Word on the street is that BGSU's search for a new coach has concluded and an announcement will be made today that Miami Assistant Chris Bergeron will be the new face behind the Falcon bench.
A former Miami hockey player and member of the school's 1992-1993 CCHA Championship team, Bergeron has been on the Redhawk coaching staff for 10 years. He will not be a completely new face to the Northwest Ohio scene, as he spent time with the Toledo Storm in his ECHL playing days.
You can't argue with the success Miami has had in recent years, as the Redhawks have made six of the last seven NCAA tournaments and reached the Frozen Four in consecutive years. Miami ended the 2009-2010 season with an overall record of 29-8-7 and 21-2-5 in conference play. Hopefully Bergeron will be able to bring some of that successful pedigree to the Falcon bench in the 2010-2011 season.
Of course, I can't conclude this post without saying how disappointed I am for Coach Williams. He performed admirably with a team that had just come back from the brink of non-existence, was making strides, and had the support of the Falcon faithful. As much as I have hope that Coach Bergeron will bring this team back to glory, I can't help but feel for Coach Williams, if the rumors turn out to be true.
I'll be keeping my eyes and ears open the rest of the day for any official word of the hire.
I know there are strong opinions out there about this situation, and I'd love to hear what you have to say. Feel free to drop a line or two in the comments to tell me what you think.
*Update* 10:33AM - The new hire has been confirmed. BG News Sports blog posted an article about the pick at 9:45 and BGSUFalcons.com now features a splash page welcoming Coach Bergeron to BGSU, along with an article about the hire. A press conference has been scheduled for 4:00pm.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Friday, April 2, 2010
Coaching Search Concluding Soon? (via Sentinel-Tribune)
As spring rolls in and the collegiate hockey season comes to a close, the BG Sentinel-Tribune is reporting the BGSU Hockey coaching search is nearing a conclusion.
Jason Knavel, Assistant AD for Athletics Communication is quoted in the article as saying, "I would expect news within the next two weeks and possibly sooner than that depending on how quickly things progress."
So who is on the radar?
A number of names have been kicked around in the press and among BGSU hockey fans.
One obvious name that has been floated is former OSU coach and BGSU alum John Markell whose contract with the Buckeyes was not renewed. According to The Lantern, Markell's overall coaching record was 280-267-56. Despite a number of successful years, the Buckeyes' record over the past four seasons was 65-76-18.
The general opinion I've heard of this option is not a positive one. While I personally don't know enough about Markell to have a strong opinion, I've heard less than flattering opinions from people I trust when it comes to matters of CCHA hockey. As much as I would like to experience some of the success Markell brought to OSU (like a 1998 Frozen Four appearance), his inability to sustain or recreate that success is certainly a concern.
Another name I have heard mentioned is Todd Reirden, current Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins coach and former Falcon assistant. As much as I would love Todd to come to Bowling Green, I have to see it as a bit of a pipe dream. The last coach to lead the Baby Pens went on to the big show and won a Stanley Cup. Reirden has to be thinking he has the same opportunity if he sticks around.
I've made my feeling on the coaching search very clear - give Dennis Williams the chance to prove himself. I won't re-hash those feelings, as I've covered them in great detail, but I will be watching closely as the situation develops.
So, Falcon fans, who is on your short list of most wanted coaches for the BG icers? Who's your dream hire? Who do you think we'll end up with? Any long-shots you'd like to throw out there for potential bragging rights?
Please let me know what you're thinking in the comments, because I'm curious to hear the thoughts and opinions of people who follow these things more closely than I do.
Jason Knavel, Assistant AD for Athletics Communication is quoted in the article as saying, "I would expect news within the next two weeks and possibly sooner than that depending on how quickly things progress."
So who is on the radar?
A number of names have been kicked around in the press and among BGSU hockey fans.
One obvious name that has been floated is former OSU coach and BGSU alum John Markell whose contract with the Buckeyes was not renewed. According to The Lantern, Markell's overall coaching record was 280-267-56. Despite a number of successful years, the Buckeyes' record over the past four seasons was 65-76-18.
The general opinion I've heard of this option is not a positive one. While I personally don't know enough about Markell to have a strong opinion, I've heard less than flattering opinions from people I trust when it comes to matters of CCHA hockey. As much as I would like to experience some of the success Markell brought to OSU (like a 1998 Frozen Four appearance), his inability to sustain or recreate that success is certainly a concern.
Another name I have heard mentioned is Todd Reirden, current Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins coach and former Falcon assistant. As much as I would love Todd to come to Bowling Green, I have to see it as a bit of a pipe dream. The last coach to lead the Baby Pens went on to the big show and won a Stanley Cup. Reirden has to be thinking he has the same opportunity if he sticks around.
I've made my feeling on the coaching search very clear - give Dennis Williams the chance to prove himself. I won't re-hash those feelings, as I've covered them in great detail, but I will be watching closely as the situation develops.
