Friday, 1/22/2010 @ 7:05PM
Saturday, 1/23/2010 @ 5:05PM
Background:
BGSU:
-Record: 3-18-3 (2-13-3)
-Last game: v. Northern Michigan SOL 3-3
WMU:
-Record: 6-12-4 (2-11-3)
-Last game: v. Michigan L 1-6
Last time out...
Pain, Misery, and Loss[es]...
The previous Falcon series ended much the same as those that preceded it. Friday night's game was a sound 6-0 thrashing at the hands of the Northern Michigan Wildcats. Saturday's game was significantly closer, but still a familiar experience, as the Falcons dropped a 3-1 3rd period lead, ended regulation 3-3, and finally lost the shootout 2-0.
Tomas Petruska (2-1-3), Jordan Samuels-Thomas (1-1-2), and David Solway (0-2-2) all had big games on Saturday, and Nick Eno performed impressively, stopping 34 of 37 shots.
"Falcons Attempt to Buck the Trend"
This week it's on to one of the other directional Michigan schools, as the Falcons return home to take on the Broncos of Western Michigan in the friendly confines of their beloved nameless ice arena.
The Broncos, like the Falcons, currently reside near the bottom of the CCHA standings. In fact, they're the only CCHA team currently lower in the standings than BGSU. Their two CCHA wins have come in the form of a 2-1 victory over Lake Superior and a 3-1 win against Alaska.
We'll get into a little more detail about the Broncos later, but for now, let's have some fun at the Goons' expense.
There are actually not very many funny names to pick on here, but I'll do my best.
One Bronco you wouldn't want to go hunting with is freshman defenseman #6 David Chaney. Or at least make sure to wear a facemask and chest protector.
I also really hope senior forward Jared Katz eventually gets his Ph. D. someday. For those of you tragically unaware of where I'm going with this, I give you this. You're welcome.
Lastly, there's someone who I can't help but believe was poached from the Miami Redhawks - sophomore forward J.J. Crew. Yes. This guy's name is actually J. Crew. I wonder if he sewed a special collar onto his jersey so he could pop it.
What to watch for: Western Michigan
The good:
Despite their rough season this year, the Broncos have some hope for the future. Their top three scorers are all underclassmen. Sophomore J.J. Crew (7-8-15) leads WMU in scoring, with sophomore Greg Squires (2-13-15) and freshman Trevor Elias (5-6-11) filling out the top three.
The bad:
In their past six games, WMU has been outscored by their opponents by a margin of 20-7, including three shutouts, two of which were back-to-back in a weekend series with top-10 ranked Bemidji State.
The ugly:
There's not much more to be pointed out here than the Broncos' record. Don't worry, I'm no hypocrite. BG's record will be pointed out in the next section.
What to watch for: Bowling Green
The good:
After a 0-6 shutout loss to Northern Michigan last weekend, the Falcons bounced back and played a dominating 50 minutes of hockey in the second game of the series, outshooting NMU 26-21 through the first two periods of play. But then...
The bad:
...The 3-1 lead the Falcons took into the third period of last Friday's game evaporated into a 3-3 tie at the end of regulation, thanks to a 14-4 shooting disadvantage in the final period of play. What looked like a fairly exciting, successful game, turned into yet another disheartening loss.
The ugly:
I'm not usually the type to see the negative in things, but "the ugly" here is what is becoming more obvious by the week: This team just doesn't have what it takes to make a run at the CCHA this year. Let me make this clear - that's no knock against the players or coaches. The personnel we have this year are hard-working, dedicated individuals. The truth is that it's hard for a team to go through what this team went through and come out the other side and immediately be successful.
Yes, I was optimistic earlier in the season, but it's hard not to see the writing on the wall here. It seems like every time I write one of these previews, I point out that our opponent is in the midst of a bit of a slide. Every time, my thought is, "Good, we've caught them at a low point and should be able to get some wins." Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case. The only explanation I can come up with is that we just don't have the tools to pull it off.
Regardless, being the eternal optimist, I'm still hoping the Falcons can put together a run in the CCHA tournament and surprise some people.
Hopefully the team can bring in some new talent and capitalize on the young players that have stepped up thus far and make some big improvements next season.
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, Tomas Petruska, and David Solway.
The top three scorers from Western Michigan are J.J. Crew, Greg Squires, and Trevor Elias.
