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The new USCHO poll has been released, and Bowling Green is solidly 12th in the country for the 4th consecutive week.

Coming off their 5 point weekend against Ferris State, our Falcons will now host the biggest series here in town in a very long time, as the #3 Minnesota State Mavericks (14-2-0) come to town. Friday's game will begin at 7:37pm, and Saturday's game will start at 7:07pm.

This series is important for us, and it's one that we need to show we belong in. We continue to sit 3rd in the WCHA standings, trailing Michigan Tech and this Minnesota State team, so it's important for us to keep winning to keep the pace with those at the top of the conference. At least a split here will be HUGE for our guys.

Goaltender Stats

Minnesota State
Mathias Israelsson: GAA - 1.41, SV% - .924, 7-0-0
Dryden McKay: GAA - 2.04, SV% - .914, 7-2-0

BGSU
Ryan Bednard: GAA - 1.88, SV% - .921, 9-2-2
Eric Dop: GAA - 1.48, SV% - .938, 2-1-1

MSU's Last 5:
vs. Anchorage W, 6-0
vs. Anchorage W, 4-1
@ LSSU W, 3-0
@ LSSU W, 4-2
@ Bemidji State L, 4-2

Leave your predictions and thoughts for this weekend below. Go Falcons!

Falcon Hockey Weekly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIlEH3Z5-jg" target="_blank

Before leaving any predictions, any updates on:

Schilling (I assume he's done until after the break at the earliest)
Baylis
Johnson
Theo

Depending on the answers, I'll likely change my predictions.

MSU coach Mike Hastings looks to be in Washington state this weekend at the World Junior Camp, so they should be coached by assistants this weekend.

https://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/ ... am-USA.php

I think we get swept. My only reason being is that if I set my expectations low, i won't get hurt as much if it happens.

Every series with them for the past few years has been very competitive and ended in splits. I expect the same with this series.

Telling weekend. Either going to be fighting for 1st or 3rd the rest of the year after this weekend.

I'm going to be cheering like crazy with my orange tinted glasses on.

Speculation:
Chances we sweep: 20%
Chances get swept: 35%
Chances of a split: 45%


Split gains us zero ground but would be hard to walk away from disappointed. Just have to settle for scoreboard watching the following two months and have no slip ups against teams we're better then.

Really good first period except for a brain cramp at our blue line that led to their goal 3 seconds later.

Really nice second.

3 powerplay goals and an empty netter means BG WINS 4-1.

TalonsUpPuckDown wrote:Really good first period except for a brain cramp at our blue line that led to their goal 3 seconds later.

That "brain cramp" should have been called interference. Lots of hits after the whistle and to the back. There's no denying Minnesota State is a dangerous team...

That’s the best 60 min we’ve played in a while. If we brought that level of intensity to some of our other games we’d be a few points higher in the standings.

I'll call that a statement win.

There was a lot of frustration on the Purple Cow's bench tonight. One really bad defensive error led to their lone goal tonight, otherwise I thought we played well from beginning to end. Oh, and this win bumped our PWR ranking to 10th in case anyone was wondering.

BGFan wrote:There was a lot of frustration on the Purple Cow's bench tonight. One really bad defensive error led to their lone goal tonight, otherwise I thought we played well from beginning to end. Oh, and this win bumped our PWR ranking to 10th in case anyone was wondering.

Agree. I think we got them to play our "heavy" style which befits us a lot more than them. Not having Hastings behind the bench to keep a lid on things didn't help. Thank goodness our PP was working tonight, we made them pay for those penalties.

TalonsUpPuckDown wrote:

BGFan wrote:There was a lot of frustration on the Purple Cow's bench tonight. One really bad defensive error led to their lone goal tonight, otherwise I thought we played well from beginning to end. Oh, and this win bumped our PWR ranking to 10th in case anyone was wondering.

Agree. I think we got them to play our "heavy" style which befits us a lot more than them. Not having Hastings behind the bench to keep a lid on things didn't help. Thank goodness our PP was working tonight, we made them pay for those penalties.

Bergeron put the highly successful unit from the beginning of the year back together. The sophomores and Rauhauser.