In First USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll of the Season, Falcons Rank No. 15 Overall

Complete Poll

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – After finishing the 2015-16 campaign with a 22-14-6 record, the Bowling Green hockey program was ranked No. 15 in the country in the first USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll of the season.

Last week, the Falcons were ranked No. 14 in the USCHO NCAA Men's Division I preseason rankings as well, in addition to being picked as the favorite in both the WCHA Coaches' and Media Preseason Polls.

The Falcons unofficially opened the 2016-17 season on Saturday afternoon as it hosted Windsor in exhibition play. Bowling Green downed the Lancers in a narrow 3-2 final with a pair of power play goals and 31 shots on net.
Returning to the ice for the Falcons are nine of the teams' top-11 scorers from the 2015-16 season, in addition to All-WCHA goaltender Chris Nell.

Bowling Green is the only WCHA school ranked in the Top-15, although Minnesota State earned four points in the poll, and Ferris State marked one. Other non-conference opponents for the Falcons this year to receive votes in the first poll of the season were Ohio State (30 points) and RIT (3 points).

Defending National Champion North Dakota remains as a clear favorite, earning 28 of the 34 first-place votes with 504 points. Quinnipiac was No. 2, followed by Boston University with six first-place votes in No. 3, and by Denver and Minnesota-Duluth to round out the top-5.

The USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll is conducted each week in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association. The poll includes input from coaches and journalists representing each of the six NCAA Division I ice hockey conference, as well as composite votes from officers of the AHCA and USA Hockey.

The Bowling Green hockey program will officially begin the 2016-17 campaign on the road Oct. 7-8, as it takes on WCHA opponent Bemidji State.

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