A Fitting End

The Bowling Green Falcons' 2009-2010 regular season came to a close on Saturday night in very fitting fashion, as the Falcon seniors made an impact when it counted. The Falcons defeated the Michigan State Spartans in a shootout after a 2-2 tie in regulation.

Michigan State's Andrew Rowe scored in the first period, but Bowling Green answered with a pair of power play goals. David Solway scored in the 2nd period, set up by Jordan Samuels-Thomas and senior Tomas Petruska. In the 3rd period, Samuels-Thomas scored a goal of his own, assisted by David Solway and senior Tommy Dee.

Just when it looked like the Falcons might skate away with a 2-1 victory in regulation, MSU's Chris Forfar evened the score with five minutes of play remaining. Neither team managed to score again, and the game went to OT.

After a scoreless extra period, the teams took the ice for a shootout.

As was the case last weekend, Tomas Petruska came up big in the shootout, playing the hero for the Falcons. He beat MSU goaltender Drew Palmisano for the only successful shootout attempt, and the BGSU Ice Arena roared its approval.


(Photo by Todd Pavlack)

The raucous crowd of over 3,000 saluted freshman BGSU goaltender Andrew Hammond as he left the playing surface. Hammond stopped 34 of 36 Spartan shots, including all three OT attempts to get the Falcons to the shootout.

The Falcons will now travel to Nebraska to take on "Duh Mavs" of UN-O in a first-round CCHA Playoff series.

Other notes:

MSU forward Corey Tropp received a 10-minute misconduct penalty and sat out most of the third period as a result. Having to watch the game from there must have really given him a sore neck. Tropp was noticeably absent on the scoresheet, appearing only for his misconduct penalty.

BGSU Head Coach Dennis Williams and the senior class (Tomas Petruska, Tommy Dee, James Perkin, Josh Boyd, Phil Greer, Kyle Page, Brian Moore, and Kai Kantola) took a curtain call after the game, much to the delight of the Falcon faithful.

BGSU alumnus, 1980 Miracle On Ice player, and 4-time Stanley Cup Champion Ken Morrow was honored in a pre-game ceremony and was available for photos and autographs with fans during the game.

A special hat-tip goes out to the BGSU mascots whose identities were unveiled during Falcon athletic events during the day. For those who don't know, I spent a year as the BGSU mascot, and it is a very special and exciting honor to serve as Freddie and Frieda Falcon. The identities of the students performing as the mascots are kept secret all year and revealed at the end of the year. Congratulations to the newest class of Birds.

"Bring Back the Glory" Video

A hat tip to Grant from Ay Ziggy Zoomba for his work (with others) on this fantastic BG hockey video. It really highlights what Falcon hockey was and is about.



I have to say, my absolute favorite part is watching Gino Cavallini drop over in exhaustion after scoring the game-winner in the fourth overtime of the 1984 NCAA Championship game. Easily one of the greatest moments in BGSU athletic history. Here's hoping there's more to come.

(A close second is Dan Bylsma raising the Stanley Cup. If only it wasn't for those pesky Penguins!)

And if you long for the day BGSU is on top of the hockey world again, please consider making a donation to the "Bring Back the Glory" campaign. We have a storied program here, but without the help of fans like you and me, the stories may be all we have. It doesn't have to be much, just something to show you support the program and want to see it returned to its rightful place within the CCHA, the NCAA, and the greater hockey world.

Bowling Green Falcons v. Michigan State Spartans

Friday, 2/12/2010 @ 6:05PM - Munn Ice Arena, East Lansing, MI
Saturday, 2/13/2010 @ 7:05PM - Bowling Green Ice Arena, Bowling Green, OH

Background:

BGSU:
-Record: 5-22-4 (4-17-5-4)
-Last game: v. Notre Dame T 1-1 (SOW)

Michigan State:
-Record: 18-11-5 (13-8-5-2)
-Last game: v. Ferris State W 3-2

Last time out...