So, Falcon fans, who is on your short list of most wanted coaches for the BG icers? Who's your dream hire? Who do you think we'll end up with? Any long-shots you'd like to throw out there for potential bragging rights?
Please let me know what you're thinking in the comments, because I'm curious to hear the thoughts and opinions of people who follow these things more closely than I do.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Post-Season Awards - Most Improved Player and Team MVP
And now, after excessive delay, here is the final installment of the Falcon Hockey Hooligan Post-Season Awards.
Award winners previously named:
Flying Under the Radar: Andrew Hammond
Runner(s)-up: Cameron Sinclair, Marc Rodriguez, and Max Grover, Ian Ruel
Freshman of the Year: Jordan Samuels-Thomas
Runner(s)-up: Nathan Pageau
Defensive MVP: Kyle Page
Runner(s)-up: Ian Ruel
Offensive MVP:Tomas Petruska
Runner(s)-up: Tommy Dee
This week's awards: Most Improved Player and Team MVP.
For those who don't remember or didn't see it at the time, the mid-season Most Improved Player was Tommy Dee.
The post-season award will go to someone who has already been named for a previous award - Tomas Petruska.
I won't go into too much detail, because Petruska's accomplishments this season have been spelled out pretty well over the last half-dozen posts or so. It's safe to say he went from a well-liked and respected role player last season, to a star this season, especially over the final few weeks.
Runner-up: Nick Eno
And, finally, after weeks and weeks of waiting, here it is - Team MVP.
Choosing the Team MVP was a very difficult decision. Among the players considered were Tomas Petruska, Jordan Samuels-Thomas, Kyle Page, and Nick Eno. Ultimately, I decided to stick with the mid-season winner, Nick Eno.
As is usually the case when I have put praise on Falcon goaltenders this season, I'm sure there are people out there who would simply look at the team's record and dismiss the pick. If you're one of those people, you're certainly entitled to that stance. The win-loss record was abysmal and that can't be ignored.
But it's important to also look beyond the record. Anyone who watched Eno (and Hammond, for that matter) in games would know that the team's goaltending kept them in a position to win, most of the time.
Nick Eno made great strides this year as he continued to get back to form after an inconsistent sophomore season. Eno deserves a ton of credit for his improvement and performance this season.
Runner-up: Dennis Williams
The awards are for the players, which is why I didn't consider Coach Williams for the Team MVP, but I think he's at least deserving of a runner-up nod. Coach took a team that was on the verge of non-existence and losing players, and managed to salvage a season of hard-fought games and a team that never gave up.
As the University conducts its hiring search for the next BGSU hockey head coach, I sincerely hope they take into consideration what Coach Williams did in such extreme circumstances, the energy he brought to the team, and the faith the fans have in the job he can do.
If you ask me, my vote is safely with Coach Williams.
Anyway, that concludes the Post-Season Awards for 2009-2010. As always, feel free to let me know your thoughts about the whole thing in the comments.
Award winners previously named:
Flying Under the Radar: Andrew Hammond
Runner(s)-up: Cameron Sinclair, Marc Rodriguez, and Max Grover, Ian Ruel
Freshman of the Year: Jordan Samuels-Thomas
Runner(s)-up: Nathan Pageau
Defensive MVP: Kyle Page
Runner(s)-up: Ian Ruel
Offensive MVP:Tomas Petruska
Runner(s)-up: Tommy Dee
This week's awards: Most Improved Player and Team MVP.
For those who don't remember or didn't see it at the time, the mid-season Most Improved Player was Tommy Dee.
The post-season award will go to someone who has already been named for a previous award - Tomas Petruska.
I won't go into too much detail, because Petruska's accomplishments this season have been spelled out pretty well over the last half-dozen posts or so. It's safe to say he went from a well-liked and respected role player last season, to a star this season, especially over the final few weeks.
Runner-up: Nick Eno
And, finally, after weeks and weeks of waiting, here it is - Team MVP.
Choosing the Team MVP was a very difficult decision. Among the players considered were Tomas Petruska, Jordan Samuels-Thomas, Kyle Page, and Nick Eno. Ultimately, I decided to stick with the mid-season winner, Nick Eno.
As is usually the case when I have put praise on Falcon goaltenders this season, I'm sure there are people out there who would simply look at the team's record and dismiss the pick. If you're one of those people, you're certainly entitled to that stance. The win-loss record was abysmal and that can't be ignored.
But it's important to also look beyond the record. Anyone who watched Eno (and Hammond, for that matter) in games would know that the team's goaltending kept them in a position to win, most of the time.
Nick Eno made great strides this year as he continued to get back to form after an inconsistent sophomore season. Eno deserves a ton of credit for his improvement and performance this season.
Runner-up: Dennis Williams
The awards are for the players, which is why I didn't consider Coach Williams for the Team MVP, but I think he's at least deserving of a runner-up nod. Coach took a team that was on the verge of non-existence and losing players, and managed to salvage a season of hard-fought games and a team that never gave up.
