It becomes a recreation 29 years inside the making, however lamentably for the Falcons, it ended in defeat. Bowling Green went toe to toe with Minnesota Duluth in the Midwest Regional matchup. However, Parker Mackay beats Ryan Bednard in time beyond regulation to help the Bulldogs pass one step towards the Frozen Four. Meanwhile, BG has some adjustments coming in the offseason. Before the hockey season formally ends, let’s take a glance back at a sincerely memorable and ancient season for this application.
Way back in October, Bowling Green had an offensive explosion during the first month of the season. They posted 36 goals in their out of convention time table, inclusive of two eight aim performances in opposition to Mercyhurst and #4 Ohio State. Add in a sweep of Western Michigan, and the Falcons emerge as the 9th ranked group inside the kingdom headed into conference play.
That’s wherein the season started to shift for Bowling Green. During October and November, a team that seemed like a lock for an at-huge bid to the NCAA event changed into sliding. The “gambling to the opponent” narrative begins to shift into place. On one aspect of the coin, collection against Ferris State or Alaska Anchorage, what a few would consider the smooth collection, include challenges. The other side? Third-ranked Mankato is swept out of Slater Family Ice Arena with a back-to-returned 4-1 victory for the Falcons.
There would no longer be a chain sweep for the rest of the regular season. Instead, each collection after that Minnesota State sweep could be split together with series in opposition to Ferris, Alabama-Huntsville, Bemidji State, and two in opposition to Alaska Fairbanks. This placed a cloud over the at-huge hopes of Bowling Green until the WCHA playoffs got here around.
Round, one of the WCHA tournament, noticed an easy sweep of Michigan Tech that started with a top-notch come-from-behind victory in recreation. BG scored three consecutive goals in the 0.33 duration 1: forty-six aside–the game-winning goal coming courtesy of Max Johnson.
In Marquette, in a rematch from last season’s WCHA semifinal, Bowling Green avenged a sequence loss from the previous yr. Simultaneously, Sam Craggs scored in double extra time to send the Falcons to the WCHA Championship in opposition to Minnesota State. They carried that high with them into the first two intervals of that championship fit. Frederic Letourneau and Alec Rauhauser positioned the squad up 2-zero. Still, Bowling Green collapses tough in the final mins of regulation, and the Mavericks tie matters up on more attacker goals followed by way of a beyond regular time clinching goal.
While Brandon Kruse’s 2d period aimed towards Minnesota Duluth changed into insufficient to boost the Falcons over the Midwest Regional hump, it turned into an ancient highlight for this system. A program that now faces questions headed into the offseason.
The declaration Falcon hockey lovers were hoping to keep away from this offseason came six days after the season’s last recreation. Friday morning Miami University named Chris Bergeron as their head teacher following a nine-year stint with Bowling Green. “On behalf of my circle of relatives and myself, I want to say an honest ‘Thank you’ for the last nine years,” Bergeron said in an assertion from Bowling Green Athletics Friday morning. “Your unconditional aid from our early rebuilding years to the turnout ultimate Saturday in Allentown has meant greater to me than you will ever understand.”
It was reported Bowling Green prolonged a suggestion to Bergeron that might be a salary increase. His previous profits with the Falcons changed into $185,000 annually. “The previous few days have been very tough for me because President (Rodney) Rogers, Bob Moosbrugger, and Jim Elsasser stepped up and showed their commitment to Falcon hockey. Having to pick between locations that I love dearly has been the toughest decision I even have ever needed to make. Thank you for permitting me to be part of this software that means a lot to all of you. We are extraordinarily proud that we are leaving this system higher than we observed it,” said Bergeron.
Bowling Green State University hockey became at the cutting block while it turned into placed into Chris Bergeron’s palms. From day one, a subculture surrounding the significance of the hockey program at the college became put in the vicinity and has gotten lower back to the countrywide relevance that it merits.
Assistant teacher Ty Eigner is reportedly a candidate for the open positions, but there might be a country-wide search for Bergeron’s substitute. Here’s an examination of who Bowling Green ought to probably lease:
1. Ty Eigner (Assistant, Bowling Green, WCHA)
Eigner has been with the Falcons for the beyond nine seasons alongside Chris Bergeron. However, he isn’t rumored to be headed to Miami with him. Working intently with the defense, Eigner has helped the team become a strong penalty killing crew and competitive in their very own region. He has some head training enjoys a high school degree in Minnesota, which includes Rosemount and Brainerd. Eigner additionally served as Bowling Green’s captain in 1992-93 below Jerry York.
2. B.J. Adams (Assistant, Erie Otters, OHL)
A former defenseman for Bowling Green, Adams received team accolades inclusive of maximum precious player and pinnacle defenseman in his 1996-2000 career in the orange and brown. Since then, Adams has long passed on to grow to be a shielding mind behind the bench. As an associate with Canisius College from 2009-2014, Adams led one of the state’s pinnacle scoring defenses in addition to the penalty kill. The Golden Griffins additionally claimed a 2013 Atlantic Hockey Championship beneath his steerage.
Working with Kris Knoblauch and Chris Hartsburg in Erie, Adams has helped the Otters boast a robust and innovative protecting center, contributing to the group’s OHL Championship and Memorial Cup Final look in 2017.
3. Wayne Wilson (Head Coach, RIT, AHC)
Twenty years at the Rochester Institute of Technology and just shy of 350 wins and a Spencer Penrose Award as the kingdom’s pinnacle train in 2010. Not to say he changed into a part of the 1984 Bowling Green crew that won the National Championship.
Wilson signed an extension with RIT in 2015 that runs through the 2021-21 season.
4. Ken Klee (Assistant, Syracuse Crunch, AHL)
After serving because the United States Women’s National Team’s bench boss in 2015 and 2016, former Falcon Ken Klee has spent the beyond seasons with the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League as an assistant coach. Another defensive guru of a educate for a Crunch team has seen a successful penalty kill at some point of his tenure, even as allowing the second-fewest dreams towards this season. Klee, who played three seasons for Bowling Green spanning 1989-ninety two, collected forty-one points in 88 video games played at the blueline.