(Bad) Luck of the Irish

Last week the Falcons broke free of the Curse of the Irish. After 18 consecutive unsuccessful attempts to beat Notre Dame in regulation, the Falcons proved they could handle the Irish by taking five-of-six points available for the weekend series. With a loss and a shootout win at Notre Dame earlier this season and last weekends results, the Falcons took a total of seven of the 12 available points from Notre Dame, winning the season series.

A few highlights from the weekend included the third period comeback on Friday night, during which underclassmen Wade Finegan, Brennan Vargas, and Nathan Pageau powered the Falcons to victory.

Also worthy of mention is senior Tomas Petruska's night on Saturday. Petruska scored the game-tying goal and then went on to score the deciding shootout goal. His workmanlike approach to the game has long been appreciated by the Falcon faithful, but probably never as vocally as Saturday night, as cheers of "Petruuuuuuuska!" rained upon the ice while the players exited the playing surface.

"Home and Away With the Egg Suckers Sparty Crew"

This week the Falcons take on familiar foes, the Michigan State Spartans. Earlier this season, the icers lost a pair of games to the Spartans, 2-3 in OT in Bowling Green and 1-4 in regulation in East Lansing.

Michigan State is currently tied for second place in the CCHA with Ferris State. Bowling Green has moved out of the CCHA cellar, with a three-point lead over 12th place Western Michigan.

Michigan State comes into the series off of a 3-2 win over Ferris State, but having gone 1-3-1 in their last five games. Bowling Green comes in after a shootout win over Notre Dame and also having gone 1-3-1 in their last five.

The standard roster snark was covered last time around, but if you know me, you know I'm always looking for new ways to pick on old opponents.

After pointing out Andrew "ducks in a" Rowe last series, the offensive weapon contributed assists on two of Corey Tropp's three goals in the Saturday game in East Lansing.

Zach Josepher (Joseph-er than what?) is one of many Spartans with a lofty +/- rating. Josepher sits in a tie for third on the team at +11.

Lastly, Matt "Grassi Knoll" has proven to be a serious pest, racking up 13 penalties for a team-third 43 PIMs (behind Torey Krug - 25/61 and Nick Sucharski - 18/47).


What to watch for: Michigan State


Michigan State's usual starting goaltender, sophomore Drew Palmisano, has been very solid. His record is currently 14-9-4. He has a save percentage of .923 (good enough for fifth in the country) and a GAA of 2.28.

Senior backup Bobby Jarosz has a record of 4-2-1, a save percentage of .911, and a GAA of 2.48.

The play of sophomore Palmisano has to be encouraging for the Spartans, who appear to have a solid starter in place for the next few seasons.

Still leading the Spartans on offense is junior forward (and noted lumberjack) Corey Tropp (20G-20A-40P).

As this is the end of the season, it is interesting to point out that MSU loses only four players to graduation at the end of this season (Justin Johnson, Jay Sprague, Nick Sucharski, and Bobby Jarosz), only one of which is a major contributor (Sucharski).

What to watch for: Bowling Green

The Seniors

As the final series of the season approaches, the focus is understandably on the senior class. A quick list of the Falcon seniors leaving after this season:

Brian Moore - D - #3
Kyle Page (C) - D - #4
James Perkin - F - #7
Kai Kantola - F - #14
Tomas Petruska - F - #18
Josh Boyd - F - #26
Tommy Dee - F - #27
Phil Greer - G - #30

Looking at this group of seniors, I see a group of hard-working, physical, committed players.

Kai Kantola's combination of offense, size, and physical presence have given the fans more than a few thrills over the past years, and he has found a new way to contribute this season, claiming the crease as his office on many occasions.

James Perkin and Josh Boyd have shown a ton of heart in their time at BG, often out-working players twice their size. It is that kind of tenacity that will be needed in future seasons as the Falcons rebuild.

Tomas Petruska and Tommy Dee have come up big in many ways this season, filling holes left by departing players, either with physical play or with clutch offensive strikes. Both have become fan favorites during their time at BGSU.

