with 21 points.

Ty's Take
"They're (Ferris State) coming off of a sweep up at Bemidji, which gives them a bunch of confidence. From a mental standpoint, they're in a good place, they have confidence. We had a week off and a chance to recharge our batteries, but we know it's going to be difficult. We can take some things away from that first series. They're in every game, every weekend. We're going to need to be prepared, and they're a team that looks to be getting better as the year goes on."

Up Next
Bowling Green will return to Slater Family Ice Arena for a conference series against the #1 Minnesota State Mavericks. The action begins on Friday, Feb. 4, then continues Saturday, Feb. 5. Both games are scheduled for a 7:07 p.m. puck drop.

Follow the Falcons
Be sure to follow the Falcons hockey team on social media
Twitter - @BGAthletics and @BGFalconHockey
Instagram - 'bgfalcons' and 'bgfalconhockey'
Facebook - 'BGSU Athletics'
YouTube - 'Falcon Athletics'

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nathan Burke

Sam Craggs

Taylor Schneider

Christian Stoever

Austen Swankler

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Bowling Green State University Athletics