Bowling Green Falcons v. Lake Superior Lakers

Friday, 12/4/2009 @ 7:05PM
Saturday, 12/5/2009 @ 5:05PM

Background:

BGSU:
-Record: 2-10-2 (2-6-2)
-Last game: v. Notre Dame T 4-4 (OT) 1-1 (SOW)

LSSU:
-Record: 6-7-3 (3-6-1)
-Last game: v. Bentley T 2-2 (OT) 0-2 (SOL)

Last time out...

Overtime: Life on the edge:

The Falcons and the Lakers are both coming off of very tightly contested series.

The Lakers dropped a pair of games in shootouts last week in the Renesselaer Holiday Tournament. LSSU and Union skated to a scoreless tie in regulation on Friday, with LSSU dropping the shootout decision 0-1. Saturday night wasn't much of an improvement, as Lake Superior ended regulation all-square at 2-2 with the Bentley Falcons before going on to lose the shootout 0-2.

Likewise, the Falcons took both of their games beyond regulation in this past weekend's series with cluster-mates Notre Dame. Friday's tilt ended in a heartbreaking overtime loss for BG as Notre Dame scored the game winning goal with 2.4 seconds remaining on the clock in the extra period. Saturday night had a decidedly better outcome. After 65 minutes of play, the game stood tied at 4-4. The Falcons jumped out early, scoring on their first shootout attempt, thanks to freshman phenom Jordan Samuels-Thomas. Nick Eno stopped all three Irish attempts to get the Falcons their second shootout win of the season.

It seems it's just that kind of year for the Irish. Bad luck on all fronts.

Falcons take on Lakers, Kobe still nowhere to be found

It's time once again for the Falcons to take on the oh-so-cleverly nicknamed Lake Superior Lakers. This series has budded into a mini-rivalry of sorts in the past few years, especially after the Falcons topped the Lakers in a thrilling three game playoff series in the 2007-2008 season, which was decided on an overtime winner by former Falcon (and current Minnesota Golden Gopher) Jacob Cepis.

Without even looking at their record, the Lakers are an embarrassment of riches for a satire writer. Glancing at their roster, names like (sophomore defenseman #17) Kyle "Wait'll we get our Haines on you," and (Athletic Trainer) Rick Mick just beg to be mocked. Furthermore, they play in the hilariously named Taffy Abel Arena.

Last season the Falcons went 1-2-1 against Lake Superior, who were led by Troy Schwab, a 5'8" captain, senior forward, and perpetual sufferer of a Napoleon Complex. Schwab has moved on to bigger (HA!) things, and is now playing for the Johnstown Chiefs of the ECHL.

What to watch for: Lake Superior

The good:

The Lakers are led by an upperclassman-heavy core of players, including top-scorers Chad Nehring, Zac MacVoy and Rick Schofield.

Also among the scoring leaders is senior forward Brad Cooper, who apparently had time while filming The Hangover to train in the off-season. Thus far this season, Cooper has racked up four goals and four assists, making him the Lakers' fourth-highest scorer.

Just behind Cooper in scoring is senior defenseman Simon "I'm Not Going To Take Any Chances With This Pronunciation" Gysbers. Gysbers currently has three goals and four assists. The Falcons will need to keep these scorers in check.

The bad:

After winning five of their first six games, the Lakers have fallen into a bit of a slump. Of their last 11 contests, Lake Superior has lost six in regulation, dropped three in shootouts, and won only two. Talk about a shipwreck... Hopefully their poor performance will continue, and the Falcons will get their first series sweep of the season.

The ugly:

Among the regular starters for Lake Superior, two have double-digit negative goal differential stats (Dan Barczuk, -10; Pat Aubry, -10).

Also unimpressive to this point in the season is backup goalie Pat Inglis, whose goals against average through three games is a cringe-worthy 4.88.

What to watch for: Bowling Green

The good:

Nothing excites a crowd like a phenomenal scoring talent, and the Falcons are witnessing what looks to be the beginning of a tremendous scoring career for freshman Jordan Samuels-Thomas. JS-T, as he is affectionately known, has piled up 14 points (6G, 8A) in 14 games. His impact has also been felt in the Falcons' two shootouts. Samuels-Thomas scored the disputed winning goal in the shootout win over Nebraska-Omaha on Halloween weekend, then repeated his heroics last week as the Falcons edged the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in their second shootout of the season.

Also important to note is the success of the Falcon goaltenders in ensuring an extra point in the shootouts this season. Junior Nick Eno and Freshman Andrew Hammond are both perfect in shootout contests this season, stopping three attempts each.

The bad:

The Falcons have struggled with consistency this season, performing impressively against ranked Alaska, Michigan and Notre Dame squads, but dropping lopsided decisions in games against The U.S. National Team Development Program, Providence, and Ferris State. As the season continues and the players develop more stamina and more chemistry with each other and the new coaching staff, hopefully this issue will be resolved.

The ugly:

Half of the Falcons' 10 losses have come by three goals or more. The defense will have to clamp down on some of these scoring chances as the season progresses.

Pick me a winner:

Fantasy scoring picks:

Inspired by a BGSU Fantasy Hockey game from the spectacular Falcon fan-site Ay-Ziggy-Zoomba, I will be making fantasy scoring picks for each series. I will make five picks each game, consisting of three forwards and two defensemen each night. Players cannot be used twice in the same series. These picks will be a combination of players from either team, and I will be restricted to not picking any of the top three scorers from either team. (Thanks, Freddie!)

For this series, the top three scorers from Bowling Green are Jordan Samuels-Thomas, Thomas Petruska, and Tommy Dee. The top three scorers from Lake Superior are Chad Nehring, Rick Schofield, and Zac MacVoy.

Friday:

Forwards: Josh Boyd (BG), James Perkin (BG), David Solway (BG)
Defensemen: Kyle Page (BG), Steven Kaunisto (LSSU)

Saturday:

Forwards: Kai Kantola (BG), Marc Rodriguez (BG), Brad Cooper (LSSU)
Defensemen: Ian Ruel (BG), Tyson Hobbins (LSSU)

Game score picks:

Friday: BGSU 4 - LSSU 3
Saturday: BGSU 2 - LSSU 1