2023–24 Bowling Green Falcons men's ice hockey season
| 2023–24 Bowling Green Falcons men's ice hockey season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conference | 6th CCHA |
| Home ice | Slater Family Ice Arena |
| Rankings | |
| USCHO | NR |
| USA Today | NR |
| Record | |
| Overall | 13–22–1 |
| Conference | 11–12–1 |
| Home | 7–10–0 |
| Road | 6–12–1 |
| Coaches and captains | |
| Head coach | Ty Eigner |
| Assistant coaches | Curtis Carr Stavros Paskaris Dylan Schoen Buddy Powers |
| Bowling Green Falcons men's ice hockey seasons « 2022–23 2024–25 » | |
The 2023–24 Bowling Green Falcons men's ice hockey season was the 55th season of play for the program and the 45th in the CCHA. The Falcons represented Bowling Green State University, played their home games at the Slater Family Ice Arena and were coached by Ty Eigner in his 5th season.
Season[edit]
Just before the start of the season the team's leading scorer from last season, Austen Swankler, abruptly left school and entered the transfer portal.[1] Shortly afterwards, head coach Ty Eigner was placed on leave and three players were suspended due hazing allegations.[2] A little over a month later, an independent investigation discovered that older players had provided alcohol for underaged persons at an off-campus event. At the time there was no evidence that Eigner or any of his staff were aware of the behavior so the coach was reinstated. However, due to the nature of the violation, the school's athletic director, Derek van der Merwe, began to directly oversee the program while requiring the coaching staff to receive additional training to prevent a recurrence.[3] This incident was particularly galling for Bowling Green as the school was still recovering from the 2021 death of Stone Foltz that led to hazing becoming a felony under Ohio state law.[4]
The season progressed under a cloud and saw the get off to a very poor start. With the offense missing six of its top seven scorers from a year ago, the team desperately needed to be coached into a cohesive unit, something Eigner could not do while suspended. As a result, the Falcons didn't show much ability to score until November. The defense, too, suffered early and returning starter Christian Stoever was soon replaced by Cole Moore in goal. As a freshman, it took Moore took some time to get up to speed. He started to look like he had sorted himself out right about the same time that the offense began to come out of its hibernation. Beginning in mid-November, Bowling Green started acting like a functional team and was able to earn a split or better for four consecutive weeks. The steady play from the Falcons had them in the middle of the CCHA standings by Christmas.
The Falcons opened the second half of their season with a pair of defeats to Ohio State. The losses gave BG a terrible non-conference record and left the Falcons only one path to the NCAA tournament: a conference championship. The team took that to heart and once they resumed conference play, Bowling Green rolled over their competition. Over a month-long stretch, the Falcons went 6–1–1 and put themselves within shouting distance of a 1st-place finish. The offense looked better than it had all season and didn't even stop when their leading scorer, Ryan O'Hara, was injured on February 3.[5]
Just when it appeared that the team was heading for a home stand in the postseason and a better than average chance at a championship, the offense vanished. Bowling Green scored just 2 goals in its final four games. The four losses dropped the Falcons to 6th in the standings and forced them to hit the road for the quarterfinals. The opening match with Michigan Tech saw more of the same with the team getting shutout for the third time in as many weeks. The offense did show some signs of life in the third period and was able to continue that trend into the rematch. With their season on the line, the Falcons opened strong with two goals in the first 8 minutes. A lapse at the start of the second allowed Tech to take the lead but BG was able to regain the lead in the middle of the period. With their narrow lead, Bowling Green could ill-afford any mistakes but that's exactly what happened. The Falcons tool a pair of penalties in rapid succession to give the Huskies a lengthy 2-man advantage. Michigan Tech scored twice more before the third to retake the lead. BG tied the game once more at the start of the final frame but then continued to commit infractions. The Falcons were whistled for two minors in the third and while they were able to kill of the first, Tech netted its fourth power play goal of the game on the latter and swept the Falcons out of the postseason.
