Falcons Face Off Against Ferris State to Open February Slate

Friday, February 3

Bowling Green, OH

7:07 PM

Bowling Green State University

Ferris State

Buy Tickets

Photo by: Chad Huffman, BGSU Athletics

February 02, 2023 | Ice Hockey

Bowling Green Game Notes Ferris State Game Notes Buy Tickets!Buy Parking Ty Eigner Press Conference (Jan. 31)Watch (FloHockey)Listen (88.1 FM, WBGU Listen Now Link)Live Stats Vote Swankler for Hobey

Bowling Green hosts Bulldogs as final month of regular season begins

By: by David Dietrich, BGSU Strategic Communications

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green Falcons (14-13-1, 11-8-1 CCHA) open the final month of the regular season with a home conference series against the Ferris State Bulldogs (10-13-3, 7-9-2 CCHA). The long-time foes face off on Feb. 3-4, with both games starting at 7:07 p.m. ET in Slater Family Ice Arena. Entering the weekend, BGSU is third in the conference (37 points in 20 games) and FSU is fifth (25 points in 18 games).

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 will be Star Wars Night. The first 500 fans will receive snow globes and there will be Star Wars Characters at the game. Tickets can be purchased HERE and parking can be purchased HERE. Saturday is the Teddy Bear Toss, with fans encouraged to bring a teddy bear to throw on the ice after Bowling Green's first goal. BGSU Dance Marathon will be donating the bears to Toledo Nationwide Children's Hospital. Saturday will also be Autograph Night, with fans encouraged to stay after the game for an autograph session with Falcon Hockey players. Tickets can be purchased HERE and parking 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

Falcon Facts

Austen Swankler was named CCHA Forward of the Month after totaling two goals and eight assists for 10 points in six games. He extended his NCAA-best scoring streak to 18 games, recording 11 goals and 20 assists for 31 points during this impressive stretch. The Falcons have had a player earn a weekly or monthly CCHA award 11 times this year, eclipsing last year's total of 10.
Swankler has a season line of 16G-22A—38P. He leads the CCHA in assists and points while ranking second in goals. Nationally, he is third in points and tied for seventh in goals and assists. He is one of three players in the country with over 15 goals and 20 assists. Swankler is a nominee for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, fans can vote for him daily HERE.
Taylor Schneider is currently tied for fourth in school history with 174 games played, a number that leads all active NCAA D-I skaters. Alex Barber is tied for second among active players with 169 games played, with that mark ranking eighth in BGSU history. Both skaters have 103 career points, tied for 65^th in school history. They are one of just three pairs of active teammates with over 100 points.
Chase Gresock enters the weekend with 95 career points, including 42 goals, which is tied for 12^th among active players. He is tied with Nathan Burke, who had his third two-goal game as a Falcon on Jan. 20. Burke and Ethan Scardina are tied for second in the league and ninth in the country with six power play goals.
Bowling Green's penalty kill unit ranks third in the CCHA and 17^th in the NCAA with an 82.9% success rate. Against St. Thomas, they were a perfect 9-for-9. Additionally, the Falcons have scored six shorthanded goals, tying for second in the nation. The power play has also been successful, scoring 27 times for the second-highest total in the league and sixth-best total in the nation.

Opponent Outlook
Last weekend, Ferris State was swept at home by No. 14 Minnesota State, who is currently leading the CCHA with 41 points. BGSU is third in the conference at 37 points, trailing second-place Michigan Tech by just a single point. FSU is fifth in the league with 25 points, but they have played two fewer games than three of the four teams ahead of them. Offensively, Stepan Pokorny leads the Bulldogs in assists (12) and points (18), while Jason Brancheau and Tyler Schleppe share the team lead in goals (8). Goaltending duties have been split between Noah Giesbrecht and Logan Stein, with the former taking the majority of the minutes. Giesbrecht has a .923 save percentage, ranking second in the CCHA and 10^th in the NCAA.

Series Info
Bowling Green holds a 79-63-13 lead in the all-time series. The teams have split the last three series, with the goal total over those six games being 17-16 in favor of the Falcons. In November, BGSU took a 6-0 win in the series opener before the Bulldogs responded with a 4-1 win on Saturday (Nov. 19). Following that weekend Nathan Burke was named CCHA Forward of the Week (3G-1A) and Noah Giesbrecht was named CCHA Goaltender of the Week (32 saves, .970 save pct.).

Chalk Talk
On Friday, Feb. 3, Falcon Club members and season ticket holders are invited to a Chalk Talk with Falcon Hockey Assistant Coach Curtis Carr. The talk will begin at 6:15 p.m. in the Slater Family Ice Arena Center Ice Lounge.

Ty's Take
"They're (Ferris State) very good defensively. They are comfortable playing in low-scoring games. Then they'll have games where they go out and score four or five. They've got some talented kids up front, but it starts in goal. They've got two more than capable goalies in Giesbrecht and Stein. I'm not sure who we'll see but they're both very good. They defend hard and they play hard and the way they play is difficult to get through. You're going to have to be patient, you're going to have to stay with the game plan and continue to push."

Coach Eigner's full press conference from Jan. 31 can be found HERE.

Up Next
The Falcons hit the road for the final time this regular season, traveling to Michigan Tech. Bowling Green battles the Huskies at 7:07 p.m. ET on Friday, Feb. 10, then again at 5:07 p.m. ET on Saturday, Feb. 11. Both games will be played at MacInnes Student Ice Arena in Houghton, Mich.

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'