(Also, Tomas Petruska currently sits at 4th in the fan voting for the Hobey Baker award. Hat tip to Drew of Bring Back the Glory.

Brian Moore has had an impact on and off the ice. He was a nominee for the 2009 Bank of New York Mellon Hockey Humanitarian Award and the CCHA's Illitch Award for his work on a mission trip to Haiti in 2008.

Phil Greer has become a fan favorite in spite of his limited playing time over the past four years.

Finally, Kyle Page has been the rock for a defensive unit that has taken its share of criticism over the years. His leadership, hard work, and steady hand have been essential to keeping the unit together, despite the early exits of players like Nick Bailen and Dean Petiot.

I would personally like to give my thanks to all of the Falcon seniors for everything they have given to the program. Their contributions have been essential, and they have been appreciated by all BGSU fans.

Bowling Green Bucks the Trend

Friday night, after years of futility, the Falcons ended the Notre Dame Fighting Irish's 18-game reign of terror. Saturday they proved that what some were calling "the Notre Dame curse" is officially over.

Notre Dame scored in the second period, as Kyle Palmieri drew first blood. Tomas Petruska scored the equalizer in the third, bringing the BGSU Ice Arena to its feet. The rest of the third period remained scoreless, as did the overtime period.

The Falcons had an earlier chance to take a lead, but the goal was waved off after an extended review by the officiating crew as the puck did not completely cross the goal line. In the third period, another would-be goal was negated after Notre Dame's Mike Johnson bumped the goal off of its pegs while scrambling to make a save.

Both goalies stopped the first attempts against them in the shootout, then both teams' second shooters converted on their chances (Dan Kissel and James Perkin). Notre Dame's third shooter, Ryan Thang, lost the puck as he tried one too many moves, and Tomas Petruska again came to the rescue, pulling off a great move and putting the puck past Johnson.

Petruska and Eno were clearly the stars of the game, with Petruska scoring the only Falcon goal in regulation and netting the shootout winner. Eno stopped 38 of 39 shots in regulation and overtime and 2 of 3 in the shootout to pick up the extra point for the Falcons. Both skated off of the ice to volleys of cheers from the BGSU faithful.

The underclassmen, after coming up big in the third period of Friday's game, were a presence again on Saturday. Ryan Peltoma notched an assist on Petruska's goal, Cameron Sinclair showed a great deal of hustle on the forecheck, and Marc Rodriguez and Max Grover brought the physical game and kept the Irish on edge all night.

The Streak is Over!

Friday night the Falcons topped the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 4-3 in a thrilling come from behind effort. The win was the first by the Falcons over the Irish in regulation in their last 19 attempts. After trailing 3-1 in the third period, the Falcons came back to win behind the scoring of three underclassmen - Wade Finegan, Brennan Vargas, and Nathan Pageau (who scored the game-winner).

More detailed write ups of the game can be read at Bring Back the Glory, the BG News Sports Blog, and BGSUFalcons.com.

Bowling Green Falcons v. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

(This will be a shortened series preview. Work, once again, interferes with my hobby writing. My apologies.)

Friday, 2/19/2010 @ 7:05PM
Saturday, 2/20/2010 @ 5:05PM

Background:

BGSU:
-Record: 4-22-4 (3-17-4-3)
-Last game: v. Miami L 2-10

Notre Dame:
-Record: 12-13-7 (8-10-6-2)
-Last game: v. Western Michigan L 1-4

Last time out...

Black Eyes for Both Teams

I'm going to keep this fairly simple, because I've covered the previous series in depth in the last three posts.

Let me 'splain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up:

Friday night was a hard fought game which ended in a 3-2 loss for the Falcons after the Redhawks took a late lead on a goal that found its way into the net after it deflected off of Andrew Hammond's shoulder and the Falcons failed to convert on a quality scoring chance in the closing moments of the game. There were moments of tension and some chippy play that would foreshadow the mess that would be the second game of the series.

