2020–21 Bowling Green Falcons men's ice hockey season
| 2020–21 Bowling Green Falcons men's ice hockey season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conference | 3rd WCHA |
| Home ice | Slater Family Ice Arena |
| Rankings | |
| USCHO.com | 18 |
| USA Today/ US Hockey Magazine | NR |
| Record | |
| Overall | 20–10–1 |
| Conference | 8–5–1–0–2–0 |
| Home | 10–6–0 |
| Road | 10–4–1 |
| Neutral | 0–0–0 |
| Coaches and captains | |
| Head coach | Ty Eigner |
| Assistant coaches | Curtis Carr Maco Balkovec |
| Captain(s) | Connor Ford |
| Alternate captain(s) | Alex Barber Brandon Kruse |
| Bowling Green Falcons men's ice hockey seasons « 2019–20 2021–22 » | |
The 2020–21 Bowling Green Falcons men's ice hockey season was the 52nd season of play for the program and the 8th in the WCHA conference. The Falcons represented Bowling Green State University and were coached by Ty Eigner, in his 2nd season.
Season[edit]
As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the entire college ice hockey season was delayed. Because the NCAA had previously announced that all winter sports athletes would retain whatever eligibility they possessed through at least the following year, none of Bowling Green's players would lose a season of play.[1] However, the NCAA also approved a change in its transfer regulations that would allow players to transfer and play immediately rather than having to sit out a season, as the rules previously required.[2]
Despite COVID concerns, Bowling Green was able to play several non-WCHA teams early in the year and propelled themselves into the top-10 with a fantastic start. The Falcons won 12 of their first 13 games, including an impressive series sweep of Quinnipiac, and rose to the #5 ranking by mid-January. Unfortunately, when Bowling Green began facing stiff competition, the offense dropped off dramatically. Over a 4-week stretch, the Falcons went 2–6, losing the six games against teams that finished the season ranked. In those games the team scored just 6 goals. While the defense wasn't particularly bad, it wasn't good either. Bowling Green recovered with a 3–0–1 run to end the season but the damage had been done.
Even with a 19–8–1 record, the Falcons had fallen to 13th in the rankings and were considered a 'bubble team', since they possessed a 1–7 record against the other top teams in the WCHA.[3] To get themselves an NCAA Tournament bid, the team would need a good performance in their conference tournament. BG got off to a bad start, losing the opening game 3–4 to Northern Michigan, but rebounded with resounding 5–0 win. The turnaround didn't last long, however, and the Falcons dropped the deciding game 1–5. The team was ranked 16th the following poll and were passed over in favor of Notre Dame, who were just 1 game over .500.
Departures[edit]
| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacob Dalton | Defenseman |  United States |
Graduation |
| Frédéric Letourneau | Forward |  Canada |
Graduation (signed with South Carolina Stingrays) |
| Casey Linkenheld | Forward | United States |
Graduation |
| Alec Rauhauser | Defenseman | United States |
Graduation (signed with Florida Panthers) |
Recruiting[edit]
| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chrystopher Collin | Forward | Canada |
21 | Boisbriand, QC |
| Max Coyle | Defenseman | Canada |
22 | Tillsonburg, ON; transfer from Alabama–Huntsville |
| Seth Fyten | Forward | Canada |
19 | Sundre, AB; Selected 142nd overall in 2020 |
| Ethan Scardina | Forward | Canada |
19 | White Rock, BC |
| Anton Malmström | Defenseman |  Sweden |
20 | Österhaninge, SWE |
Roster[edit]
As of September 8, 2020.[4]
| No. | S/P/C | Player | Class | Pos | Height | Weight | DoB | Hometown | Previous team | NHL rights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 
|
Will Cullen | Junior | D | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 184 lb (83 kg) | 1996-07-24 | Pelham Manor, New York | Carleton Place (CCHL) | — |
| 3 | 
|
Carson Musser | Senior | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 191 lb (87 kg) | 1997-04-21 | Grand Rapids, Michigan | Fargo (USHL) | — |
| 4 | 
|
Garrett Daly | Sophomore | D | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 1999-08-11 | Lakeville, Minnesota | Langley (BCHL) | — |
| 5 |
|
Cam Babiak | Sophomore | D | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 1999-04-30 | Saline, Michigan | Brookings (NAHL) | — |
| 6 | 
|
Alex Barber (A) | Junior | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 150 lb (68 kg) | 1999-02-17 | Dublin, Ohio | Central Illinois (USHL) | — |
| 7 | 
|
T. J. Lloyd | Sophomore | D | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 172 lb (78 kg) | 1999-11-15 | Lloydminster, Saskatchewan | Spruce Grove (AJHL) | — |
| 8 | 
|
