With a strong first half of play and success against nonconference opponents, Bowling Green had put
itself in prime position for a berth in the NCAA tournament, barring any second-half collapse.
A split last weekend against a marginal Bemidji State team made that road to the NCAA a little bit
tougher, and the 10th-ranked Falcons will have to be exceptional over their final 14 games if they’re to
earn an at-large bid. Of course, they can win the Western Collegiate Hockey Association tournament and
earn an automatic bid.
But it’s a little bit early to be speculating just yet, and Bowling Green is hardly even considering
thinking about the postseason with its current up-and-down play on the ice.
“I want this program to be one that we appreciate the attention, we think we’ve earned it to some regard.
But our focus is to get better each day, not to get caught up in other things,” Falcons coach Chris
Bergeron said. “That’s where you lean on the older guys to not let that happen.
“On the other side of that coin is there is social media and they’re kids and they’re humans. They see it
and they hear it. But the only reason they see and hear things about Bowling Green hockey is because of
the way we’ve played. We have to keep that in mind.”
Bowling Green (14-4-3, 9-3-2) stumbled out of the gate in its return to the ice from winter break. It’s
been a common theme for the Falcons over the last six seasons.
This week, they’re hoping to get back on track when they travel to Michigan Tech (10-10-2, 9-4-1). Puck
drop on Friday and Saturday in the MacInnes Student Ice Arena is 7:07 p.m.
Bowling Green sits with 31 points, good for second in the WCHA — two points behind Minnesota State. The
Huskies are fourth with 29 points. They’re coming off a weekend in which they were swept by the
Mavericks.
“What you mark it to is (Bemidji State) had played two games that counted against Air Force and didn’t
get the results they were looking for so they were trying to respond to that. We were coming off an
exhibition game plus 10 days off before that,” Bergeron said of his team’s sub-par return last weekend.
“That’s nothing more than excuses. I don’t like it. But what happened to the team that played the 13th
and 14th of December, that’s coaching, trying to figure out what that is,” he added, referring to BG’s
sweep over Minnesota State just prior to the extended break. “And that’s what you do is just reaching
and basically coming up with excuses.”
Friday will mark the first meeting between Bowling Green and Michigan Tech this season. The Falcons went
3-1-1 against the Huskies last season, including a win the championship game of the Great Lakes
Invitational.
The results have been fairly even in Bowling Green’s last nine games at Michigan Tech. The Falcons are
4-3-2 in MacInnes Student Ice Arena over the last five seasons. One of the losses was a double overtime
loss in the WCHA championship game in 2017.
The Huskies are 5-3-1 at home this season, including a 5-1-1 mark during WCHA play.
“I think they play really well at home. So, now you’ve got a good team in their building, who plays well
in their building,” Bergeron said. “There’s atmosphere there, but it’s not atmosphere that we haven’t
seen before and atmosphere we haven’t done fine in before.
“This is just a matter of making sure we’re ready mentally and physically for the challenge at hand. This
isn’t going to be something that is going to surprise us or is different than we’ve ever seen before.”
CRAGGS: Bowling Green junior forward Lukas Craggs will not travel with the team this weekend due to an
upper-body injury suffered last Friday against Bemidji State.
Craggs leads the Falcons with 13 goals. He is third on the team with 17 points. On Monday, he was named
the national player of the month by the Hockey Commissioners Association.
Craggs scored six goals and added two assists in December. Three of those goals were game-winners as
Bowling Green went 5-0-1.
WCHA STANDINGS
~Pts~W~L~T~GF~GA
Minnesota State~33~16~5~1~82~46
Bowling Green~31~14~4~3~75~37
Northern Michigan~30~11~10~0~49~46
Michigan Tech~29~10~10~2~63~62
Lake Superior State~25~13~6~1~67~50
Bemidji State~22~9~10~3~55~56
Alaska~14~4~14~2~37~72
Alabama Huntsville~12~4~18~0~32~69
Ferris State~10~6~15~1~62~84
Alaska Anchorage~4~2~17~1~22~73
Friday’s Games
Bowling Green at Michigan Tech, 7:07 p.m.
Minnesota State at Ferris State
Alabama Huntsville at Lake Superior State
Alaska at Bemidji State
Northern Michigan at Alaska Anchorage
Saturday’s Games
Bowling Green at Michigan Tech, 7:07 p.m.
Minnesota State at Ferris State
Alabama Huntsville at Lake Superior State
Alaska at Bemidji State
Northern Michigan at Alaska Anchorage
