Falcons Open New Year at Home With Conference Series Against Lakers

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green Falcons (10-12-0, 7-7-0 CCHA) open 2023 with a return to conference play, hosting the Lake Superior State Lakers (3-15-2, 2-9-1 CCHA). The teams face off on Jan. 6-7, both games start at 7:07 p.m. in Slater Family Ice Arena. This is the second of three consecutive home series for BGSU and marks the first CCHA action since Dec. 10. The Falcons are currently fourth in the CCHA standings with 23 points, trailing third-place Minnesota State by one points and first place teams Bemidji State and Michigan Tech by two points.

How to Follow
Both games will be streamed on FloHockey, found HERE. The games will also be broadcast on 88.1 FM by BGRSO, which can be found online HERE. Use the WBGU Listen Now link, which is found on the right side of the desktop site and the bottom of the mobile site. Live stats for the games can be found HERE. The games will also have live updates on Bowling Green Hockey's official Twitter page, @BGFalconHockey.

Tickets, Parking, and Attendance Information
Friday is Dollar Night, with general admission tickets, parking, and select concessions items available for $1 each. Discounted tickets can be purchased HERE and discounted parking can be found HERE. Tickets for Saturday's game are available for purchase HERE. Parking for Saturday's game can be purchased HERE. Credit cards are now being accepted for parking. Cash will continue to be accepted as well. Fans are encouraged to purchase parking passes in advance. The Bowling Green men's basketball team plays at the Stroh Center at 5 p.m. on Saturday, so fans are advised to plan accordingly when traveling to the hockey game.

Falcon Facts

Alex Barber recorded his 100^th career point last weekend, making him the 75^th player in program history to reach the century mark. He is one of 10 active NCAA D-1 players with 100 or more points. The captain notched his 100^th point with a two-point game, the team-best 24^th of his career. He is tied with linemates and fellow fifth-years Nathan Burke and Taylor Schneider for fourth on the team in points (15).
Austen Swankler was named HCA Player of the Month and CCHA Forward of the Month for his December performance, which included six goals and nine assists for 15 points. He tied or led the country in all three categories. The sophomore has scored in 12 consecutive games, totaling nine goals and 12 assists for 21 points. He currently leads the conference and ranks fourth in the NCAA in goals (14) and points (28).
Christian Stoever was named CCHA Goaltender of the Week for the second time this season. He became the first Falcon goaltender to stop a penalty shot since 2019 and first BGSU netminder to tally an assist since 2020. The Falcons have had a player receive a weekly or monthly award 10 times this season, matching the entire total from the 2021-22 campaign.
Taylor Schneider enters the weekend with 98 career points, totaling 40 goals and 58 assists. He is the NCAA's active leader in games played with 168. He is tied for fourth in the nation in shorthanded goals with two.
Ryan O'Hara recorded a power play goal and an assist in both games of the RPI series, giving him a season line of eight goals and 10 assists for 18 points. Also sitting at 18 points this season is O'Hara's linemate Chase Gresock, who had a power play goal and an assist on Friday. The duo is tied for second on the team in points, with Gresock having a career line of 41 goals and 50 assists for 91 points.
The Falcons have 23 power play goals this season, tied for second in the nation. Nathan Burke and Ethan Scardina each have five, tied for second in the league and 10^th in the country. BGSU leads the CCHA and is ninth in the NCAA with a power play success rate of 25.6%. In December, the Orange and Brown scored on 12-of-38 power play chances for a 31.6% success rate.
Bowling Green is second in the CCHA and 15^th in the NCAA in penalty kill percentage (83.9%). They are one of just five teams to rank in the top-15 nationally in both special teams categories.

Opponent Outlook
Although they were swept by the Falcons in their first matchup, four Lakers had multiple points in the series. This list includes Jack Jeffers, Logan Jenuwine, Jared Westcott, and Jake Willets. Louis Boudon, who has 104 career points, leads LSSU in goals (7) and points (14). Jacob Bengtsson leads the Lakers in assists (8). Boudon and Bengtsson earned All-CCHA Second Team honors last season and Preseason All-CCHA honors this year. Boudon is the lone Laker to earn a CCHA weekly award, winning Forward of the Week on Oct. 31. The Falcons, who boast the league's highest-scoring offense, will look to break through an LSSU goaltending unit that includes Ethan Langenegger, who ranks fourth in the league with 24.47 saves per game. Lake Superior State's conference wins have come against Michigan Tech and Bemidji State, who are currently tied for first in the standings. Langenegger earned the win in both games, tallying a shutout against the Huskies and defeating the Beavers in overtime.

Series Info
Bowling Green and Lake Superior State open the 2023 portion of the season with a conference series, marking the second consecutive occasion the teams begin the month against each other. The Falcons dominated the first series, sweeping the Lakers with 7-4 and 5-1 victories. Taylor Schneider was awarded CCHA Forward of the Week after a three-goal, two-assist weekend. Austen Swankler also had a five-point series, notching five assists. Lake Superior State is the most common opponent in Falcon Hockey history, with the teams facing off 184 times. The all-time series favors Bowling Green, 92-79-13.

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

Ty's Take
"They (Lake Superior State) are certainly capable. They have players that have won at Lake Superior State, they've won in the playoffs. They've done it before. Nobody anticipated them having the kind of year they're having. They're more than capable, so we need to focus on making sure we're prepared for a Lake Superior State team that's going to come in and play well. We need to be as close to our best as possible."

Coach Eigner's full press conference from Jan. 3 can be found HERE.

Up Next
The Falcons continue conference play with a home series against Bemidji State on Jan. 13-14. Both games start at 7:07 p.m. ET in Slater Family Ice Arena. The Beavers received 55 votes in the most recent USCHO poll, the most of any team outside of the Top 20. BSU currently shares the lead in the CCHA standings with Michigan Tech. Friday is Jurassic Puck Night, tickets can be purchased HERE and parking is available HERE. Saturday is Hockey is for Everyone, tickets are available HERE and parking can be purchased 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'

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