Chrystopher Collin | Freshman | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 172 lb (78 kg) | 1999-05-05 | Montreal, Quebec | Edmunston (MHL) | — |
| 10 |
|
Max Johnson | Senior | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 192 lb (87 kg) | 1998-05-12 | Lakeville, Minnesota | Sioux Falls (USHL) | — |
| 11 |
|
Taylor Schneider | Junior | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 161 lb (73 kg) | 1998-02-18 | Lakeville, Minnesota | Dubuque (USHL) | — |
| 12 | 
|
Gavin Gould | Senior | F | 5' 8" (1.73 m) | 155 lb (70 kg) | 1996-04-27 | North Vancouver, British Columbia | Michigan Tech (WCHA) | — |
| 13 |
|
Adam Conquest | Sophomore | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 2000-05-10 | Brighton, Michigan | Cowichan Valley (BCHL) | — |
| 14 |
|
Justin Wells | Senior | D | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 1998-07-31 | North Canton, Ohio | Sioux Falls (USHL) | — |
| 15 |
|
Evan Dougherty | Junior | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 182 lb (83 kg) | 1999-04-17 | Kalamazoo, Michigan | Waterloo (USHL) | — |
| 16 | 
|
Cameron Wright | Senior | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 189 lb (86 kg) | 1998-08-11 | Newmarket, Ontario | St. Michael's (OJHL) | — |
| 17 |
|
Ethan Scardina | Freshman | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 192 lb (87 kg) | 2000-11-02 | South Surrey, British Columbia | Nanaimo (BCHL) | — |
| 18 |
|
Trevor St-Jean | Junior | F | 5' 8" (1.73 m) | 173 lb (78 kg) | 1997-10-10 | Findlay, Ohio | Langley (BCHL) | — |
| 20 | 
|
Connor Ford (C) | Senior | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 187 lb (85 kg) | 1998-02-05 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Sioux City (USHL) | — |
| 21 | 
|
Seth Fyten | Freshman | F | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 187 lb (85 kg) | 2000-11-23 | Didsbury, Alberta | Spruce Grove (AJHL) | — |
| 22 |
|
Adam Pitters | Sophomore | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 1999-02-09 | Grosse Pointe, Michigan | Aberdeen (NAHL) | — |
| 23 |
|
Max Coyle | Sophomore | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 1998-01-29 | Tillsonburg, Ontario | Alabama Huntsville (WCHA) | — |
| 25 | 
|
Sam Craggs | Senior | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 1997-05-30 | Elmhurst, Illinois | Waterloo (USHL) | — |
| 27 |
|
Tim Theocharidis | Junior | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 183 lb (83 kg) | 1998-06-28 | Scarborough, Ontario | Carleton Place (CCHL) | — |
| 28 |
|
Brandon Kruse (A) | Senior | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 155 lb (70 kg) | 1999-02-26 | Saline, Michigan | Brookings (NAHL) | VGK, 135th overall 2018 |
| 29 |
|
Chase Danol | Sophomore | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 1999-01-20 | Westland, Michigan | Coquitlam (BCHL) | — |
| 31 |
|
Eric Dop | Senior | G | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 159 lb (72 kg) | 1998-08-23 | Lewis Center, Ohio | Tri-City (USHL) | — |
| 32 |
|
Brett Rich | Senior | G | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 183 lb (83 kg) | 1999-01-09 | Bowling Green, Ohio | Bowling Green (USHS–OH) | — |
| 33 |
|
Anton Malmström | Freshman | D | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 203 lb (92 kg) | 2000-03-18 | Österhaninge, Sweden | Djurgården J20 (J20 SuperElit) | — |
| 40 | 
|
Zack Rose | Sophomore | G | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 1999-07-03 | Paradise, Newfoundland | Victoria (BCHL) | — |
Standings[edit]
| Conference record | Overall record | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | 3/SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | ||
| #4 Minnesota State † | 14 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 56 | 15 | 27 | 22 | 5 | 1 | 100 | 46 | |
| #14 Lake Superior State * | 14 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 27 | 39 | 34 | 29 | 19 | 7 | 3 | 86 | 63 | |
| #18 Bowling Green | 14 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 27 | 46 | 34 | 31 | 20 | 10 | 1 | 108 | 67 | |
| #10 Bemidji State | 14 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 42 | 34 | 29 | 16 | 10 | 3 | 82 | 70 | |
| Michigan Tech | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 38 | 35 | 30 | 17 | 12 | 1 | 78 | 63 | |
| Northern Michigan | 14 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 40 | 47 | 29 | 11 | 17 | 1 | 79 | 103 | |
| Alabama–Huntsville | 14 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 18 | 49 | 22 | 3 | 18 | 1 | 31 | 80 | |
| Ferris State | 14 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 28 | 59 | 25 | 1 | 23 | 1 | 55 | 103 | |
| Alaska | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Alaska Anchorage | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Championship: March 20, 2021 † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll | |||||||||||||||||