As the University conducts its hiring search for the next BGSU hockey head coach, I sincerely hope they take into consideration what Coach Williams did in such extreme circumstances, the energy he brought to the team, and the faith the fans have in the job he can do.
If you ask me, my vote is safely with Coach Williams.
Anyway, that concludes the Post-Season Awards for 2009-2010. As always, feel free to let me know your thoughts about the whole thing in the comments.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Post-Season Awards - Offensive and Defensive MVP
Welcome to installment #2 of the 3-part Post-Season Awards series.
For those just joining us, here are awards given at a previous ceremony:
Flying Under the Radar: Andrew Hammond
Runner(s)-up: Cameron Sinclair, Marc Rodriguez, and Max Grover, Ian Ruel
Freshman of the Year: Jordan Samuels-Thomas
Runner(s)-up: Nathan Pageau
Now that we're up to speed, let's get on with naming the next two awards.
Defensive MVP
Overall this year the Falcons had their share of defensive issues. The team gave up almost four goals per game and only had three players with a positive +/- rating, two of whom played less than 20 games.
Throughout the season, though, there were a number of players who showed signs of promise. Some players improved greatly over their previous seasons. One player stood out above the rest. That player was Kyle Page.
Another shocker. This awards thing is turning out to be pretty boring, eh?
Wait. Forget I wrote that. This is exciting stuff! You should keep reading!
But in all seriousness, Kyle Page deserves the nod for this award for continuing to be a part of the "glue" that held this team together. When the program was in its darkest hours, Kyle stuck with it, persevered, and has come out of it with a professional contract and the admiration of many BGSU fans.
Kyle Page is the definition of a leader, which is important on an underclassman-heavy defensive unit. On the ice, despite often giving up significant size to his opponents, he battled for the puck, blocked shots, finished his checks, and gave the Falcons offensive chances that helped keep them in games. Off the ice, Kyle excelled in the classroom and in life, earning three nominations for the CCHA's Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award, and twice being named to the CCHA All-Academic First Team. Additionally, he received the Jack Gregory Scholar-Athlete Award and the Dr. Ron Zwierlein Leadership Award for the 2008-2009 season.
Kyle finished the season fourth in scoring, notching three goals and dishing out 14 assists. On the defensive side of things, he blocked 71 shots. Try to wrap your head around that for a moment - 71 frozen vulcanized rubber missiles that he willingly stepped in front of. Any team would be happy to have a player like that on their side.
Also worthy of mention are Ian Ruel, who is showing early signs of being a solid defender, and Andrew Krelove, who has made great strides in his game since last season.
Offensive MVP
There were a number of players at the top of the pack this season offensively. Tomas Petruska, Tommy Dee, David Solway, Jordan Samuels-Thomas and Kyle Page all stepped up at various times to carry the offensive load. You could probably make the case for any one of them, but I will avoid taking the easy way out and choose one. My offensive MVP is Tomas Petruska.
Locked in a close race at mid-season with Tommy Dee and Jordan Samuels-Thomas, Petruska was edged out for the award. While his overall production dropped off after the mid-point of the season (4-10-14 / 6-4-10) his goal scoring increased, and he came up big when it mattered. Most fans will long remember Petruska as the hero of shootouts against Notre Dame and Michigan State.
Petruska isn't the flashiest player on the ice, and I think his straight-forward style often left him out of the spotlight, but his physical play in the offensive end often resulted in loose pucks and scoring chances for the Falcons, and you can't argue with his success late in the season. It seemed whenever the Falcons needed a big boost or a clutch goal, Petruska was there to make it happen.
Tomas will be moving on after a fantastic senior season to join the Las Vegas Wranglers, reuniting with former Falcon Jimmy Spratt.
Both Petruska and Page have contributed in a big way to the Falcons over the past four years, and both will be dearly missed. I am sure I speak for all Falcon fans when I wish them the best of luck in the future with their professional careers and beyond.
Check back next week (hopefully!) for the final two awards, Most Improved Player and Team MVP, and as always, feel free to leave me a comment and let me know how you feel about my picks or make suggestions for the final two awards.
For those just joining us, here are awards given at a previous ceremony:
Flying Under the Radar: Andrew Hammond
Runner(s)-up: Cameron Sinclair, Marc Rodriguez, and Max Grover, Ian Ruel
Freshman of the Year: Jordan Samuels-Thomas
Runner(s)-up: Nathan Pageau
Now that we're up to speed, let's get on with naming the next two awards.
Defensive MVP
Overall this year the Falcons had their share of defensive issues. The team gave up almost four goals per game and only had three players with a positive +/- rating, two of whom played less than 20 games.
Throughout the season, though, there were a number of players who showed signs of promise. Some players improved greatly over their previous seasons. One player stood out above the rest. That player was Kyle Page.
