Bowling Green is guaranteed to be on the road for the first round of the Central Collegiate Hockey
Association playoffs.
The only question is where the Falcons will be headed for their first-round best-of-3 series March 4-5-6.
The top five teams receive first-round byes, with the sixth- through 11th-place teams playing those
first-round series.
The sixth-, seventh- and eighth-place teams will host those series.
The Falcons, 8-21-3 overall and 3-18-3-1 in the league, have clinched last place in the CCHA and will
visit the No. 6 seed in the first round.
Northern Michigan, Alaska and Lake Superior are tied for sixth with 35 points. But Alaska has played two
more games.
BG hosts Northern Friday and Saturday nights at 7:05.
"We’re definitely looking (where we might go)," BG coach Chris Bergeron said. "We’re not
talking to the players about it, but we’re looking as a (coaching staff)."
Four other teams – Western Michigan, Ferris State, Michigan State and Ohio State – still could host BG.
The fourth- through eighth-place teams are separated by only six points.
SERIES: The Falcons split a November series at Northern, winning 3-2 in the opener and losing 5-1 in the
second game.
SWEEP: The Wildcats ended a four-game losing streak last weekend with a 4-2, 6-5 sweep at MSU.
NMU is 13-15-4 overall and 11-11-2-0 in the CCHA, just three points behind fourth-place Western.
NMU is 6-8-3 at the road and those six wins are tied for the second-most in the league.
"When they’re on, they’re going to be a handful for anybody in this league and they’ve proven that
with their results," Bergeron said.
"What’s made them a strong road team is their attention to small details in games, their ability to
take advantage of other team’s mistakes. They don’t necessarily take it to you, take it to you, take it
to you. But they compete and then you make a mistake and they take advantage. Their opportunism is
probably their strongest suit along with their willingness to compete on the road."
NMU was sixth in the coaches poll.
INJURIES: Bergeron said defenseman Jake Sloat (quad contusion) could play this weekend, while defenseman
Ian Ruel and forward Marc Rodriguez are questionable with "slight concussions suffered last weekend
at Notre Dame.