Saturday's game was an absolute shelling, with the Redhawks winning 10-2 and over 150 penalty minutes. Dirty play by both teams, fights, and arguments led to player ejections and the ejection of Miami coach Enrico Blasi. An altogether disappointing display for any hockey fan.

Irish Looking For Their Pot of Gold, Falcons Hopeful

Let's get right to the point here - Who on the Irish team has a funny name. I know that's why you're still reading, and I aim to please.

First off, a reminder to "Always Practice Safe Checks - Use A Condon" (Nick, #14).
Next, Ryan "Shake Your Groove" Thang (#9). And, finally, the Falcons will hope the Irish are saying (Billy) Maday (#17) by the end of the series.

What to watch for: Notre Dame

Notre Dame suffered an unexpected sweep at the hands of the Western Michigan Broncos last weekend and currently stand in 10th place in the CCHA. This season has been a mixed bag for the Irish, who have gone 2-1-1 against Michigan State (T-2nd CCHA) and split with Miami (OH) (1st CCHA), outscoring them 4-1 over two games. Despite their relative success against some of the CCHA's best, they have also gone 4-3-3 against the bottom half of the league.

In terms of scoring, the Irish are led by Calle Ridderwall (17-7-24), Kyle Lawson (4-18-22), and Billy Maday (7-12-19). Three goaltenders have seen starting time, with Mike Johnson (9-9-4 record, 2.36 GAA, 92% SV) shouldering the majority of the load, Brad Phillips (2-3-3 record, 2.47 GAA, 91% SV) starting eight games, and Tom O'Brien (1-1-0 record, 2.12 GAA, 90% SV) starting two.

What to watch for: Bowling Green

Bowling Green is coming to the end of a disappointing regular season. With only four wins this season, results are certainly below expectations. A number of reasons and explanations could be given for the lack of success so far, but the team's focus needs to be on finishing the season in strong form.

If the Falcons play this series the way they played the first of the two games against Miami, we could very well see the first Falcon win over Notre Dame in regulation in the last 18 meetings.

Freshman phenom Jordan Samuels-Thomas, AKA "The Hyphen," (10-12-22) currently leads the team in scoring. Thomas Petruska (8-13-21) trails him slightly, and captain Kyle Page (3-14-17) is third.

Nick Eno (4-10-3 record, 3.25 GAA, 89% SV) has been the goaltender of choice for most of the season, starting 17 games. Andrew Hammond (0-11-1 record, 4.37 GAA, 87% SV) has been solid at times, but has yet to record his first collegiate regulation win. He was, however, very impressive in the 3-2 loss to Miami last week. Phil Greer saw his first action of the season during last Saturday's blowout loss to Miami, much to the delight of fans who have appreciated his commitment to the team the last 4 years.

Due to game disqualification penalties assessed during the Miami melee, James Perkin and Max Grover will be unavailable for Friday's game against the Irish.

Bowling Green Falcons v. Miami (OH) Redhawks

Friday, 2/12/2010 @ 7:05PM
Saturday, 2/13/2010 @ 5:05PM

Background:

BGSU:
-Record: 4-20-4 (3-15-4-3)
-Last game: v. Michigan L 0-4

Miami (Ohio):
-Record: 20-4-6 (17-1-4-2)
-Last game: v. Lake Superior State W 10-4

Last time out...

Adding Insult to Injury

Last week This week Some time in the last week or so, the Falcons took on the Michigan Wolverines in the second half of one of the strangest season series (at least in terms of scheduling) that I've ever seen.

For those who don't remember, the first half of the season series began with a game at Yost, where the Falcons took home a 4-2 victory. The next night the teams faced off again, not in Bowling Green, but in the new Lucas County Arena in Toledo in a game that felt so uncomfortable that even I left early. The Falcons lost that game 4-1.

The second half was just as odd in terms of scheduling, but, sadly, the results were slightly more depressing.