Another shocker. This awards thing is turning out to be pretty boring, eh?
Wait. Forget I wrote that. This is exciting stuff! You should keep reading!
But in all seriousness, Kyle Page deserves the nod for this award for continuing to be a part of the "glue" that held this team together. When the program was in its darkest hours, Kyle stuck with it, persevered, and has come out of it with a professional contract and the admiration of many BGSU fans.
Kyle Page is the definition of a leader, which is important on an underclassman-heavy defensive unit. On the ice, despite often giving up significant size to his opponents, he battled for the puck, blocked shots, finished his checks, and gave the Falcons offensive chances that helped keep them in games. Off the ice, Kyle excelled in the classroom and in life, earning three nominations for the CCHA's Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award, and twice being named to the CCHA All-Academic First Team. Additionally, he received the Jack Gregory Scholar-Athlete Award and the Dr. Ron Zwierlein Leadership Award for the 2008-2009 season.
Kyle finished the season fourth in scoring, notching three goals and dishing out 14 assists. On the defensive side of things, he blocked 71 shots. Try to wrap your head around that for a moment - 71 frozen vulcanized rubber missiles that he willingly stepped in front of. Any team would be happy to have a player like that on their side.
Also worthy of mention are Ian Ruel, who is showing early signs of being a solid defender, and Andrew Krelove, who has made great strides in his game since last season.
Offensive MVP
There were a number of players at the top of the pack this season offensively. Tomas Petruska, Tommy Dee, David Solway, Jordan Samuels-Thomas and Kyle Page all stepped up at various times to carry the offensive load. You could probably make the case for any one of them, but I will avoid taking the easy way out and choose one. My offensive MVP is Tomas Petruska.
Locked in a close race at mid-season with Tommy Dee and Jordan Samuels-Thomas, Petruska was edged out for the award. While his overall production dropped off after the mid-point of the season (4-10-14 / 6-4-10) his goal scoring increased, and he came up big when it mattered. Most fans will long remember Petruska as the hero of shootouts against Notre Dame and Michigan State.
Petruska isn't the flashiest player on the ice, and I think his straight-forward style often left him out of the spotlight, but his physical play in the offensive end often resulted in loose pucks and scoring chances for the Falcons, and you can't argue with his success late in the season. It seemed whenever the Falcons needed a big boost or a clutch goal, Petruska was there to make it happen.
Tomas will be moving on after a fantastic senior season to join the Las Vegas Wranglers, reuniting with former Falcon Jimmy Spratt.
Both Petruska and Page have contributed in a big way to the Falcons over the past four years, and both will be dearly missed. I am sure I speak for all Falcon fans when I wish them the best of luck in the future with their professional careers and beyond.
Check back next week (hopefully!) for the final two awards, Most Improved Player and Team MVP, and as always, feel free to leave me a comment and let me know how you feel about my picks or make suggestions for the final two awards.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Post-Season Awards - Flying Under the Radar and Freshman of the Year
This is the first installment of a series of post-season awards blogs. In this post I will name the winners of two awards: the somewhat nebulous "Flying Under the Radar" award, and the "Freshman of the Year" award.
As always, my picks and opinions are open to debate, and I welcome feedback and criticism in the comments.
Now, on to the awards.
Flying Under the Radar
The Flying Under the Radar award, as I have said previously, was mostly dreamed up as a way to point out what I thought was a great deal of potential in mid-season winner Wade Finegan. He's a strong, hard-working player with a bit of a mean streak, and I like the Falcons to have a few players like that. With the physical Kai Kantola graduating and moving on to an amateur tryout with the Norfolk Admirals and trusty captain Kyle Page joining the Toledo Walleye, the Falcons are going to need someone to step up and fill that void.
But this post isn't about the previous winner, it's time to name the post-season winner - Andrew Hammond.
Hammond's season, to me, was the definition of un-tapped potential. His stat line for the season was fairly disappointing: 13 starts, 0-12-2 record, 4.30 GAA, and 88.0 save %.
That being said, every time I looked at his stats, I was absolutely shocked to see that he hadn't won a game in overtime or regulation. He showed many flashes of greatness, standing on his head to keep the Falcons in games, but just never got the breaks to put a notch in the win column. Considering his play in the Miami and Michigan State series, I don't think it will take long before Hammond makes a big impact on the BGSU hockey team.
Also, a quick story to share. During pre-season practices, I went for a ride around campus and decided to stop for a moment at the Ice Arena. I went inside and noticed the team preparing for a practice, so I sat in Section D and watched for a while. As players made their way to the ice one-by-one, others were already taking shots on the empty net and working on passing. Just as one player shot the puck around the boards, a goalie was just stepping onto the ice. The puck whipped around at face-level, but the player snagged the puck with his glove-hand without having more than a second to react. I seem to remember at the time thinking it was Hammond. It may not have been, but having seen some of the saves he made, especially in the closing moments of the MSU series, it certainly wouldn't surprise me. Maybe Andrew or someone in the know could confirm this one for me.