Friday:
Forwards: Tommy Dee (BG), Ian Slater (WMU), James Perkin (BG)
Defensemen: Kyle Page (BG), Tyler Ludwig (WMU)
Saturday:
Forwards: Josh Boyd (BG), Marc Rodriguez (BG), Chris Clackson (WMU
Defensemen: Ian Ruel (BG), Jordan Collins (WMU)
Game score picks:
Friday: 4-1 BG
Saturday: 2-0 BG
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Bowling Green Falcons v. Ohio State Buckeyes
Friday, 1/8/2010 @ 7:05PM
Saturday, 1/9/2010 @ 7:05PM
Background:
BGSU:
-Record: 3-15-2 (2-10-2)
-Last game: v. Clarkson W 4-3
OSU:
-Record: 7-12-1 (5-8-1)
-Last game: v. Miami (OH) L 4-2
Last time out...
Mixed Results in the Land of the Lakes
The Falcons started off the new year with a couple of games in the Dodge Holiday Classic in Minnesota. The tournament featured some familiar teams (like conference foes Northern Michigan) and some less common opponents (such as the hosting Minnesota Golden Gophers).
One of the bigger stories leading into the weekend was the return of former Falcon Jacob Cepis to the ice. After sitting out due to NCAA transfer rules, Cepis was able to get back on the ice for the first time against his former team. Statistically, he was essentially a non-factor in the game, totaling only six shots and an interference penalty. He was, however, selected as the third star of the game. Having only viewed the box score, this seems odd, but I recognize there is a lot that goes on in a hockey game that doesn't appear in the statistics.
The game with the Gophers started off encouragingly. The Falcons took a 1-0 lead early in the second period on a goal by Jordan Samuels-Thomas. They held the lead for a full period until Minnesota scored the equalizing goal on a powerplay just three minutes into the third. They went on to add an even-strength goal and an empty net score to put the game away.
Despite the difficult loss to the Gophers, the Falcon icers rallied back to beat the Clarkson Golden Knights by a final score of 4-3. The win was achieved thanks to goals from Kai Kantola, Kyle Page, Brennan Vargas (his first career goal), and Josh Boyd, who scored an empty net goal with just under two minutes left which would turn out to be the game winner.
Following the tournament, the Falcons' record is 3-15-2 (2-10-2).
"South 'til you smell it, east 'til you step in it."
This week the Falcons of THE Bowling Green State University head southeast for the winter to take on the Buckeyes of Ohio A&M (or Ohio State, as they are occasionally called) and Head Coach John Markell's hair.
This series will be the first action for the Buckeyes in the new year. They ended 2009 on a three-game skid, losing the back end of a home series with Michigan and dropping two games to Miami.
OSU's has been a less-than-pleasing season, beginning with an overtime exhibition game loss to Western Ontario in early October. They've been on the wrong side of a number of lopsided losses, including an 8-1 loss to Ferris St., a 4-1 loss to North Dakota, and a 6-0 laugher to Miami.
Speaking of laughers, let's take the traditional look at the names of the OSU players and coaching staff:
OSU has their share of names ripe for Berman-izing. For example, sophomore forward #18 Taylor "gone Stefishen" and sophomore forward #16 Ian "Boots with the fur."
Also amusing enough to warrant a mention is junior defenseman #4 Corey Toy.
Two final names that must be mentioned are junior forward #15 John Albert and freshman goalie #30 Jeff Michael. Keep your eyes on these Buckeyes. Everyone knows a guy with two first names can't be trusted.
What to watch for: Ohio State
The good:
The Buckeyes have played seven games against teams ranked in the top ten in the nation, picking up a couple of high-profile wins (and, as will be covered in a moment, a couple of ugly losses). On October 16th they shut out #3 Denver, returning the favor from the Pioneers' 2-0 shutout of the Bucks the night before. On November 28th, OSU beat #6 Bemidji State 2-1.
The bad:
OSU and BGSU have a similar problem when it comes to closing out games. Ohio State has lost four games this season when leading at the end of two periods. They lost their season opener against Quinnipiac 4-2 after leading 2-1 heading into the third. Later in the season, after taking a 5-2 lead early in the final period, the Buckeyes gave up four unanswered goals, including the OT winner, to lose 6-5 to Lake Superior. And in their most recent game, OSU lost 4-2 to Miami after leading 2-0 after two periods. It will be interesting to see which team can finish with more energy in these two games.
The ugly:
As was mentioned earlier, OSU has had some ugly losses this season. I don't mean slightly unfortunate, I mean full-on, fell out of the ugly tree, hit every branch on the way down, and had the tree fall on them ugly.