The Falcons fell behind 2-1 in the first period of last Thursday's game at the BGSU Ice Arena. For the next two periods the teams fought to a stalemate and ultimately the game ended with the Wolverines picking up the victory. Five days and 70 miles later, the teams took to the ice again in Ann Arbor. Not only did the Falcons lose in a 4-0 shutout, but goalie Nick Eno went down just over three minutes into the second period.

All in all, a fairly disappointing couple of games.

"Falcons take on J-Crew U"

This week the Falcons face off against the polo-bedecked prep school all-stars of #1 Miami (of Ohio) University.

Obviously, this is looking like a very tough series. The Redhawks are #1 in the nation, have only lost one conference game this season, and have posted a number of impressive wins. It would be a pretty epic upset for the Falcons, who are ranked last in the conference, to defeat Miami. In spite of the long odds, you can bet that Coach Williams and the Falcons will, as they have all season, work hard to fight for the win.

Fortunately, Miami's success has no impact on the fact that they are one of the easiest schools in history to mock. I can tell you this much - I will be attending the game in a red polo shirt with the collar popped, some sick shades (like, totally, bro) and enough self-important attitude to put the entire cast of The Hills to shame. Some say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I say it's a pretty easy way to mock some trust fund bros.

Honestly, though, was there ever any doubt that a guy named Carter Camper would end up at Miami (Not The Real Miami, But The One In Oxford, Ohio) University? I would be shocked to learn that a guy with a name like that didn't escape from the womb in a collared shirt and a nice pair of khaki slacks.

Anyway, on to a closer look at the teams.

What to watch for: Miami

The good:

There's almost too much "good" in Miami's season to try to single anything out, but I'll settle on this: Miami hasn't lost a conference game since October 24th, when they lost an OT contest to Michigan State, 3-2. Yes, you read that right. Miami has only lost one conference game this season, and that was in overtime to the second best team in the conference.

The bad:

Let's see... what has Miami done badly this year... They've only won half of their shootouts? No?

OK, how about this - Miami has had six games end in ties this season. I know, I know, it doesn't seem that bad, but if a tie is like kissing your sister, what does that say about Miami?

The ugly:

Senior forward Gary Steffes (#12) has played in 15 games for the Redhawks, and has tallied one point, an assist. Sophomore goaltender Connor Knapp has played in 12 games (and is a goalie) and has one more assist than Steffes.

What to watch for: Bowling Green

The good:

As has been the case for most of the season, freshman Jordan Samuels-Thomas continues to dominate the score sheet for the Falcons. He currently stands at a scoring total of 9 goals and 12 assists for a total of 21 points. Right along with him is senior Tomas Petruska, with 8 goals and 13 assists. It is encouraging to see both the senior leaders and the new talent on the team contributing.

The bad:

After the two last two losses to Michigan, BGSU now sits one point below Western Michigan for last place in the CCHA. Obviously this is a fairly disappointing position to be in, considering the optimism many fans felt coming into the season. It's not a complete shock, as any team that went through the kind of turmoil BGSU did this offseason would have to expect some difficulty, but still, it's a frustrating situation.

The ugly:

Obviously the injury to Nick Eno is a major setback for the team if he misses any substantial time. Eno has started 17 games for the Falcons this season, while Andrew Hammond has started only 9, and third-string goaltender Phil Greer has yet to start a game. Hammond is going to have to step his game up to make up for the loss of Eno.

In Memory:

In lieu of the usual fantasy pick 'em section, today this space will be used as a chance to recognize the unfortunate and untimely loss of Miami's student manager Brendan Burke, who passed away in a car accident on February 5th.

Our thoughts and condolences go out to the Miami University team and community, his family, his friends, and all who knew him and his passenger.

This blog usually strives to bring the snark, but some things are more important than sports and sarcasm. When any team tragically loses a member of their family, it is a loss for the entire league, the world of hockey, and all of us who follow it so closely.