Of course, there are plenty of other players whose futures I am excited about as well. Cameron Sinclair, Marc Rodriguez, and Max Grover showed a ton of heart and grit in the second series with Notre Dame, helping the Falcons to buck the years-long winless streak against Notre Dame. Also on the radar is Ian Ruel, whose size and physical play brought early comparisons to a young Rob Blake.
Anyway, moving on to award #2.
Freshman of the Year
At mid-season, there was really no room for debate on this one. Jordan Samuels-Thomas wasn't just leading the Falcons in scoring, he was near the top of a number of other conference and national lists as well. He took the ice by storm and won the appreciation of many of the Falcon faithful. Naming him as the winner of the award was really just a formality. Now that the season has come to a close, the winner is:
Jordan Samuels-Thomas
I'll give you a moment to compose yourself.
It was very tempting to name a different winner for this award, but ultimately I didn't think I could. JS-T ended the season in the same position statistically as he held at the break - the top. Samuels-Thomas finished the season with 11 goals and 14 assists for 25 points, a one goal edge over late-season hero Tomas Petruska.
Samuels-Thomas' play was a key to the Falcons successes this season, as he frustrated opponents early and often, making them work hard to account for him, and opening up the ice for other players in the process.
The reason I was tempted to choose a different winner, though, was that his production dropped off in the second half. Hampered by a short-lived illness and facing teams who had learned a thing or two about slowing him down, JS-T's numbers faded a bit. Through the first half of the season, he collected six goals and nine assists for 15 points. In the final 18 games, he recorded only five goals and five assists, for a total of 10 points.
Another player I strongly considered for this award was Nathan Pageau. His hustle and offensive spark bode well for the Falcons' future, and his ability to step up against high-profile opponents should make him a hit with the fans. Of Pageau's 11 points this season, six came during games against Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, and Notre Dame.
Well, there you have it. My picks for the Flying Under the Radar award and the Freshman of the Year award.
The next two awards to be named will be Offensive MVP and Defensive MVP, followed by Most Improved Player and Team MVP.
As always, feel free to give your opinions in the comments. Tell my why I'm right, tell me where I messed it up, suggest someone for the upcoming awards, or just tell me about your day. As long as I see a couple of comments on the post, I'm a happy guy.
As always, my picks and opinions are open to debate, and I welcome feedback and criticism in the comments.
Now, on to the awards.
Flying Under the Radar
The Flying Under the Radar award, as I have said previously, was mostly dreamed up as a way to point out what I thought was a great deal of potential in mid-season winner Wade Finegan. He's a strong, hard-working player with a bit of a mean streak, and I like the Falcons to have a few players like that. With the physical Kai Kantola graduating and moving on to an amateur tryout with the Norfolk Admirals and trusty captain Kyle Page joining the Toledo Walleye, the Falcons are going to need someone to step up and fill that void.
But this post isn't about the previous winner, it's time to name the post-season winner - Andrew Hammond.
Hammond's season, to me, was the definition of un-tapped potential. His stat line for the season was fairly disappointing: 13 starts, 0-12-2 record, 4.30 GAA, and 88.0 save %.
That being said, every time I looked at his stats, I was absolutely shocked to see that he hadn't won a game in overtime or regulation. He showed many flashes of greatness, standing on his head to keep the Falcons in games, but just never got the breaks to put a notch in the win column. Considering his play in the Miami and Michigan State series, I don't think it will take long before Hammond makes a big impact on the BGSU hockey team.
Also, a quick story to share. During pre-season practices, I went for a ride around campus and decided to stop for a moment at the Ice Arena. I went inside and noticed the team preparing for a practice, so I sat in Section D and watched for a while. As players made their way to the ice one-by-one, others were already taking shots on the empty net and working on passing. Just as one player shot the puck around the boards, a goalie was just stepping onto the ice. The puck whipped around at face-level, but the player snagged the puck with his glove-hand without having more than a second to react. I seem to remember at the time thinking it was Hammond. It may not have been, but having seen some of the saves he made, especially in the closing moments of the MSU series, it certainly wouldn't surprise me. Maybe Andrew or someone in the know could confirm this one for me.
Of course, there are plenty of other players whose futures I am excited about as well. Cameron Sinclair, Marc Rodriguez, and Max Grover showed a ton of heart and grit in the second series with Notre Dame, helping the Falcons to buck the years-long winless streak against Notre Dame. Also on the radar is Ian Ruel, whose size and physical play brought early comparisons to a young Rob Blake.
Anyway, moving on to award #2.
Freshman of the Year
At mid-season, there was really no room for debate on this one. Jordan Samuels-Thomas wasn't just leading the Falcons in scoring, he was near the top of a number of other conference and national lists as well. He took the ice by storm and won the appreciation of many of the Falcon faithful. Naming him as the winner of the award was really just a formality. Now that the season has come to a close, the winner is:
Jordan Samuels-Thomas
I'll give you a moment to compose yourself.
