(Update: 9:09 p.m.) According the the BGSU Hockey Facebook page, Athletic Director Greg Christopher announced at the Falcon Faceoff Reception that coach Chris Bergeron's contract has been extended two years.
Well, what can I say about this game. It was a complete win for BG. Offensive pressure was great, the defense limited true scoring opportunities, and the Falcons' special teams actually resembled special teams units, to borrow a quote from coach Chris Bergeron. Let's look at a couple of talking points following the Falcons' 9-1 exhibition win against the Ontario Institute of Technology.
Sloat Update
Let's start with the one negative of the game. Junior defenseman Jake Sloat was taken down awkwardly into the boards during the second period of this game and left with an apparent leg injury.
After the game, he was on crutches and had a protective boot (or a cast?) on his right foot. Bergeron said he would likely "be out awhile" with what he called a lower leg injury. He added that it was probably broken, meaning the likely injury here is to his ankle or leg. That's probably a little better than it being a knee, but regardless, that is unfortunate for Sloat, who figured to be a big part of this team this year.
Breakout stars
Last season, in 43 games, defenseman Mike Sullivan had one goal and three assists in 43 games. Tonight, in about 20 or so minutes of ice time, he had one goal and three assists. Yes, the stats from this game do not count toward season totals (it was an exhibition game, after all), but Sullivan's performance is a huge one for BG.
All four of his points came on special teams (two power play assists, a short-handed goal and an assist). It's no secret BG's special team struggled last year. It's also no secret the team has been looking for a blue liner to step up in the offensive end. If he can provide this type of offense from the blue line for the Falcons this season, that would be absolutely huge.
Also having a big game for BG was Dajon Mingo. After a strong debut Saturday against Niagara, he potted two goals and had two assists. Once again, it's important to remember that these stats don't count, but he's another guy who if he can be a productive forward, BG is a much more dangerous team.
He showed is great speed in this game, flying down the left wing boards to draw a hooking penalty, as well as his great shot, scoring twice from the left circle — once on a wicked wrister and once on a massive one-timer slap shot.
Ryan Carpenter scored twice for BG, and Cam Wojtala and Adam Berkle each had two assists. Overall, it was tough to find anything wrong with the Falcons' offensive performance.
'Special' teams
BG's power play unit "actually resembled a power play unit," Bergeron said after the game. After a rough year with the man advantage last year, BG scored three power play goals in five opportunities Sunday. The Falcons cycled the puck well, getting seven shots (most all of them quality chances) with the man advantage.
On the penalty kill, BG was a perfect 6-for-6, and added a pair of short-handed tallies. BG was aggressive with the penalty kill. Bergeron said he thought the team did a good job of making entry into the offensive zone difficult. They did that, and that added aggressiveness led to several strong short-handed scoring chances.
Take everything with a grain of salt
Yes, this was a hugely impressive win. Yes, the Falcons did allow four goals to the same OIT team last season. But it is important to remember the level of competition here is not CCHA level. Dominating the game was something I'm sure Falcon fans loved to see. It's definitely not something we saw much of last year. But things are going to be different when No. 5 Union rolls into town next weekend. They're much more talented than OIT. They will play smarter and won't allow BG to dominate play like they did tonight.
However, let's look at this from a different angle: this weekend, Western Michigan tied Western Ontario. Lake Superior barely slipped by Ryerson. Ohio State needed overtime to beat Waterloo. Several CCHA teams struggled with these exhibition games this weekend. So, despite the level of competition not being elite, BG scoring nine times is no small feat. If this team brings this level of effort and energy every weekend, the sky is the limit for them.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
The BG News' CCHA preseason rankings
It's almost that time of the season again: hockey season.
While hockey fans may be robbed of NHL hockey for the time being due to (another) lockout, college hockey will not be affected, and the Falcons open their season Saturday, Oct. 6 at Niagara. BG opens at home the next night with an exhibition game against Ontario Institute of Technology.
With the opener now inside of three weeks, the Central Collegiate Hockey Association has begun tallying votes for both its preseason media and coaches polls. While these polls ultimately mean nothing in the big-picture, they are a fun way to see how your team is predicted to do this season.
