Falcons Begin Postseason Play at Home With Mason Cup Quarterfinals

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The third-seeded Bowling Green Falcons (15-17-2, 12-12-2 CCHA) open the CCHA Mason Cup Playoffs with a home quarterfinals series against the sixth-seeded Ferris State Bulldogs (12-18-4, 9-14-3 CCHA). The best-of-three series starts at 7:07 p.m. ET on Friday, March 3. The second game will be played on Saturday, March 4, also starting at 7:07 p.m. If a third game is necessary, it will be played at 5:07 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 5. All games will be played in Slater Family Ice Arena.

How to Follow
All 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
Tickets and parking for each game can be purchased HERE. Bowling Green will be hosting Special Olympics events this weekend, so fans are advised to plan accordingly when arriving to the games. Fans are also encouraged to purchase tickets in advance, as prices will increase at the door. Tickets for Game 3 can be "purchased" prior to the game. If Game 3 is necessary, your credit card will be charged and your tickets will be emailed to you following the conclusion of Game 2. 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.

Students can claim their tickets for the playoffs HERE. Falcon alumnus and longtime supporter Scott Slater will underwrite the first 500 student tickets. Students must claim tickets by 11:59 PM on Thursday, March 2. Student tickets will be delivered electronically on Friday, March 3.

Falcon Facts

Austen Swankler ended the regular season with the CCHA lead in points (42) and assists (24) while ranking second in goals (18). Ranking third in goals was Nathan Burke (17), who also ranked second in power play goals (7). Chase Gresock and Ryan O'Hara tied for seventh in the league in points at 29, with O'Hara and Swankler tying for fourth in the league with three game-winning goals each.
Swankler is a candidate for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award. Phase I of the fan vote closes at midnight on Sunday, March 5. The fan vote can be accessed HERE.
Zach Vinnell has recorded an assist in five consecutive games, putting his season total at 17, which is 11^th in the CCHA and fifth among conference defensemen.
Taylor Schneider enters the weekend with 180 games played, one shy of the school record held by former teammate Sam Craggs. Also climbing the program rankings is Alex Barber, who is currently fifth with 175 games played.
The Falcons scored 110 goals in the regular season, the most in the conference. They tied for the league lead in shorthanded goals (7) and compiled the conference's second-best save percentage (.905).

Opponent Outlook
Bowling Green and Ferris State met four times this season, with the Bulldogs recording a 2-1-1 record and earning the shootout win. Both teams were swept in the regular season finale but will look to bounce back with a postseason win. In their four regular season contests, BGSU outscored FSU, 12-10. Chase Gresock and Nathan Burke each had four goals and two assists across those four games. Christian Stoever had a .932 save percentage in the games, with his win marking the first shutout of the season. The Bulldogs had a balanced offensive attack, with three players recording three points and four players recording two. Nick Nardeccia scored the first goal twice, and Noah Giesbrecht had a .947 save percentage and 1.68 GAA. The Falcons scored 110 goals this season, the most in the CCHA. The Bulldogs allowed 116 goals this season, the most in the CCHA.

Series Info
Bowling Green has a 79-64-14 record in the all-time series. This weekend's matchup will be a familiar situation for fans of both teams. In 2017 and 2018, the Falcons hosted the Bulldogs in the WCHA Quarterfinals, with BGSU sweeping the series each time. In 2017, the series also began on Friday, March 3. A four-goal second period boosted the Falcons to a 6-1 victory, giving them a 1-0 series lead. The following night, BGSU made a spectacular comeback, scoring three times in the final three minutes to earn a 5-3 win. A Ferris State major penalty gave the Falcons the man advantage for five minutes, which saw the Falcons score the game-tying and game-winning goal just 36 seconds apart. The rematch in 2018 was just as thrilling, with the first game going to overtime. Brandon Kruse, who also scored the regulation goal for the Falcons, scored the game-winner in OT to secure a 2-1 victory. FSU goaltender Darren Smith played one of the best games in the program's history, setting a school record with 62 saves, including 44 in the first two periods. Bowling Green's shot total of 64 was the team's highest in 26 years. The following night, the Falcons scored a pair of power play goals and took a 5-2 victory to sweep the series for the second consecutive season.

Chalk Talk
On Friday, March 3, 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
"We've had really good series with them (Ferris State). We know the games are going to be close. Both teams probably have a pretty good idea of what the other team is going to do. Maybe you make a couple minor changes here and there, but for the most part, there will be familiarity between the two programs. We know that Ferris State is a team whose goaltending has been very good for most of the year and they're a team that plays hard."

Coach Eigner's full press conference from Feb. 28 can be found HERE.

Up Next
With a series win, the Falcons will advance to the CCHA Semifinals. The single-elimination semifinals games will be hosted by the two highest remaining CCHA seeds on Saturday, March 11.

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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