It was very tempting to name a different winner for this award, but ultimately I didn't think I could. JS-T ended the season in the same position statistically as he held at the break - the top. Samuels-Thomas finished the season with 11 goals and 14 assists for 25 points, a one goal edge over late-season hero Tomas Petruska.
Samuels-Thomas' play was a key to the Falcons successes this season, as he frustrated opponents early and often, making them work hard to account for him, and opening up the ice for other players in the process.
The reason I was tempted to choose a different winner, though, was that his production dropped off in the second half. Hampered by a short-lived illness and facing teams who had learned a thing or two about slowing him down, JS-T's numbers faded a bit. Through the first half of the season, he collected six goals and nine assists for 15 points. In the final 18 games, he recorded only five goals and five assists, for a total of 10 points.
Another player I strongly considered for this award was Nathan Pageau. His hustle and offensive spark bode well for the Falcons' future, and his ability to step up against high-profile opponents should make him a hit with the fans. Of Pageau's 11 points this season, six came during games against Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, and Notre Dame.
Well, there you have it. My picks for the Flying Under the Radar award and the Freshman of the Year award.
The next two awards to be named will be Offensive MVP and Defensive MVP, followed by Most Improved Player and Team MVP.
As always, feel free to give your opinions in the comments. Tell my why I'm right, tell me where I messed it up, suggest someone for the upcoming awards, or just tell me about your day. As long as I see a couple of comments on the post, I'm a happy guy.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Season Wrap-Up
As the BGSU ice hockey season draws to a close, I inevitably start trying to put the season into perspective. What did we achieve? What did we learn? Who stood out and who faded away?
Following the conclusion of the Falcons' run in the CCHA playoffs, the bulk of the posts will be about looking back on the season that was. As was the case at mid-season, I will name the "winners" of a series of awards. To review, I will name players for the following awards:
Freshman of the Year (Midseason winner: Jordan Samuels-Thomas)
Most Improved Player (Midseason winner: Tommy Dee)
Offensive MVP (Midseason winner: Tommy Dee)
Defensive MVP (Midseason winner: Kyle Page)
Flying Under the Radar (Midseason winner: Wade Finegan)
Team MVP (Midseason winner: Nick Eno)
In addition to these individual awards, I'll be giving commentary on all sorts of other issues as they come to mind. If you have any specific topics you'd like to see discussed, feel free to leave them in the comments. Also, if you'd like to give your opinions on any of the topics or awards I've pointed out here (or anything else, for that matter). Leave them in a comment and maybe I'll share them on the blog.
Anyway, BG is down 4-1 right now to Duh Mavs (Brennan Vargas just scored!) but things aren't looking pretty. Anything's possible, but it's going to take something surprising to turn this around. Anyone who knows me knows I don't believe it's over until the buzzer sounds, so I still have hope. But, should this game not go the way of the Falcons, you can expect the wrap-up posts to start within the next few days.
Following the conclusion of the Falcons' run in the CCHA playoffs, the bulk of the posts will be about looking back on the season that was. As was the case at mid-season, I will name the "winners" of a series of awards. To review, I will name players for the following awards:
Freshman of the Year (Midseason winner: Jordan Samuels-Thomas)
Most Improved Player (Midseason winner: Tommy Dee)
Offensive MVP (Midseason winner: Tommy Dee)
Defensive MVP (Midseason winner: Kyle Page)
Flying Under the Radar (Midseason winner: Wade Finegan)
Team MVP (Midseason winner: Nick Eno)
In addition to these individual awards, I'll be giving commentary on all sorts of other issues as they come to mind. If you have any specific topics you'd like to see discussed, feel free to leave them in the comments. Also, if you'd like to give your opinions on any of the topics or awards I've pointed out here (or anything else, for that matter). Leave them in a comment and maybe I'll share them on the blog.
Anyway, BG is down 4-1 right now to Duh Mavs (Brennan Vargas just scored!) but things aren't looking pretty. Anything's possible, but it's going to take something surprising to turn this around. Anyone who knows me knows I don't believe it's over until the buzzer sounds, so I still have hope. But, should this game not go the way of the Falcons, you can expect the wrap-up posts to start within the next few days.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Bowling Green Falcons v. Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks
Friday, 3/5/2010 @ 8:35PM - Qwest Center Omaha - Omaha, Nebraska
Saturday, 3/6/2010 @ 8:05PM - Qwest Center Omaha - Omaha, Nebraska
Sunday, 3/7/2010 @ 8:05PM (If necessary) - Qwest Center Omaha - Omaha, Nebraska
Background:
BGSU:
-Record: 5-23-6 (4-18-6-5)
-Last game: v. Michigan State T 2-2 (SOW)
Nebraska-Omaha:
-Record: 18-14-6 (13-12-3-2)
-Last game: v. Bemidji State W 3-2
Last time out...