I am fortunate enough to receive a vote in this poll, which I have shared with you below. Please note that this is my poll only, and not the collective preseason media poll, which will released within the next two weeks.
1. Michigan: Plain and simple, the Wolverines return a ton of talent. Led by reigning Rookie of the Year Alex Guptill, Michigan brings back 20 letterwinners from last season's second place finish. However, a huge question mark for this team is goaltending following Shawn Hunwick's graduation. Compounding this problem have been recent decommitments by Jack Campbell and John Gibson to the OHL. Junior Adam Janecyk was the only other goalie to see game action last year, playing in five games — one start — with a 3.17 goals-against average and a .897 save percent. Struggles at this position are the only thing that can hold Michigan back this season.
2. Ferris State: Coming off it's first National Championship game appearance in school history, the Bulldogs appear poised to be one of the conference's best teams again. Like Michigan, Ferris loses its starting goalie in Taylor Nelson. Unlike Michigan, Ferris has an established goalie to succeed him in C.J. Motte, who posted a 1.98 GAA in 12 starts last season. Coach Bob Daniels was the conference Coach of the Year last season. Entering his 21st season, he is the longest tenured coach in the CCHA, ironically, behind Michigan's Red Berenson. Despite losing Nelson, Ferris returns 18 players this year, including 12 forwards, on a team that scored the second most goals in the league last year.
3. Western Michigan: There is tremendous parity atop the CCHA this year, with four or five teams who could legitimately win the league title this year. Why I mention this in this post is because Western was your CCHA Tournament champion last season, defeating Miami and Michigan in Detroit. While Western may not be the most talented team in the league, I feel that they have the best chance of unseating Michigan at the No. 1 seed (yes, despite the fact I have them third). Western has perhaps the best goaltending duo in the league in Frank Slubowski (2.03 GAA, .911 SV%) and Nick Pisellini (2.41 GAA, .903 SV%). Chase Balisy might also be the best player in the league this season following a 37 point campaign last season.
4. Miami: Call this one an ode to past successes, but I could see Miami easily falling out of the top five (i.e.: first round bye territory) this season. The goalie problems Michigan has? Miami has it a bit worse. The three goalies who played a game for the RedHawks last season, including CCHA Goalie of the Year Connor Knapp, have graduated. Of the three goalies on the roster, two are freshman and none have any college experience. Also gone is captain Reilly Smith. The talent is still there, but if they don't get their goaltending figured out, they could fall quickly.
5. Notre Dame: I have the Irish a bit low here, mostly because if its late-season collapse still fresh in my mind, but don't be surprised to see the them challenge for the No. 1 seed. ND loses two pretty important forwards in Billy Maday and Riley Sheahan, but return 20 players, including outstanding forwards T.J. Tynan and Andres Lee. Goalies Mike Johnson and Steven Summerhays had mediocres years last year: as a team, the Irish had only a .893 save percent last season. If those two can improve, the Irish will be tough to beat.
6. Northern Michigan: The Wildcats have finished in this spot each of the last two seasons, and will once again likely fall in the middle of the back. Justin Florek (36 points) is the team's biggest loss, but the Wildcats return 18 players from last season, including all six defenseman and starting goalie Jared Coreau (2.22 GAA, .928 SV%). As long as they don't have to face BG in the first round of the playoffs for the third straight season, I'm sure they won't mind where they finish.
7. Bowling Green: In all honesty, this is a tough one to predict. I would not be surprised to see BG crank out a top-5 seed and earn a first round tournament bye, and at the same time I would not be surprised to see the Falcons finish bottom two again should something go wrong (meaning an injury to a key player, namely Andrew Hammond). The talent level on this team has grown significantly the past two seasons, and the team now has the experience to match that skill. One thing is for sure, no one will be sleeping on the Falcons this season, and the Falcons won't be afraid of playing anyone.