Shortly after the conclusion of the season, Eigner was fired.[6]
Departures[edit]
| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Barber | Forward |  United States |
Graduation (signed with Jokers de Cergy-Pontoise) |
| Nathan Burke | Forward | United States |
Graduation (signed with Orlando Solar Bears) |
| Max Coyle | Defenseman |  Canada |
Graduation (signed with Indy Fuel) |
| Evan Dougherty | Forward | United States |
Graduation (signed with Atlanta Gladiators) |
| Chase Gresock | Forward | United States |
Graduation (signed with San Jose Barracuda) |
| Hunter Lellig | Defenseman | United States |
Graduation (retired) |
| Anton Malmström | Defenseman |  Sweden |
Signed professional contract (St. Louis Blues) |
| Adam Pitters | Forward | United States |
Graduate transfer to Long Island |
| Zack Rose | Goaltender | Canada |
Graduate transfer to Augustana |
| Taylor Schneider | Forward | United States |
Graduation (retired) |
| Austen Swankler | Forward | United States |
Transferred to Michigan Tech |
| Zach Vinnell | Defenseman | Canada |
Graduation (signed with Indy Fuel) |
Recruiting[edit]
| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Bevilacqua | Defenseman | United States |
20 | Hamburg, NY |
| Ben Doran | Forward | United States |
20 | Chesterfield, MO |
| Spencer Kersten | Forward | Canada |
23 | Waterloo, ON; graduate transfer from Princeton |
| Breck McKinley | Defenseman | Canada |
19 | St. Albert, AB |
| Cole Moore | Goaltender | Canada |
20 | Toronto, ON |
| Josh Nodler | Forward | United States |
22 | Oak Park, MI; graduate transfer from Massachusetts; selected 150th overall in 2019 |
| Nicholas O'Hanisain | Defenseman | United States |
21 | Detroit, MI |
| Owen Ozar | Forward | Canada |
23 | Prince Albert, SK; transfer from Denver |
| Tommy Pasanen | Defenseman |  Finland |
22 | Schweinfurt, GER; transfer from Clarkson |
| Brandon Santa Juana | Forward | Canada |
21 | Langley, BC |
| Gustav Stjernberg | Defenseman | Sweden |
20 | Enebyberg, SWE |
| Brody Waters | Forward | Canada |
21 | Heidelberg, ON |
Roster[edit]
As of September 18, 2023.[7]
| No. | S/P/C | Player | Class | Pos | Height | Weight | DoB | Hometown | Previous team | NHL rights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 
|
Ben Wozney | Junior | D | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 194 lb (88 kg) | 2001-06-15 | Richmond, British Columbia | Penticton (BCHL) | — |
| 4 | 
|
Nick O'Hanisain | Freshman | D | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 181 lb (82 kg) | 2002-02-09 | Detroit, Michigan | Minot (NAHL) | — |
| 5 |
|
Gustav Stjernberg | Freshman | D | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 208 lb (94 kg) | 2002-10-12 | Enebyberg, Sweden | Des Moines (USHL) | — |
| 6 | 
|
Michael Bevilacqua | Freshman | D | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 187 lb (85 kg) | 2003-01-26 | Hamburg, New York | Des Moines (USHL) | — |
| 7 | 
|
Spencer Schneider | Junior | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 159 lb (72 kg) | 2000-09-11 | Lakeville, Minnesota | Aberdeen (NAHL) | — |
| 8 |
|
Brandon Santa Juana | Freshman | F | 5' 8" (1.73 m) | 173 lb (78 kg) | 2002-08-05 | Langley, British Columbia | Salmon Arm (BCHL) | — |
| 10 |
|
Josh Nodler | Graduate | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 2001-04-27 | Oak Park, Michigan | Massachusetts (HEA) | CGY, 150th overall 2019 |
| 11 |
|
Taylor Schneider | Graduate | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 1998-02-18 | Lakeville, Minnesota | Dubuque (USHL) | — |
| 13 |
|
Brett Pfoh | Sophomore | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 179 lb (81 kg) | 2002-01-22 | Port Moody, British Columbia | Spruce Grove (AJHL) | — |
| 14 |
|
Dalton Norris | Sophomore | D | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 183 lb (83 kg) | 2001-09-28 | Oxford, Michigan | Lincoln (USHL) | — |
| 15 | 
|
Spencer Kersten | Graduate | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 2000-05-16 | Waterloo, Ontario | Princeton (ECAC) | — |
| 16 |
|
Brayden Krieger | Junior | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | 2001-02-09 | Elora, Ontario | Brooks (AJHL) | — |
| 17 |
|
Ethan Scardina | Senior | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 192 lb (87 kg) | 2000-11-02 | South Surrey, British Columbia | Nanaimo (BCHL) | — |
