Falcons Prepare For Home-and-Home Series With No. 18 Western Michigan

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green Falcons (2-2-0, 1-1-0 CCHA) continue the 2022-23 hockey season with a home-and-home series with the No. 18 Western Michigan Broncos (2-1-0, 0-0-0 NCHC). The series starts on Thursday, Oct. 13, when the teams face off at 7 p.m. ET at Lawson Ice Arena in Kalamazoo. The action moves to Bowling Green on Friday, Oct. 14, for a 7:07 p.m. ET puck drop. This will be the second consecutive non-conference, home-and-home series for the Falcons, who will be playing their sixth game in 14 days.

How to Follow
Thursday's game will stream on NCHC TV, found HERE. Friday's game will stream on FloSports, found HERE. Subscription is required for both streaming services. Both games will be broadcast by BGRSO on 88.1 FM, found online HERE (use WBGU link, located on right side of homepage.). Live stats for Thursday's game are available HERE. Live stats for Friday's game are available HERE. The games will also have live updates on Bowling Green Hockey's official Twitter page, @BGFalconHockey.

Ticket and Parking Information
Tickets for Friday's game are still available starting at $22. They can be purchased HERE. Due to the Falcon Invite cross country race and BGSU vs. Central Michigan volleyball game, parking in the lots surrounding the Slater Family Ice Arena is limited and will be first come, first serve. Overflow parking is located at the Perry Field House lot. For tickets to Thursday's game at Western Michigan, click HERE. Parking is available in various lots around Lawson Ice Arena.

Falcon Facts

Zack Rose matched his career-high with 38 saves on Friday, leading the Falcons to a road win over Michigan State. The senior was named CCHA Goaltender of the Week for the first time in his career. He is 2-0-0 on the season, making him the only netminder in the conference with multiple wins and no losses or ties.
Christian Stoever was also spectacular between the pipes, making 39 saves in Saturday's game, the second-highest total of his career. The sophomore leads the conference with 33 saves per game and ranks second with a .930 save percentage.
Ryan O'Hara scored three goals over the weekend, giving him four on the season. This number is tied for first in the NCAA and matches his season total from last year. He notched his first career multi-goal game on Friday and tallied his first career power play goal on Saturday. The sophomore is tied for fifth in the country with five points, sharing the team lead with fellow sophomore forward Austen Swankler.
Taylor Schneider played his 150^th career game on Saturday, extending his lead atop the rankings of active NCAA players. Behind him is Falcon captain Alex Barber, who has played 145 games. Barber scored his first goal of the season on Friday, giving him 86 career points, the same total as Schneider.
Defenseman Eric Parker and Dalton Norris are tied for the team lead in assists with three apiece. Norris and Hunter Lellig lead the Falcons in blocked shots (10), with Parker and Zach Vinnell tying for third (8). Last season, the Orange and Brown averaged just under 10 blocked shots per game. Through four games this season, they are averaging nearly 22 blocked shots per game.

Opponent Outlook
Western Michigan enters the series with a 2-1-0 record, with all three games being road non-conference contests. They started the season with a 3-1 loss to Alaska Anchorage, but rebounded with a 4-1 win over the Seawolves. Last weekend, the Broncos played one game, defeating CCHA member Ferris State by a score of 6-4. Jason Polin leads WMU with three goals, with Carter Berger holding the team lead in assists (3) and points (4). Kirk Laursen and Cameron Rowe have split time in net, with each stopping 18 of 22 shots faced.

Series Info
The all-time series is 82-60-9 in favor of Bowling Green. The teams met three times in 2019, with the Broncos winning the first matchup, 5-2, at the Icebreaker Tournament. When the teams met the following weekend for a home-and-home series, the Falcons were victorious both nights, winning both games by a score of 2-1. Alex Barber assisted on the game-winning goal of the first game.

Ty's Take
"Lawson is a difficult place to play and Western is going to be ready to go early. What we're trying to do is not overreact to a bad outing or bad period, try to take the positives, try to teach, and make sure we're as prepared as we can be going up to Lawson."

The full press conference with Coach Eigner can be found HERE.

Chalk Talk
On Friday, Oct. 14, Falcon Club members and season ticket holders are invited to a Chalk Talk with head coach Ty Eigner. The talk will begin at 6:15 p.m. in the Slater Family Ice Arena Center Ice Lounge.

Up Next
The Falcons play their first exhibition of the season next weekend, welcoming defending D-III champion Adrian on Saturday, Oct. 22. Bowling Green faces off against the Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. in Slater Family Ice Arena. Tickets start at $5 and are available HERE.

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