Top 15 Feud: No. 15 Bowling Green Set To Host No. 3 Minnesota State This Weekend

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The No. 15 Bowling Green State University hockey team returns to the Slater Family Ice Arena this week, taking on No. 3 Minnesota State, being the second series between the teams this season. The Falcons and Mavericks split the first time around in Mankato back on Nov. 1 and 2.

No. 15 Bowling Green Falcons (13-9-2, 8-6-2-2 WCHA)
vs.
No. 3 Minnesota State Mavericks (20-3-1, 14-2-0-0 WCHA)

GAME INFORMATION	Friday/Saturday, Jan. 17-18, 7:07 p.m.
LOCATION	Bowling Green, Ohio / Slater Family Ice Arena
WATCH	FloHockey.TV
RADIO	Falcon Radio Network
LIVE STATS	BGSUFalcons.com
LISTEN ONLINE	BGSUFalcons.com
GAME NOTES	Bowling Green
GAME NOTES	Minnesota State

Ty Time

Marking the Mavericks
Being the No. 3 team in the nation, Minnesota State enters the series riding a five-game win streak with their last loss being on Dec. 28 against St. Cloud State by a score of 7-2. Having lost just three times and tied once this season, the Mavericks have been on the short end against St. Cloud State, Northern Michigan and Bowling Green while tying North Dakota. In goal for the Mavericks, Dryden McKay ranks first in the nation for goals against average (1.14), save percentage (.950), winning percentage (.886) and shutouts (7). As a team, Minnesota State has the best defense in the country, allowing just 1.33 goals per game and have the best power play, scoring on 29.5 percent of their power play opportunities.

The Series At A Glance
The Falcons and Mavericks first met in just 2008, but the matchup has quickly become one of the top series on the schedule. Of the 25 matchups, Minnesota State has claimed 13 victories with Bowling Green taking nine and three concluding in a tie. In the most recent series, taking place on Nov. 1 and 2, the Falcons took the first game by a score of 3-2, using three unanswered goals capped by an overtime score by Connor Ford to claim the victory. The next night, Minnesota State answered back, taking a 5-1 win to close out the series. The last sweep between the teams came last season when the Falcons took two against the Mavericks on Dec. 14 and 15, both going final with a 4-1 score.

Last Time Out
The Falcons picked up their first win of the 2020 calendar, taking a 3-2 victory over Michigan Tech on Friday (Jan. 10). The Falcons burst out for three goals, including Alec Rauhauser's third short-handed goal of the season, that proved to be enough for the win, holding off two scores by Michigan Tech. As for Saturday (Jan. 11), the Falcons and Huskies went to double-overtime with Max Johnson netting his second double-overtime goal of the season to grant Bowling Green the second WCHA point for the game.

Around the WCHA
With the release of the USCHO polls, the WCHA again claimed four spots in the Top 20. In addition to Bowling Green and Minnesota State being No. 15 and No. 3, respectively, Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech swapped spots with NMU now being No. 17 and Michigan Tech slotting in at No. 19. Bemidji State also received eight votes in the poll. As for the schedule, Northern Michigan will be playing out of conference against No. 1 Cornell. In the WCHA, Ferris State will host Alaska, Bemidji State will host Michigan Tech and Alaska Anchorage will host Alabama Huntsville in addition to the Falcons and Mavericks facing.

Hauser For Hobey
Alec Rauhauser continued to increase his season accomplishments last weekend in his case for the Hobey Baker Award. Tallying a short-handed goal on Friday against Michigan Tech, Rauhauser now has three shorties on the season, tying him for first in the nation. With a total of three points over the course of the weekend, Rauhauser increased his lead for the team in both assists and total points, now with 18 and 26, respectively. Additionally, Rauhauser is currently tied with Jonathan Matsumoto for the most points by a Falcon in the 2000s with 113 career points.

We've Got The Power (Play)
The Falcons have scored on the power play on 29 occasions this season, resulting in a .248 power play percentage, which ranks ninth in the nation. When netting a power play goal, Bowling Green is 11-4-2 on the season. Connor Ford leads the team in power play goals with seven, followed closely by Cameron Wright and Alex Barber, each with five. As for the penalty kill, the Falcons are 15th in the nation, having allowed just 15 power play goals this season on 101 penalty kill attempts.

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