First, there was the 8-1 loss to Ferris State. The Buckeyes gave up a hat trick to Blair Riley and were slapped with 43 minutes of penalties, including two major misconduct penalties.
Then, just a week later, a 4-1 loss to North Dakota.
Two weeks after that came a 6-0 thrashing at the hands of the Miami Redhawks in which Miami's Tommy Wingels recorded a hat trick, scoring 4 goals and picking up an assist for good measure.
What to watch for: Bowling Green
The good:
Freshman goalie Andrew Hammond had a very strong showing in the game against Minnesota. Through the first two periods, Hammond stopped 30 shots and shut down two Gopher powerplays to maintain the Falcons' 1-0 lead heading into the third. Despite the eventual loss, Hammond managed to stop 38 shots in the game, for a .900 save percentage.
The bad:
The Falcons have been outscored by a margin of 70-40, including 22-16 in the third period. Surprisingly, but not satisfyingly, the Falcons third period scoring margin is no worse than the rest of the game. In the first period, opposing teams have scored 22 goals to the Falcons' 12. The second period appears to be the worst in terms of this statistic, with BG scoring only 12 goals to their opponents' 24.
The ugly:
Like the Buckeyes, the Falcons have had a lot of trouble holding on to leads late in their games this season. Most recently, the 3-1 loss to Minnesota, in which the Falcons gave up three goals in the third period. Prior to that was the heartbreaker against Sparty, where the Falcons lost a two goal lead in the third and ended up losing just 35 seconds into overtime.
A loss is one thing, but to drop a two or three goal lead and lose is demoralizing, and we'll have to hope the Falcons get this under control. I have faith in the will of the players and coaching staff, but too many losses like this can really have an effect on the team.
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, Tomas Petruska, and Tommy Dee. Kyle Page and David Solway are both tied with Dee in terms of total points, but Dee gets the edge because of a higher goal total.
The top three scorers from Ohio State are Zac Dalpe, Peter Boyd, and Sergio Somma. John Albert is tied with Soma in terms of points, but Somma has six goals to Albert's 4.
Friday:
Forwards: Josh Boyd (BG), Mathieu Picard (OSU), Nathan Pageau (BG)
Defensemen: Kyle Page (BG), Shane Sims (OSU)
Saturday:
Forwards: James Perkin (BG), David Solway (BG), John Albert (OSU)
Defensemen: Ian Ruel (BG), Matt Bartkowski (OSU)
Game score picks:
Friday: 5-2 BG
Saturday: 4-3 BG
Saturday, 1/9/2010 @ 7:05PM
Background:
BGSU:
-Record: 3-15-2 (2-10-2)
-Last game: v. Clarkson W 4-3
OSU:
-Record: 7-12-1 (5-8-1)
-Last game: v. Miami (OH) L 4-2
Last time out...
Mixed Results in the Land of the Lakes
The Falcons started off the new year with a couple of games in the Dodge Holiday Classic in Minnesota. The tournament featured some familiar teams (like conference foes Northern Michigan) and some less common opponents (such as the hosting Minnesota Golden Gophers).
One of the bigger stories leading into the weekend was the return of former Falcon Jacob Cepis to the ice. After sitting out due to NCAA transfer rules, Cepis was able to get back on the ice for the first time against his former team. Statistically, he was essentially a non-factor in the game, totaling only six shots and an interference penalty. He was, however, selected as the third star of the game. Having only viewed the box score, this seems odd, but I recognize there is a lot that goes on in a hockey game that doesn't appear in the statistics.
The game with the Gophers started off encouragingly. The Falcons took a 1-0 lead early in the second period on a goal by Jordan Samuels-Thomas. They held the lead for a full period until Minnesota scored the equalizing goal on a powerplay just three minutes into the third. They went on to add an even-strength goal and an empty net score to put the game away.
Despite the difficult loss to the Gophers, the Falcon icers rallied back to beat the Clarkson Golden Knights by a final score of 4-3. The win was achieved thanks to goals from Kai Kantola, Kyle Page, Brennan Vargas (his first career goal), and Josh Boyd, who scored an empty net goal with just under two minutes left which would turn out to be the game winner.
Following the tournament, the Falcons' record is 3-15-2 (2-10-2).
"South 'til you smell it, east 'til you step in it."
This week the Falcons of THE Bowling Green State University head southeast for the winter to take on the Buckeyes of Ohio A&M (or Ohio State, as they are occasionally called) and Head Coach John Markell's hair.