Does MSU know everyone dies at the end of 300?
Last week the Falcons faced off against the Spartans of Michigan State University in the customary end of the season home-and-home series. Friday night's game at Munn was MSU's senior night, and Saturday's game in the BG Ice Arena was senior night for the Falcons. The home fans went home happy both nights.
The Spartans won the first matchup 5-2, dominating play throughout the game. Josh Boyd and Marc Rodriguez scored for the Falcons, but it wasn't enough. The Spartans cruised to an easy victory, allowing senior netminder Bobby Jarosz to take the ice for the final 9:00 of the game (and his college hockey career).
Saturday night was a much closer contest. MSU's Andrew Rowe opened the scoring just over 8:00 into the first period, assisted by Nick Sucharski and Dustin Gazley. David Solway answered early in the second to tie the game, setup by last week's hero Tomas Petruska and freshman phenom Jordan Samuels-Thomas. Samuels-Thomas went on to score a goal of his own, with Solway returning the assist favor, and help from Tommy Dee. With just 5:00 remaining in the game, Trevor Nill and Torey Krug set up MSU's Chris Forfar for the game-tying goal. The extra period was scoreless, resulting in a shootout.
The only successful conversion of the shootout was tallied by senior Tomas Petruska, giving the Falcons a Saturday shootout win for the second week in a row.
Falcons Look to Give "Duh Mavs" Unhappy Exit
Tonight BGSU takes the show on the road to Omaha, Nebraska for the first round of the CCHA Playoffs. The Falcons are hoping to see the Mavs out of the conference with a playoff defeat as they run along to the WCHA.
The teams have a rocky history, with UN-O fans insisting the teams are rivals, and BGSU fans not really caring one way or the other.
This year the matchup has a bit more drama, as the first meeting ended in disappointment and controversy for Nebraska. For those unfamiliar with the situation, freshman Jordan Samuels-Thomas (AKA "The Hyphen") scored the shootout winning goal, despite being technically ineligible due to being in the penalty box at the end of OT. Despite a late protest by Nebraska, the goal stood, and the Falcons picked up the extra point. Much bitterness ensued.
Duh Mavs' fans also like to point out a particular dark moment in the history of BGSU hockey (which I won't detail here), accusing the Falcons of all sorts of sexual deviancy. But, I guess, if anyone knows anything about sexual deviancy, it would probably be people from Nebraska.
In the "funny names" department, Nebraska is surprisingly deficient, with only forward Nick "Dontcha Wanna" Fanto standing head and shoulders above the rest. I think that's good enough.
What to watch for: Nebraska-Omaha
In terms of scoring, the Mavericks are led by junior Rich Purslow (14-13-27) and senior Eddie DelGrosso (6-21-27). Seven more Mavs have more than 20 points for the season, and a total of five UN-O players have more than 10 goals.
Redshirt freshman John Faulkner (13-10-4, 2.69 GAA, 90.5%) has taken care of the majority of the goaltending duties this season, backed up by senior Jeremie Dupont (5-4-2, 2.97 GAA, 88.6%).
After starting the new year 1-4-1, the Mavericks have turned things around, going 8-3-1-1 leading up to the playoffs. That run has included sweeps of Northern Michigan and the University of Michigan, as well as splits with #1 Miami and nationally ranked Bemidji State.
What to watch for: Bowling Green
The Falcons head into the playoffs on the upswing, after a regulation win and a shootout win against Notre Dame and an exciting shootout victory over Michigan State. Production has picked up from young and old Falcons, including a great showing by the underclassmen in the Notre Dame series and the breakout clutch play of senior Tomas Petruska.
Jordan Samuels-Thomas (11-13-24) and Tomas Petruska (9-14-23) lead the Falcons in scoring for the season.
The Falcons have allowed an average of 3.7 goals/game this season, which means the defense will have to step up to keep the Mavericks' strong scorers at bay. Fortunately, the play of the Falcon goaltenders has been impressive at the end of the season, so hopefully that bodes well for BGSU. Nick Eno, in his the Notre Dame series, had a save percentage of 93.7. Andrew Hammond, in the shootout win against MSU had a save percentage of 94.1.
The last time the two teams met, Eno stopped 40 of 43 (93.5%) shot attempts in regulation and overtime as the Falcons took a shootout win. The next night, Hammond fought off 30 of 33 shots (90.9%) in a 3-1 loss.
Here's to a great series and an appearance in the second round of the playoffs.
Saturday, 3/6/2010 @ 8:05PM - Qwest Center Omaha - Omaha, Nebraska
Sunday, 3/7/2010 @ 8:05PM (If necessary) - Qwest Center Omaha - Omaha, Nebraska
Background:
BGSU:
-Record: 5-23-6 (4-18-6-5)
-Last game: v. Michigan State T 2-2 (SOW)
Nebraska-Omaha:
-Record: 18-14-6 (13-12-3-2)
-Last game: v. Bemidji State W 3-2
Last time out...