8. Michigan State: Beneath the record, the Spartans were good, not great, last season, despite a top-5 seed. Michigan State only had a +8 goal differential last season, which was significantly worse than any of the other top-5 seeds. While the Spartans bring back some strong players in Lee Reimer (31 points) and Greg Wolfe (26 points), they lose a lot as well. The team only brings back 12 players, and lose the Conference Player of the Year in defenseman Torey Krug (34 points).
9. Lake Superior: While the Lakers do return 20 players this season, they lose a large part of the nucleus of the team in forwards Fred Cassiani (22 points) and Kyle Jean (24 points) and defensemen Kyle Haines (23 points) and Zach Trotman (21 points). That beings said, they do return their three leading scorers for last season. Goalie Kevin Kapalka (2.67 GAA .916 SV%) will need to step up his game to help pick up the slack.
10. Ohio State: This isn't as much as the Buckeyes being worse than last season (they finished tied for eighth in the conference with Notre Dame), I just don't see them as being better than last season. Most notably, they lose goalie Cal Heeter, who started 30 games last season. That role will not fall to senior Brady Hjelle, was was good in a limited role last season, posting a 2.53 GAA and .922 SV%. His success will likely determine where Ohio State ultimately falls in the standings this season.
11. Alaska: The Nanooks round out my poll, after finishing 10th in the league last season. The great news for Alaska is they return leading scorers Cody Kunyk (32 points), Andy Taranto (26 points) and Colton Beck (25 points). The bad news for them is, like several other teams in the league, they enter the season with goalie questions. Gone is starter Scott Greenham (2.47 GAA, .905 SV%). The heir apparent to the starting role is senior Steve Thompson, who posted a 2.92 GAA and .866 save percent in three starts last season. Those numbers do not bode well for a team that carried a -13 goal differential in CCHA games last season.
While hockey fans may be robbed of NHL hockey for the time being due to (another) lockout, college hockey will not be affected, and the Falcons open their season Saturday, Oct. 6 at Niagara. BG opens at home the next night with an exhibition game against Ontario Institute of Technology.
With the opener now inside of three weeks, the Central Collegiate Hockey Association has begun tallying votes for both its preseason media and coaches polls. While these polls ultimately mean nothing in the big-picture, they are a fun way to see how your team is predicted to do this season.
I am fortunate enough to receive a vote in this poll, which I have shared with you below. Please note that this is my poll only, and not the collective preseason media poll, which will released within the next two weeks.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Falcon Rugby beats Toledo Celtics laden with BG Alums
By Max Householder
Reporter
The BG Rugby team got another confidence boosting win on Saturday when they took down the Toledo Celtics by a score of 38-10. As mentioned in Fridays preview, the Toledo Celtics are a "Senior men's team" riddled with Alums of Bowling Green Falcon Rugby.
One of those alums, Joey Newton had the only 2 trys of the day for the Celtics. The game started out slow for the Falcons, much as they expected due to the fact that many of their former players on the Celtics had a knowledge of the Falcons playbook.
"This happens to a certain extent every time we play an Ohio senior men''s team," Rugby Director Roger Mazzarella said.
"This time was a little exceptional as all the ex-Falcon players had left BGSU within the last two years and were pretty versed in the current Falcon offensive and defensive schemes.
It took a fair amount of hard work for the Falcons to open things but once they got in that 10-0 hole, things only got better. The Falcons at one point even went on a 17-0 tear during a period where Toledo had them down.
Things got interesting just 10 minutes into the second half when 2 Falcon players got ejected, leaving BG at a 13-15 man advantage to Toledo. This had no effect on the ending result as the Falcons were already up 21-10 at that point. In fact, it was also at that point that BG went on their 17-0 tear that put the final tally at 38-10.
It was another dominating scoring effort by the Falcons as scoring trys was Flanker Frank Viancourt, Hooker Mike Brown, Dominic Mauer and Nick Mussara(2). BG will play at Ohio University this Saturday at 1pm.
Reporter
The BG Rugby team got another confidence boosting win on Saturday when they took down the Toledo Celtics by a score of 38-10. As mentioned in Fridays preview, the Toledo Celtics are a "Senior men's team" riddled with Alums of Bowling Green Falcon Rugby.