Schedule and Results[edit]
| Date | Time | Opponent# | Rank# | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | |||||||||||
| November 13 | 7:07 PM | vs. Adrian* | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | Dop | W 6–2 | 300 | 1–0–0 | ||||
| November 21 | 7:05 PM | vs. Adrian* | #19 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | Rose | W 5–0 | 0 | 2–0–0 | |||
| December 1 | 7:00 PM | at Robert Morris* | #18 | Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania | Dop | W 6–3 | 0 | 3–0–0 | |||
| December 5 | 1:30 PM | vs. Mercyhurst* | #18 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | Rose | L 1–2 | 300 | 3–1–0 | |||
| December 6 | 3:00 PM | at Mercyhurst* | #18 | Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania | Dop | W 3–1 | 149 | 4–1–0 | |||
| December 11 | 7:07 PM | vs. Ferris State* | #16 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | Rose | W 3–2 | 300 | 5–1–0 | |||
| December 12 | 7:07 PM | at Ferris State* | #16 | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | Dop | W 6–2 | 0 | 6–1–0 | |||
| December 18 | 7:00 PM | at #11 Quinnipiac* | #13 | People's United Center • Hamden, Connecticut | Rose | W 4–1 | 0 | 7–1–0 | |||
| December 19 | 7:00 PM | at #11 Quinnipiac* | #13 | People's United Center • Hamden, Connecticut | Dop | W 4–2 | 0 | 8–1–0 | |||
| December 29 | 3:07 PM | vs. Robert Morris* | #7 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | Rose | W 2–1 | 300 | 9–1–0 | |||
| January 2 | 3:07 PM | at Ferris State | #7 | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | FloHockey.tv | Dop | W 6–1 | 250 | 10–1–0 (1–0–0) | ||
| January 3 | 3:07 PM | at Ferris State | #7 | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | FloHockey.tv | Rose | W 4–2 | 250 | 11–1–0 (2–0–0) | ||
| January 7 | 7:07 PM | vs. Bemidji State | #7 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | FloHockey.tv | Dop | W 3–2 | 300 | 12–1–0 (3–0–0) | ||
| January 8 | 7:07 PM | vs. Bemidji State | #7 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | FloHockey.tv | Dop | L 3–4 OT | 300 | 12–2–0 (3–1–0) | ||
| January 11 | 7:00 PM | at USNTDP* | #7 | USA Hockey Arena • Plymouth, Michigan (Exhibition) | Rich | L 1–5 | 250 | ||||
| January 15 | 7:07 PM | vs. Northern Michigan* | #8 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | Dop | W 5–1 | 300 | 13–2–0 | |||
| January 16 | 7:07 PM | vs. Northern Michigan* | #8 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | Rose | W 6–2 | 300 | 14–2–0 | |||
| January 21 | 6:07 PM | at Bemidji State* | #5 | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota | Dop | L 1–2 | 0 | 14–3–0 | |||
| January 22 | 3:07 PM | at Bemidji State* | #5 | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota | Dop | L 1–3 | 0 | 14–4–0 | |||
| January 29 | 7:07 PM | vs. #18 Michigan Tech | #8 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | FloHockey.tv | Dop | W 6–3 | 300 | 15–4–0 (4–1–0) | ||
| January 30 | 7:07 PM | vs. #18 Michigan Tech | #8 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | FloHockey.tv | Rose | W 5–2 | 300 | 16–4–0 (5–1–0) | ||
| February 5 | 8:07 PM | at #6 Minnesota State | #8 | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota | FloHockey.tv | Dop | L 0–4 | 150 | 16–5–0 (5–2–0) | ||
| February 6 | 7:07 PM | at #6 Minnesota State | #8 | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota | FloHockey.tv | Rose | L 1–5 | 150 | 16–6–0 (5–3–0) | ||
| February 12 | 7:07 PM | vs. Lake Superior State | #12 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | FloHockey.tv | Dop | L 1–2 OT | 300 | 16–7–0 (5–4–0) | ||
| February 13 | 7:07 PM | vs. Lake Superior State | #12 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | FloHockey.tv | Dop | L 2–5 | 300 | 16–8–0 (5–5–0) | ||
| February 20 | 6:07 PM | at Northern Michigan | #14 | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan | FloHockey.tv | Dop | T 0–0 SOL | 250 | 16–8–1 (5–5–1) | ||
| February 21 | 4:07 PM | at Northern Michigan | #14 | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan | FloHockey.tv | Dop | W 6–2 | 250 | 17–8–1 (6–5–1) | ||
| February 24 | 7:07 PM | vs. Alabama–Huntsville | #13 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | FloHockey.tv | Dop | W 5–0 | 300 | 18–8–1 (7–5–1) | ||
| February 28 | 4:07 PM | at Alabama–Huntsville | #13 | Von Braun Center • Huntsville, Alabama | FloHockey.tv | Dop | W 4–2 | 1,313 | 19–8–1 (8–5–1) | ||
| WCHA Tournament | |||||||||||
| March 12 | 7:07 PM | vs. Northern Michigan* | #13 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio (WCHA Quarterfinals Game 1) | Dop | L 3–4 | 630 | 19–9–1 | |||
| March 13 | 7:07 PM | vs. Northern Michigan* | #13 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio (WCHA Quarterfinals Game 2) | Dop | W 5–0 | 630 | 20–9–1 | |||