This series will be the first action for the Buckeyes in the new year. They ended 2009 on a three-game skid, losing the back end of a home series with Michigan and dropping two games to Miami.
OSU's has been a less-than-pleasing season, beginning with an overtime exhibition game loss to Western Ontario in early October. They've been on the wrong side of a number of lopsided losses, including an 8-1 loss to Ferris St., a 4-1 loss to North Dakota, and a 6-0 laugher to Miami.
Speaking of laughers, let's take the traditional look at the names of the OSU players and coaching staff:
OSU has their share of names ripe for Berman-izing. For example, sophomore forward #18 Taylor "gone Stefishen" and sophomore forward #16 Ian "Boots with the fur."
Also amusing enough to warrant a mention is junior defenseman #4 Corey Toy.
Two final names that must be mentioned are junior forward #15 John Albert and freshman goalie #30 Jeff Michael. Keep your eyes on these Buckeyes. Everyone knows a guy with two first names can't be trusted.
What to watch for: Ohio State
The good:
The Buckeyes have played seven games against teams ranked in the top ten in the nation, picking up a couple of high-profile wins (and, as will be covered in a moment, a couple of ugly losses). On October 16th they shut out #3 Denver, returning the favor from the Pioneers' 2-0 shutout of the Bucks the night before. On November 28th, OSU beat #6 Bemidji State 2-1.
The bad:
OSU and BGSU have a similar problem when it comes to closing out games. Ohio State has lost four games this season when leading at the end of two periods. They lost their season opener against Quinnipiac 4-2 after leading 2-1 heading into the third. Later in the season, after taking a 5-2 lead early in the final period, the Buckeyes gave up four unanswered goals, including the OT winner, to lose 6-5 to Lake Superior. And in their most recent game, OSU lost 4-2 to Miami after leading 2-0 after two periods. It will be interesting to see which team can finish with more energy in these two games.
The ugly:
As was mentioned earlier, OSU has had some ugly losses this season. I don't mean slightly unfortunate, I mean full-on, fell out of the ugly tree, hit every branch on the way down, and had the tree fall on them ugly.
First, there was the 8-1 loss to Ferris State. The Buckeyes gave up a hat trick to Blair Riley and were slapped with 43 minutes of penalties, including two major misconduct penalties.
Then, just a week later, a 4-1 loss to North Dakota.
Two weeks after that came a 6-0 thrashing at the hands of the Miami Redhawks in which Miami's Tommy Wingels recorded a hat trick, scoring 4 goals and picking up an assist for good measure.
What to watch for: Bowling Green
The good:
Freshman goalie Andrew Hammond had a very strong showing in the game against Minnesota. Through the first two periods, Hammond stopped 30 shots and shut down two Gopher powerplays to maintain the Falcons' 1-0 lead heading into the third. Despite the eventual loss, Hammond managed to stop 38 shots in the game, for a .900 save percentage.
The bad:
The Falcons have been outscored by a margin of 70-40, including 22-16 in the third period. Surprisingly, but not satisfyingly, the Falcons third period scoring margin is no worse than the rest of the game. In the first period, opposing teams have scored 22 goals to the Falcons' 12. The second period appears to be the worst in terms of this statistic, with BG scoring only 12 goals to their opponents' 24.
The ugly:
Like the Buckeyes, the Falcons have had a lot of trouble holding on to leads late in their games this season. Most recently, the 3-1 loss to Minnesota, in which the Falcons gave up three goals in the third period. Prior to that was the heartbreaker against Sparty, where the Falcons lost a two goal lead in the third and ended up losing just 35 seconds into overtime.
A loss is one thing, but to drop a two or three goal lead and lose is demoralizing, and we'll have to hope the Falcons get this under control. I have faith in the will of the players and coaching staff, but too many losses like this can really have an effect on the team.
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, Tomas Petruska, and Tommy Dee. Kyle Page and David Solway are both tied with Dee in terms of total points, but Dee gets the edge because of a higher goal total.
The top three scorers from Ohio State are Zac Dalpe, Peter Boyd, and Sergio Somma. John Albert is tied with Soma in terms of points, but Somma has six goals to Albert's 4.