Does MSU know everyone dies at the end of 300?
Last week the Falcons faced off against the Spartans of Michigan State University in the customary end of the season home-and-home series. Friday night's game at Munn was MSU's senior night, and Saturday's game in the BG Ice Arena was senior night for the Falcons. The home fans went home happy both nights.
The Spartans won the first matchup 5-2, dominating play throughout the game. Josh Boyd and Marc Rodriguez scored for the Falcons, but it wasn't enough. The Spartans cruised to an easy victory, allowing senior netminder Bobby Jarosz to take the ice for the final 9:00 of the game (and his college hockey career).
Saturday night was a much closer contest. MSU's Andrew Rowe opened the scoring just over 8:00 into the first period, assisted by Nick Sucharski and Dustin Gazley. David Solway answered early in the second to tie the game, setup by last week's hero Tomas Petruska and freshman phenom Jordan Samuels-Thomas. Samuels-Thomas went on to score a goal of his own, with Solway returning the assist favor, and help from Tommy Dee. With just 5:00 remaining in the game, Trevor Nill and Torey Krug set up MSU's Chris Forfar for the game-tying goal. The extra period was scoreless, resulting in a shootout.
The only successful conversion of the shootout was tallied by senior Tomas Petruska, giving the Falcons a Saturday shootout win for the second week in a row.
Falcons Look to Give "Duh Mavs" Unhappy Exit
Tonight BGSU takes the show on the road to Omaha, Nebraska for the first round of the CCHA Playoffs. The Falcons are hoping to see the Mavs out of the conference with a playoff defeat as they run along to the WCHA.
The teams have a rocky history, with UN-O fans insisting the teams are rivals, and BGSU fans not really caring one way or the other.
This year the matchup has a bit more drama, as the first meeting ended in disappointment and controversy for Nebraska. For those unfamiliar with the situation, freshman Jordan Samuels-Thomas (AKA "The Hyphen") scored the shootout winning goal, despite being technically ineligible due to being in the penalty box at the end of OT. Despite a late protest by Nebraska, the goal stood, and the Falcons picked up the extra point. Much bitterness ensued.
Duh Mavs' fans also like to point out a particular dark moment in the history of BGSU hockey (which I won't detail here), accusing the Falcons of all sorts of sexual deviancy. But, I guess, if anyone knows anything about sexual deviancy, it would probably be people from Nebraska.
In the "funny names" department, Nebraska is surprisingly deficient, with only forward Nick "Dontcha Wanna" Fanto standing head and shoulders above the rest. I think that's good enough.
What to watch for: Nebraska-Omaha
In terms of scoring, the Mavericks are led by junior Rich Purslow (14-13-27) and senior Eddie DelGrosso (6-21-27). Seven more Mavs have more than 20 points for the season, and a total of five UN-O players have more than 10 goals.
Redshirt freshman John Faulkner (13-10-4, 2.69 GAA, 90.5%) has taken care of the majority of the goaltending duties this season, backed up by senior Jeremie Dupont (5-4-2, 2.97 GAA, 88.6%).
After starting the new year 1-4-1, the Mavericks have turned things around, going 8-3-1-1 leading up to the playoffs. That run has included sweeps of Northern Michigan and the University of Michigan, as well as splits with #1 Miami and nationally ranked Bemidji State.
What to watch for: Bowling Green
The Falcons head into the playoffs on the upswing, after a regulation win and a shootout win against Notre Dame and an exciting shootout victory over Michigan State. Production has picked up from young and old Falcons, including a great showing by the underclassmen in the Notre Dame series and the breakout clutch play of senior Tomas Petruska.
Jordan Samuels-Thomas (11-13-24) and Tomas Petruska (9-14-23) lead the Falcons in scoring for the season.
The Falcons have allowed an average of 3.7 goals/game this season, which means the defense will have to step up to keep the Mavericks' strong scorers at bay. Fortunately, the play of the Falcon goaltenders has been impressive at the end of the season, so hopefully that bodes well for BGSU. Nick Eno, in his the Notre Dame series, had a save percentage of 93.7. Andrew Hammond, in the shootout win against MSU had a save percentage of 94.1.
The last time the two teams met, Eno stopped 40 of 43 (93.5%) shot attempts in regulation and overtime as the Falcons took a shootout win. The next night, Hammond fought off 30 of 33 shots (90.9%) in a 3-1 loss.
Here's to a great series and an appearance in the second round of the playoffs.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
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.
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.
Friday, February 26, 2010
"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.
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.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
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 theEgg 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.
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
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.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
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.
More detailed write ups of the game can be read at Bring Back the Glory, the BG News Sports Blog, and BGSUFalcons.com.
Friday, February 19, 2010
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.
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.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
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.
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
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.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Bowling Green Falcons v. Western Michigan Broncos
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
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
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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