| 18 | 
|
Quinn Emerson | Sophomore | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 2001-03-12 | Manhattan Beach, California | Wenatchee (BCHL) | — |
| 20 |
|
Ryan O'Hara | Junior | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 2001-07-18 | Oakville, Ontario | Waterloo (USHL) | — |
| 21 | 
|
Seth Fyten | Senior | F | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 187 lb (85 kg) | 2000-11-23 | Didsbury, Alberta | Spruce Grove (AJHL) | — |
| 22 | 
|
Owen Ozar | Junior | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 156 lb (71 kg) | 2000-04-05 | Prince Albert, Saskatchewan | Denver (NCHC) | — |
| 23 | 
|
Ben Doran | Freshman | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 177 lb (80 kg) | 2003-02-27 | Chesterfield, Missouri | Sioux City (USHL) | — |
| 24 |
|
Eric Parker | Junior | D | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 2001-01-15 | Calgary, Alberta | Okotoks (AJHL) | — |
| 25 | 
|
Tommy Pasanen | Senior | D | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 218 lb (99 kg) | 2001-07-30 | Schweinfurt, Germany | Clarkson (ECAC) | — |
| 26 |
|
Jack Blake | Sophomore | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 2001-09-21 | Manhattan Beach, California | Oakville (OJHL) | — |
| 27 |
|
Breck McKinley | Freshman | D | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 2003-10-08 | St. Albert, Alberta | Spruce Grove (AJHL) | — |
| 28 |
|
Jaden Grant | Sophomore | F | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 192 lb (87 kg) | 2002-09-02 | White Lake, Michigan | Youngstown (USHL) | — |
| 29 |
|
Brody Waters | Freshman | F | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 203 lb (92 kg) | 2002-04-09 | Heidelberg, Ontario | Nanaimo (BCHL) | — |
| 30 |
|
Christian Stoever | Junior | G | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 2000-04-16 | Northville, Michigan | New Jersey (NAHL) | — |
| 31 | 
|
Peter Eigner | Junior | G | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 2002-05-04 | Bowling Green, Ohio | Tri-State (Midget AAA) | — |
| 34 |
|
Cole More | Freshman | G | 6' 6" (1.98 m) | 198 lb (90 kg) | 2003-06-04 | Toronto, Ontario | Aberdeen (NAHL) | — |
| 35 |
|
Salvatore Evola | Sophomore | G | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 2001-04-24 | Rochester, Michigan | Johnstown (NAHL) | — |
Standings[edit]
| Conference record | Overall record | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | ||
| Bemidji State † | 24 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 48 | 82 | 64 | 38 | 20 | 16 | 2 | 117 | 111 | |
| St. Thomas | 24 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 68 | 62 | 37 | 15 | 20 | 2 | 97 | 105 | |
| #20 Michigan Tech* | 24 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 63 | 54 | 40 | 19 | 15 | 6 | 109 | 102 | |
| Minnesota State | 24 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 38 | 73 | 62 | 37 | 18 | 15 | 4 | 111 | 96 | |
| Northern Michigan | 24 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 36 | 57 | 67 | 34 | 12 | 16 | 6 | 83 | 105 | |
| Bowling Green | 24 | 11 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 35 | 60 | 69 | 36 | 13 | 22 | 1 | 86 | 116 | |
| Lake Superior State | 24 | 11 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 79 | 73 | 38 | 17 | 20 | 1 | 114 | 113 | |
| Ferris State | 24 | 6 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 49 | 80 | 36 | 10 | 24 | 2 | 83 | 125 | |
| Augustana ^ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 12 | 18 | 4 | 90 | 105 | |
| Championship: March 22, 2024 † indicates conference regular season champion (MacNaughton Cup) * indicates conference tournament champion (Mason Cup) ^ Augustana is playing a transition schedule of 16 games against conference opponents that are not counted in the standings Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll | |||||||||||||||||
Schedule and results[edit]
Scoring statistics[edit]
| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan O'Hara | LW | 26 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 12 |
| Spencer Kersten | RW | 36 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 8 |
| Brett Pfoh | F | 34 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 28 |