One of those alums, Joey Newton had the only 2 trys of the day for the Celtics. The game started out slow for the Falcons, much as they expected due to the fact that many of their former players on the Celtics had a knowledge of the Falcons playbook.
"This happens to a certain extent every time we play an Ohio senior men''s team," Rugby Director Roger Mazzarella said.
"This time was a little exceptional as all the ex-Falcon players had left BGSU within the last two years and were pretty versed in the current Falcon offensive and defensive schemes.
It took a fair amount of hard work for the Falcons to open things but once they got in that 10-0 hole, things only got better. The Falcons at one point even went on a 17-0 tear during a period where Toledo had them down.
Things got interesting just 10 minutes into the second half when 2 Falcon players got ejected, leaving BG at a 13-15 man advantage to Toledo. This had no effect on the ending result as the Falcons were already up 21-10 at that point. In fact, it was also at that point that BG went on their 17-0 tear that put the final tally at 38-10.
It was another dominating scoring effort by the Falcons as scoring trys was Flanker Frank Viancourt, Hooker Mike Brown, Dominic Mauer and Nick Mussara(2). BG will play at Ohio University this Saturday at 1pm.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
BG Men's Golf in Third After First Day
The BG men's golf team is in third place after day one at the 2012 Rutherford Intercollegiate. The first round was supposed to be 36 holes total, but the first round was delayed resulting in only first round completion and part of the second round.
BG shot a 303 on the Blue Course at Penn State University which is only two shots off the lead controlled by George Mason at 301. In second place is Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a 302. Right behind the Falcons at 304 is a three way tie for fourth place between William and Mary, Connecticut and Penn State. Mid-American Conference opponents Miami Ohio (310) and Eastern Michigan (313) are in the field as well who sit in eighth and 11th place respectively.
Individually leading the way for BG is Wes Gates who fired a 75 on his first round and is tied for eighth place. Tied for 12th place after shooting scores of 76 is Parker Hewit, Drew Preston and Chris Melvin. Rounding out the Falcons first round play is Charlie Olson who fired a 78 and is tied for 35th. Also, competing as just an individual from BG is Joe Cooper who carded a 77 and is tied for 22nd. Leading the tournament individually is Kevin Yerks of George Mason who shot an even round of 71.
Play will resume at the Rutherford Intercollegiate at 10 a.m. this morning with a shotgun start. The final round will begin immediately as the second round is complete.
BG shot a 303 on the Blue Course at Penn State University which is only two shots off the lead controlled by George Mason at 301. In second place is Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a 302. Right behind the Falcons at 304 is a three way tie for fourth place between William and Mary, Connecticut and Penn State. Mid-American Conference opponents Miami Ohio (310) and Eastern Michigan (313) are in the field as well who sit in eighth and 11th place respectively.
Individually leading the way for BG is Wes Gates who fired a 75 on his first round and is tied for eighth place. Tied for 12th place after shooting scores of 76 is Parker Hewit, Drew Preston and Chris Melvin. Rounding out the Falcons first round play is Charlie Olson who fired a 78 and is tied for 35th. Also, competing as just an individual from BG is Joe Cooper who carded a 77 and is tied for 22nd. Leading the tournament individually is Kevin Yerks of George Mason who shot an even round of 71.
Play will resume at the Rutherford Intercollegiate at 10 a.m. this morning with a shotgun start. The final round will begin immediately as the second round is complete.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
BG Rugby gets back on track with convincing win over Michigan
By Max Householder
Reporter
After losing 3 of their first 4 matches the Bowling Green Falcon Rugby Club got back to their winning ways with a convincing 89-0 victory over the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday night. BG continues its dominance over the Wolverines as they have not lost to them since 2004.
BG started strong, scoring their first try just ninety seconds into the game and had a convincing 60-0 lead at halftime.
Junior Mike Brown described the Falcons play over the last two weeks as "the best two weeks of the season" for the Falcons as although they lost their last two the performance has gotten better.
