Bowling Green’s hockey team already is looking forward to next season.
The Falcons have steadily improved during last four seasons, including records of 18-15-6 overall and a
tie for third-place in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.
The Falcons had a winning record overall for the first time since 1997 and a winning record in league
play for the first time since 2005.
BG, fourth in the WCHA coaches poll, also advanced to the semifinals of its league playoffs for the
second time in the last three seasons.
"I like where we are," said BG coach Chris Bergeron, who will be in his fifth season next fall.
"We’ve got good hockey players coming in wired the right way which is what we want. We want to put
it all together.
"We’re going to go into next year with expectations like we did this year. The difference will be
we’ve been through a year with expectations and through a year of playing with a lead and being a team
expected to win on some, not most, nights."
BG believes it’ll contend for a league championship next season. Its only major graduation losses are
captain Cam Wojtala and Bryce Williamson, who combined for 16 goals and 25 assists this season.
The Falcons were hurt by inconsistency, individually and as a team. BG also had trouble holding leads for
a good part of the season.
Ferris State and Minnesota State dominated the league. Ferris finished 11 points ahead of BG and MSU was
10 points better than the falcons.
"We show signs of being a more capable and a more ready team to take that next step," Bergeron
said. "We need people internally to go from where they are now to improve their game on the ice and
their preparation off the ice. We’ll continue to raise the bar and set standards. There’s no reason to
believe that’s not going to happen.
"What we’ve been through mentally is going to help prepare us for next year. Ferris and (Minnesota
State) had been there before. We’ve shown signs of not being there before and then we finished strong.
I’d like to be more consistent next year and that’s going to be a daily process like it has been from
the day we got here."
MINGO: Bergeron said the status of redshirt-sophomore Dajon Mingo will be determined shortly after the
spring semester ends May 9.
Mingo was ineligible for the second half of the season after sitting out BG’s first two weekends for
academic reasons. He also sat out his freshman season over eligibility issues.
"We know what his grades are and he’s going to have to battle, scratch and claw to get
eligible," Bergeron said. "If he doesn’t, he won’t be back. If he does, then there will be a
discussion to bring him back. We’ll have a conversation to make sure the expectations are known, so we
don’t go down this path again.
"We won’t continue to do this over the next two years. The negative distractions for this team have
to stop."
Mingo has 11 goals and 22 assists in 59 games, playing forward and defense.
FREIBERGS: There are rumors BG sophomore defenseman Ralfs Freibergs could turn pro before next season.
"From his perspective, there’s a chance," Bergeron said. "I just don’t know how much of a
chance there is. He came here with a mind-set of graduating. I don’t see why he wouldn’t stay on that
mind-set, but we’ll see."
Freibergs, who played for Latvia in the Olympics last month, is excellent offensively. He had three goals
and nine assists in 37 games, but struggled defensively with an on-ice rating of minus-4.
According to media reports in Latvia, Freibergs failed a drug test during the Olympics, although the NCAA
allowed him to keep his eligibility.
The Latvian hockey federation and Freibergs still are waiting for the final results of the drug test.
"I would sure hope that is something we can put an end to either way and bring some closure to that
situation," Bergeron said. "For everybody involved, from Bowling Green’s perspective, we have
to know where we go moving forward and what all that rumor is all about.
"What he know from an NCAA perspective is there’s a due process and we’re in the middle of
that."
