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.
Showing posts with label redhawks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label redhawks. Show all posts
Monday, April 12, 2010
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.
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