| Brody Waters | LW | 34 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 25 |
| Josh Nodler | C/RW | 36 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 28 |
| Jaden Grant | F | 36 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 14 |
| Seth Fyten | F | 26 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 37 |
| Ethan Scardina | C | 26 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 22 |
| Quinn Emerson | C/RW | 36 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 10 |
| Gustav Stjernberg | D | 31 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 40 |
| Brandon Santa Juana | F | 36 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 16 |
| Dalton Norris | D | 23 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 19 |
| Ben Doran | F | 25 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 28 |
| Owen Ozar | F | 36 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 40 |
| Ben Wozney | D | 22 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 16 |
| Eric Parker | D | 33 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 29 |
| Michael Bevilacqua | D | 20 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 |
| Tommy Pasanen | D | 29 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 20 |
| Breck McKinley | D | 31 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Brayden Krieger | F | 26 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Adam Schankula | F | 14 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Christian Stoever | G | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Nick O'Hanisain | D | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| Jack Blake | F | 23 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Pete Eigner | G | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Salvatore Evola | F | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Spencer Schneider | F | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cole Moore | G | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 86 | 142 | 228 | 395 |
Goaltending statistics[edit]
| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cole Moore | 28 | 1378:19 | 10 | 13 | 1 | 66 | 734 | 1 | .918 | 2.87 |
| Christian Stoever | 17 | 755:33 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 41 | 327 | 1 | .889 | 3.26 |
| Salvatore Evola | 4 | 18:06 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | .875 | 3.31 |
| Empty Net | - | 18:32 | - | - | - | 8 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 36 | 2170:30 | 13 | 22 | 1 | 116 | 1068 | 2 | .902 | 3.21 |
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 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 (Final) | ||
| USCHO.com | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR | |
| USA Today | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | |
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 11 and 25.[10]
Note: USA Today did not release a poll in week 12.
References[edit]
- ^ "Forward Austen Swankler announces intent to transfer to Michigan Tech". The Rink Live. September 25, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
- ^ "Bowling Green hockey coach Eigner placed on leave, three players suspended over alleged off-campus hazing incident". USCHO. September 18, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
- ^ "Bowling Green reinstates hockey coach Eigner, notes student conduct code process ongoing with alleged hazing violations". USCHO. October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
- ^ "'Collin's Law' signed into law, stiffening penalties for hazing incidents at Ohio colleges". MSN. 5WLWT.
- ^ "CCHA weekend preview: St. Thomas welcomes surging Falcons to Mendota Heights". Rink Live. February 15, 2024. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
- ^ https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/bgsu/2024/03/11/bgsu-parts-ways-with-hockey-coach-eigner/stories/20240311100
- ^ "2023-24 Ice Hockey Roster". Bowling Green Falcons. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
- ^ "2023-24 Ice Hockey Schedule". Bowling Green Falcons. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
- ^ "Bowling Green State Univ. 2023-2024 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
- ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.