"This was a really important game for us, I mean we knew they weren't a good team but we were still focused on executing accordingly," Brown said.
The Falcons were clearly the better team: they were bigger, faster and more athletic on the outside than Michigan and those advantages were easy to see. Momentum swung intensely in BG's favor when coach Tony Mazzarella made a bold move and moved Nick Musarra to scrum half while Ben Marshall who normally occupies that position was moved to fly half. This move proved to be beneficial for the Falcons averaged nearly a point a minute throughout the game.
Scoring trys for the Falcons were Mike Zeigler(4), Dominic Mauer(2) and Scrum Half Nick Mussara who also had 2 trys. Taking over conversion kicking duties was Prop Dane Szente who made 12 of 13.
The Falcons will look to build on this win next week when they travel to Toledo to take on the Toledo Celtics Saturday at 1pm.
Reporter
After losing 3 of their first 4 matches the Bowling Green Falcon Rugby Club got back to their winning ways with a convincing 89-0 victory over the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday night. BG continues its dominance over the Wolverines as they have not lost to them since 2004.
BG started strong, scoring their first try just ninety seconds into the game and had a convincing 60-0 lead at halftime.
Junior Mike Brown described the Falcons play over the last two weeks as "the best two weeks of the season" for the Falcons as although they lost their last two the performance has gotten better.
"This was a really important game for us, I mean we knew they weren't a good team but we were still focused on executing accordingly," Brown said.
The Falcons were clearly the better team: they were bigger, faster and more athletic on the outside than Michigan and those advantages were easy to see. Momentum swung intensely in BG's favor when coach Tony Mazzarella made a bold move and moved Nick Musarra to scrum half while Ben Marshall who normally occupies that position was moved to fly half. This move proved to be beneficial for the Falcons averaged nearly a point a minute throughout the game.
Scoring trys for the Falcons were Mike Zeigler(4), Dominic Mauer(2) and Scrum Half Nick Mussara who also had 2 trys. Taking over conversion kicking duties was Prop Dane Szente who made 12 of 13.
The Falcons will look to build on this win next week when they travel to Toledo to take on the Toledo Celtics Saturday at 1pm.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
BG Men's Golf Finishes 14th in Little Rock
The BG men's golf team took a 14th place finish at the UALR-First Tee Collegiate Classic Monday and Tuesday.
The 54 hole tournament at Chenal Country Club featured 16 teams with 36 holes on Monday and 18 holes on Tuesday. University of Arkansas Little Rock hosted the tournament and was the first time the Falcons have ever participated in the event.
Drew Preston led the Falcons in scoring with a 228 (75-72-81) that earned him a tie for 29th place. Charlie Olson shot a 232 (76-79-77) finishing tied for 43rd. Parker Hewit (81-77-76) and Wes Gates (77-76-81) both tied for 48th place with total scores of 234. Torey Brummett rounded out the BG scoring with a 262 (91-84-87).
Southeastern Louisiana won the tournament with a total score 887 defeating Sam Houston State by 13 shots. Both teams were ranked in the top 100 heading into the tournament.
BG will next head to State College, Pa. for the Rutherford Intercollegiate on Easter weekend April 7th and 8th.
The 54 hole tournament at Chenal Country Club featured 16 teams with 36 holes on Monday and 18 holes on Tuesday. University of Arkansas Little Rock hosted the tournament and was the first time the Falcons have ever participated in the event.
Drew Preston led the Falcons in scoring with a 228 (75-72-81) that earned him a tie for 29th place. Charlie Olson shot a 232 (76-79-77) finishing tied for 43rd. Parker Hewit (81-77-76) and Wes Gates (77-76-81) both tied for 48th place with total scores of 234. Torey Brummett rounded out the BG scoring with a 262 (91-84-87).
Southeastern Louisiana won the tournament with a total score 887 defeating Sam Houston State by 13 shots. Both teams were ranked in the top 100 heading into the tournament.
BG will next head to State College, Pa. for the Rutherford Intercollegiate on Easter weekend April 7th and 8th.
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