Friday:
Forwards: Josh Boyd (BG), Mathieu Picard (OSU), Nathan Pageau (BG)
Defensemen: Kyle Page (BG), Shane Sims (OSU)
Saturday:
Forwards: James Perkin (BG), David Solway (BG), John Albert (OSU)
Defensemen: Ian Ruel (BG), Matt Bartkowski (OSU)
Game score picks:
Friday: 5-2 BG
Saturday: 4-3 BG
Friday, January 1, 2010
Mid-Season Awards: Er... Well... All The Rest
So what happens when you run a hockey blog and promise to post six mid-season awards, then begin a string of 60-80 hour work weeks?
You feel guilty for not getting them done and end up trying to force yourself to write them at 8:45 AM on New Year's Day. Then you fall asleep again.
So here is my marathon mid-season awards post where I'll attempt to write the remaining four before the puck drops on the next Falcon game.
So, to get started, a run-down of the previously named awards:
Freshman of the Year: Jordan Samuels-Thomas
Runner-up: Ian Ruel
Most-Improved Player: Tommy Dee
Runner-up: Tomas Petruska
Now, moving on to the remaining awards. The explanations in this post will be much shorter, due to the obvious time constraints.
First up, we have the award for:
Offensive MVP
My pick for Offensive MVP is Tommy Dee. Obviously any of the top three or four Falcon scorers could have been chosen for this one. Each of them have contributed a lot on the offensive side of the puck, but Tommy Dee has impressed me the most with his overall effort, work ethic, and character.
For those unaware, Dee has six goals and five assists for a total of 11 points. He also plays a very disciplined game, having spent only eight minutes in the penalty box through 18 games this season. His leadership and hard work on the ice have been a key for the Falcons.
Runner-up: Jordan Samuels-Thomas
Defensive MVP
The FHH Mid-Season Defensive MVP is Kyle Page. Page has been an incredible asset to this team since he first suited up for BGSU. Despite his relative lack of size when compared to his opponents, Page has been able to exert his will on the ice. He plays much bigger than his 5'10", 189lb frame and has more heart than just about any player you'll see.
Looking at statistics, it's a mixed bag for the senior captain. Page is last on the team in terms of plus-minus rating, registering a -11. On the positive side, Page has blocked more shots than any other player on the team. In the 18 games thus far, he has stopped 34 shots from ever reaching the Falcon goaltender.
Runner-up: Ian Ruel
Flying Under the Radar
Even for me, the person who came up with it, this award is somewhat nebulous. As it's not based on specific offensive or defensive statistics and it's based as much on potential as anything else, it's truly the most wide-open award up for grabs in this exercise.
Pageau, Ruel and Rodriguez were all mentioned in reader comments, and all are worthy candidates for the award.
I'll be honest. I really don't have a winner for this one. I may have been a little bit hasty in adding it to the list. The main reason I even mentioned it was to give me an excuse to say this:
I think Wade Finegan has a ton of potential. He hasn't shown up much on the ice statistically, and my complete lack of hockey experience weighs against me pretty heavily, but there's something about his play that catches my eye when he's out on the ice.
He plays fast, he plays hard, and a lot of the time, he plays mean. The kid has a knack for contact and seems to come up with big emotion plays at key times, despite not seeing much ice time.
Call me crazy. That's just how I see it.
Runner-up: Nathan Pageau
And finally...:
Team MVP
While writing this post, I realized I should have named this player at least a runner-up for the Most Improved Player award.
Maybe this is a make-up call of sorts, but the FHH Team MVP is Nick Eno.
Eno has come a long way since he started here at BG. Held back by injuries, Eno had plenty of down moments last season. This season, though, he's beginning to show a renewed sense of stability.
After starting only 4 games, posting a 4.58 GAA and a save percentage of 80.5 last season, Eno's GAA this season is down to 3.14 (still higher than the Falcons and their fans would like it to be) and his save percentage is up to 90.1.
Yes, his record is 2-9. The wins haven't come yet, but thanks to Eno, the Falcons have been "in" just about every game this season right to the end. He has also showed incredible nerve in the Falcons' shootout contests.
Runner-up: Jordan Samuels-Thomas
--
So that wraps up the first annual mid-season awards here at Falcon Hockey Hooligan. Hopefully it has been fun to read. I know I've enjoyed writing them, and I have definitely enjoyed the reader commentary. Feel free to continue to voice your opinions on all of these.
Finally, I'd love to be able to get a series preview together in time for the tournament, but there's just no way it's going to happen. I'll be working all weekend, so I'm going to have to take a pass on this one.
Fortunately, there's someone else out there who did their work ahead of time, and has a preview posted for your reading pleasure. Check out the tournament preview over at Bring Back the Glory.
