By: by David Dietrich, BGSU Strategic Communications
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio. – The Bowling Green Falcons hockey team (8-5-3, 6-5-1-0) will continue the 2021-22 season with a home-and-home series against the Ohio State Buckeyes (10-6-0, 6-4-0). The series begins in Columbus on Thursday, Dec. 16. The Falcons and Buckeyes will face off at 7:00 p.m. in the Schottenstein Center. The series continues in Bowling Green on Friday, Dec. 17, with BGSU and OSU playing a 7:07 p.m. game in Slater Family Ice Arena.
 Tickets, Parking, and Attendance Guidelines – FRIDAY GAME IN BOWLING GREENDec. 17 Parking Map
Tickets for Friday's game are available for digital purchase HERE. On Friday, parking is open at 5 p.m., and doors open at 6 p.m. BGSU Commencement begins at 7 p.m. at the Stroh Center. Please see the attached picture for information on parking at the Stroh Center and Slater Family Ice Arena.
For a full PDF of the parking map, click HERE.
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Regardless of vaccination status, all guests, staff, and vendors will be required to wear a face covering while in the Slater Family Ice Arena. Fans are not required to show proof of vaccination to enter the Slater Family Ice Arena, but face coverings – covering the nose and mouth – are required for all fans as they watch the game from their assigned seat and enter, exit, and move around. Children 2 and younger will not be required to wear a face covering. If spectators are unable to wear face coverings, they are encouraged not to attend games in-person for the sake of their health and the health of others.
 Tickets, Parking, and Attendance Guidelines – THURSDAY GAME IN COLUMBUS
Tickets for Thursday's game are available for digital purchase HERE. Parking is available in designated lots around the Schottenstein Center. Paid parking is required in all parking facilities. Use pay machines located in surface lots. Face coverings/masks are required for all guests age 2+. A mask will be provided if needed.
 How to Follow
Thursday's game will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network, streamed online HERE. Friday's game will be broadcast live on FloHockey, streamed HERE. Both games will be broadcast on the radio by BGRSO, found online HERE (WBGU listening link). Live stats for Thursday are available HERE. Live stats for Friday are available HERE.
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The games will also have live updates on Bowling Green Hockey's official Twitter page, @BGFalconHockey.
 Falcon Facts
On Monday, Christian Stoever was named CCHA Goalie of the Week for the first time this season. The freshman spent nearly 80 minutes between the pipes, allowing just one goal for a GAA of 0.76. On Saturday, he made a career-best 41 saves. Stoever leads the CCHA and ranks ninth in the NCAA with a .928 save percentage.
On Monday, freshman Austen Swankler was named CCHA Rookie of the Week for the third time this season, the most weekly awards on the team. The forward tallied one goal and three assists for four points in the Ferris State series. Swankler leads the Falcons with 18 points and ranks third on the team with five multi-point performances.
Captain Alex Barber scored two power play goals on Friday, extending his season total for power play goals to four and career total to 18. He is tied with Nathan Burke for the team lead this season and leads the team in career power play goals. Friday marked the forward's second multi-goal performance of the year, making him the only member of the Falcons to score multiple goals multiple times. His career total of seven multi-goal games is the most on the team. Barber has scored 75 points in his collegiate career, the most on the team.
Ty Eigner enters the weekend with 49 wins as the Falcons' head coach, accumulating that total in 85 games. With a win on Thursday, Eigner can reach 50 career wins faster than all but two coaches in program history: Ron Mason (83 games) and Buddy Powers (77 games).
 Series Info
Bowling Green and Ohio State have played 166 times, making the Buckeyes the Falcons' second-most common opponent. BGSU's most common opponent is Lake Superior State, with the Falcons and Lakers facing off 179 times. Bowling Green holds a 94-63-9 advantage over the Buckeyes in the all-time series, which began with a 6-3 OSU win on Dec. 5, 1969. This was Bowling Green's seventh total game in program history. BGSU and OSU played in the CCHA from 1971-2013, with the Falcons holding a 73-51-8 record in regular season conference games. In conference tournament games, the Falcons lead 10-6-0. In non-conference games, Bowling Green leads 11-6- 1. The series has been especially competitive recently, with the series tied at 2-2-1 in the last five games. In those games, BGSU has outscored OSU, 16-15. The Falcons have outscored the Buckeyes, 34-31, in the last 10 games, with the series record at 5-4-1 in favor of the Orange and Brown. In the last 14 games, the series is knotted at 5-5-4, with Bowling Green holding a 40-38 lead in scoring.
 Opponent Outlook
Ohio State enters after a series split with No. 3 Michigan. The Buckeyes are ranked No. 17 in the USCHO poll, while the Falcons received four votes. Ohio State ranks in the top 20 in the NCAA in scoring offense and scoring defense, with goaltender Jakub Dobeš ranking 20th in the country with a GAA of 2.20. The Buckeyes also split a series with No. 8 Notre Dame.
 Ty's Take
"We want to go down to Ohio State and play well, and we know coming back here Friday will be a great atmosphere and we'll have a great crowd in the building. We're just working on trying to get through finals, get our injured guys back and be ready to go on Thursday. We know it's going to be difficult, they're a very good team. "
 Chalk Talk
On Friday, Dec. 17, Falcon Club members and Season Ticket holders are invited to a Chalk Talk with assistant coach Stavros Paskaris. The talk will begin at 6:15 p.m. in the Slater Family Ice Arena Center Ice Lounge.
 Up Next
The Falcons will conclude the 2021 portion of their schedule at the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off, held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Bowling Green begins the tournament with a 5:00 p.m. ET game against Providence on Tuesday, Dec. 28. Based on the results of that day of competition, the Falcons will play Wisconsin or Yale on Wednesday, Dec. 29.
 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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