| March 14 | 5:07 PM | vs. Northern Michigan* | #13 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio (WCHA Quarterfinals Game 3) | Dop | L 1–5 | 630 | 20–10–1 | |||
| Bowling Green Lost Series 1–2 | |||||||||||
| *Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. | |||||||||||
Scoring statistics[edit]
| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Kruse | LW | 31 | 11 | 23 | 34 | 26 |
| Cameron Wright | LW | 31 | 13 | 16 | 29 | 32 |
| Connor Ford | RW | 31 | 16 | 12 | 28 | 10 |
| Will Cullen | D | 28 | 6 | 19 | 25 | 54 |
| Max Johnson | C | 27 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 8 |
| Alex Barber | F | 31 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 35 |
| Taylor Schneider | LW | 31 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 8 |
| Tim Theocharidis | D | 31 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 8 |
| T. J. Lloyd | D | 31 | 0 | 14 | 14 | 26 |
| Gavin Gould | F | 21 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 6 |
| Sam Craggs | LW | 27 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 55 |
| Evan Dougherty | RW | 31 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 20 |
| Carson Musser | D | 31 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 8 |
| Justin Wells | D | 31 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 18 |
| Seth Fyten | F | 28 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Ethan Scardina | F | 24 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 |
| Christopher Collin | C/LW | 21 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| Garrett Daly | D | 29 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| Anton Malmström | D | 20 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 17 |
| Chase Danol | F | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Adam Pitters | F | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 20 |
| Adam Conquest | RW | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Eric Dop | G | 23 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Max Coyle | D | 23 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Brett Rich | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trevor St. Jean | F | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cam Babiak | D | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Zack Rose | G | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bench | - | - | - | - | - | 6 |
| Total | 108 | 185 | 293 | 393 |
Goaltending statistics[edit]
| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brett Rich | 1 | 1:59 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0.00 |
| Zack Rose | 10 | 545 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 178 | 1 | .908 | 1.98 |
| Eric Dop | 23 | 1306 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 47 | 566 | 2 | .923 | 2.16 |
| Empty Net | - | 11 | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 31 | 1865 | 20 | 10 | 1 | 67 | 744 | 4† | .917 | 2.15 |
† Dop and Rich shared a shutout on February 24
Rankings[edit]
| Poll | Week | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 (Final) | ||||
| USCHO.com | NR | 19 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 17 | - | 18 | |||
| USA Today | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 12 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | NR | NR | NR | NR | |||
USCHO did not release a poll in week 20.[7]
Awards and honors[edit]
| Player | Award | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| Will Cullen | WCHA Defensive Player of the Year | [8] |
| Will Cullen | WCHA First Team | [9] |
| Brandon Kruse | ||
| Connor Ford |
References[edit]
- ^ "NCAA approves blanket waiver for 2020 fall sports athletes to retain year of eligibility". CBS Sports. August 21, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- ^ "DI Council grants waiver to allow transfer student-athletes to compete immediately". NCAA. December 16, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- ^ "Bracketology: With Selection Sunday around the corner, taking one last stab at how the NCAA hockey tournament field will look". USCHO. March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- ^ "2020–21 Ice Hockey Roster". Bowling Green Athletics. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
- ^ "Bowling Green Falcons (Men) 2020-2021 Schedule and Results". College Hockey Stats. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- ^ "Bowling Green State Univ. 2020-2021 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
- ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
- ^ "WCHA announces individual award winners". The Sault News. March 11, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
- ^ "WCHA Announces 2020-21 All-League Teams". WCHA.com. March 10, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.