I'm sad I won't get the chance snark on the Goofers and the Falcons' other potential opponents, but Drew's preview should point you to all of the important information you'll need.
Thanks for reading, happy new year, and here's to a great second half of Falcon hockey!
You feel guilty for not getting them done and end up trying to force yourself to write them at 8:45 AM on New Year's Day. Then you fall asleep again.
So here is my marathon mid-season awards post where I'll attempt to write the remaining four before the puck drops on the next Falcon game.
So, to get started, a run-down of the previously named awards:
Freshman of the Year: Jordan Samuels-Thomas
Runner-up: Ian Ruel
Most-Improved Player: Tommy Dee
Runner-up: Tomas Petruska
Now, moving on to the remaining awards. The explanations in this post will be much shorter, due to the obvious time constraints.
First up, we have the award for:
Offensive MVP
My pick for Offensive MVP is Tommy Dee. Obviously any of the top three or four Falcon scorers could have been chosen for this one. Each of them have contributed a lot on the offensive side of the puck, but Tommy Dee has impressed me the most with his overall effort, work ethic, and character.
For those unaware, Dee has six goals and five assists for a total of 11 points. He also plays a very disciplined game, having spent only eight minutes in the penalty box through 18 games this season. His leadership and hard work on the ice have been a key for the Falcons.
Runner-up: Jordan Samuels-Thomas
Defensive MVP
The FHH Mid-Season Defensive MVP is Kyle Page. Page has been an incredible asset to this team since he first suited up for BGSU. Despite his relative lack of size when compared to his opponents, Page has been able to exert his will on the ice. He plays much bigger than his 5'10", 189lb frame and has more heart than just about any player you'll see.
Looking at statistics, it's a mixed bag for the senior captain. Page is last on the team in terms of plus-minus rating, registering a -11. On the positive side, Page has blocked more shots than any other player on the team. In the 18 games thus far, he has stopped 34 shots from ever reaching the Falcon goaltender.
Runner-up: Ian Ruel
Flying Under the Radar
Even for me, the person who came up with it, this award is somewhat nebulous. As it's not based on specific offensive or defensive statistics and it's based as much on potential as anything else, it's truly the most wide-open award up for grabs in this exercise.
Pageau, Ruel and Rodriguez were all mentioned in reader comments, and all are worthy candidates for the award.
I'll be honest. I really don't have a winner for this one. I may have been a little bit hasty in adding it to the list. The main reason I even mentioned it was to give me an excuse to say this:
I think Wade Finegan has a ton of potential. He hasn't shown up much on the ice statistically, and my complete lack of hockey experience weighs against me pretty heavily, but there's something about his play that catches my eye when he's out on the ice.
He plays fast, he plays hard, and a lot of the time, he plays mean. The kid has a knack for contact and seems to come up with big emotion plays at key times, despite not seeing much ice time.
Call me crazy. That's just how I see it.
Runner-up: Nathan Pageau
And finally...:
Team MVP
While writing this post, I realized I should have named this player at least a runner-up for the Most Improved Player award.
Maybe this is a make-up call of sorts, but the FHH Team MVP is Nick Eno.
Eno has come a long way since he started here at BG. Held back by injuries, Eno had plenty of down moments last season. This season, though, he's beginning to show a renewed sense of stability.
After starting only 4 games, posting a 4.58 GAA and a save percentage of 80.5 last season, Eno's GAA this season is down to 3.14 (still higher than the Falcons and their fans would like it to be) and his save percentage is up to 90.1.
Yes, his record is 2-9. The wins haven't come yet, but thanks to Eno, the Falcons have been "in" just about every game this season right to the end. He has also showed incredible nerve in the Falcons' shootout contests.
Runner-up: Jordan Samuels-Thomas
--
So that wraps up the first annual mid-season awards here at Falcon Hockey Hooligan. Hopefully it has been fun to read. I know I've enjoyed writing them, and I have definitely enjoyed the reader commentary. Feel free to continue to voice your opinions on all of these.
Finally, I'd love to be able to get a series preview together in time for the tournament, but there's just no way it's going to happen. I'll be working all weekend, so I'm going to have to take a pass on this one.
Fortunately, there's someone else out there who did their work ahead of time, and has a preview posted for your reading pleasure. Check out the tournament preview over at Bring Back the Glory.
I'm sad I won't get the chance snark on the Goofers and the Falcons' other potential opponents, but Drew's preview should point you to all of the important information you'll need.
Thanks for reading, happy new year, and here's to a great second half of Falcon hockey!
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