| BG’s David Solway (left) makes his move against Lake Superior earlier this season. (Photo: Andrew Weber/Sentinel-Tribune) |
David Solway’s been through plenty of challenges during his four seasons as a member of the Bowling Green
Falcon hockey team.
The future of the program was in doubt after his sophomore season.
This season, BG is on its third head coach in as many seasons, and it’s had eight different assistant
coaches during the last four seasons.
And the Falcons have had little success on the ice the last three seasons, winning just 42 games overall
and 28 times in Central Collegiate Hockey Association play.
Through it all, however, Solway has been one of BG’s leaders and best players.
The senior captain’s solid all-around play and leadership have been a bright spot for BG, which closes
out its home season Friday and Saturday nights against Northern Michigan.
Solway has 31 goals and 41 assists in 141 games, including five goals and 10 assists in 32 games this
season. He plays in every situation and skates on the special teams.
"I look at the big picture, just what these four years have set me up for moving forward, being a
successful person in life after you graduate," said Solway, who has a 3.4 grade-point average in
business supply chain management.
He’ll graduate in May and hopes to play professionally in the American Hockey League or the East Coast
Hockey League. Once hockey is over, he’ll begin his career in business.
"It’s provided me a great education, it’s provided me career opportunities moving forward and
hockey-wise its provided opportunities to me to be a leader, to keep together a program," he said.
"They’re all of those little intangibles that people don’t see, but they’re the things that really
matter. Some day, I’ll be able to come back and say I got to be a part of what was going on here and
have that strong tradition of Bowling Green hockey in my heart."
In addition to his offense, the 5-foot-10, 167-pounder provides BG with energy and physical play.
He’s only missed four games in his career, two during his freshman season when he was sick and the first
two games of his junior season after a hit to the head during a preseason exhibition.
"I try to play a well-rounded game and do whatever I can to help the team," said the native of
Green Bay, Wis.
Solway’s tried to set a good example by working hard and keeping a positive attitude, even through the
Falcons are 42-90-12 overall and 28-70-10 in the CCHA during his career. BG will finish last or
next-to-last in the league each of his last three seasons.
"He’s taken this team on his shoulders in terms of the leadership," BG coach Chris Bergeron
said. "It’s been hard at times because he’s been on an island and we’re asking him to do things all
by himself and that’s not the way it’s supposed to be. He makes small hockey plays, he thinks the game
very well É He’s got offense to his game. It’s all based on energy, effort, competition."
BG has a young team with nine freshmen and 10 sophomores among its 25 players.
"I come to the rink with a positive attitude every day and chip in whatever I can to make the
program better than it was when I came in as a freshman," Solway said. "It’s been an overall
change in mentality, a change in culture, that if you come to the rink with that attitude to get better
on a daily basis, and not worry about yesterday and tomorrow, it’s easy to build and get better. I’m so
confident the results will show over time, that we will get the results we want."
When it looked like the BG program might be eliminated after the 2009-10 season, Solway announced he was
leaving – perhaps transferring to a more successful school like Wisconsin or Colorado College.
But approximately a month after deciding to leave, he opted to return to BG once the future of the
program was assured.
"I have no regrets whatsoever," he said. "I moved forward and made the best of my decision
when the time came. It was right for me to stay here. I’m extremely happy with how things have worked
out."
