Falcons Return To Slater For Series Against Bemidji State

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green Falcons hockey team (11-8-3, 8-5-1-1) will continue CCHA play with their first home series of 2022, hosting the Bemidji State Beavers (12-10-0, 10-4-0). The Falcons and Beavers will face off on Friday, Jan. 14, and Saturday, Jan. 15, with both games starting at 7:07 p.m. ET in Slater Family Ice Arena.

How to Follow
Both games will be streamed live on FloHockey, broadcast HERE. The games will also be broadcast by BGRSO on 88.1 FM, found online HERE. Live stats for both games are available HERE.

The games will also have live updates on Bowling Green Hockey's official Twitter page, @BGFalconHockey.

Tickets, Promotional, and Attendance Information
Tickets for Friday's game are available for $1 presale purchase. Tickets will be priced regularly at the door. $1 presale tickets are available HERE. Friday is Brian Holzinger Bobblehead Night, as well as Fan Appreciation Night. The first 500 fans will receive a Brian Holzinger bobblehead, with certain concessions priced at $1. Tickets for Saturday's game are regular price, available for digital purchase HERE. Saturday is Star Wars Night, as well as the Teddy Bear Toss. Fans are invited to bring a new teddy bear to Saturday's game and throw it on the ice after Bowling Green's first goal. All proceeds will go to BGSU Dance Marathon.

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.

Falcon Facts

Austen Swankler has 22 points this season, tied for second among freshmen in the NCAA. Swankler and Taylor Schneider are tied for the team lead in points, with Swankler ranking third in the NCAA for freshmen assists (15).
Nathan Burke has scored one goal in five of Bowling Green's last seven games, with all five being the first goal of the game for the Falcons. He leads the team with 13 goals and five power play goals, ranking in the top ten nationally in both categories.
Sam Craggs has played in 166 games in his BGSU career, the seventh-highest total in program history. Craggs can move into sixth place after this weekend, needing to play in both games.
The Falcons are 5-1-0 in home CCHA games, outscoring their opponents 23-12. In their five home victories, BGSU is outscoring their foes 20-6.

Series Info
With both teams just past the halfway point of the 26-game conference schedule, Bowling Green and Bemidji State are separated by six points and one place in the CCHA standings. BGSU is in third place with 24 points, while BSU is second with 30 points. Both teams have also had six CCHA Player of the Week recognitions. This will be the second series between the Falcons and Beavers, with the series in Bemidji ending in a split. Bowling Green took the first game behind a two-goal performance by Chrystopher Collin and a career-best 38 saves from Zack Rose. Bemidji State won the following night, with Owen Sillinger and Elias Rosen assisting on goals by Lukas Sillinger and Alex Ierullo. Gavin Enright made 40 saves for the Beavers. The Falcons hold a 16-14-3 advantage in the all-time series.

Opponent Outlook
Bemidji State is in second place in the CCHA with a 10-4-0 record, earning 30 points. In Monday's USCHO poll, they received 38 votes, the most among teams not ranked in the Top 20. The Beavers are led by Owen Sillinger, who has team-highs in goals (11), assists (18), and points (29). The senior was named HCA National Forward of the Month and CCHA Forward of the Month in November. Sillinger and Tyler Kirkup have each earned CCHA Forward of the Week one time, with Elias Rosen earning CCHA Defenseman of the Month one time. Forward Jere Vaisanen and goaltender Mattias Sholl have each earned CCHA Rookie of the Week, with Sholl's honor coming after Bemidji State's sweep of Lake Superior State last weekend. In two starts, Sholl made 49 saves for a .961 save percentage and 1.00 GAA.

Chalk Talk
On Friday, Jan. 14, 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
"They're (Bemidji State) a really good team. They're an older team, they're a team that people knew, and in the preseason polls, thought were going to be a good team. Fundamentally, they do a lot of really good things. They've always defended hard, they've always had good goaltending, they've always had a good goals against in terms of the national rankings, and they know how to play.

It's been a healthy rivalry over the past few years. There's a mutual respect between the staffs and the programs, and we expect the same kind of series we had up there. We expect it to be a series that's really tightly contested all weekend."

Up Next
Bowling Green will have a weekend off before continuing CCHA competition with a road series against Ferris State. The Falcons and Bulldogs will face off at 7:07 p.m. ET on Friday, Jan. 28, and 6:07 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 29. Both games will be held at R.L. Ewigleben Sports Complex in Big Rapids, Michigan.

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'

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nathan Burke

Chrystopher Collin

Sam Craggs

Zack Rose

Taylor Schneider

Austen Swankler

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Bowling Green State University Athletics