The Falcons would like to put last weekend behind them.
After playing their best hockey of the year in a home sweep of Nebraska-Omaha two weeks ago, the Falcons went to Notre Dame and were swept 9-4, 4-2 by a Notre Dame team who many felt the Falcons could beat.
However, the Falcon’s sloppy play one game and lack of scoring the next played right into the their hands, who scored 13 times on the weekend after only scoring 16 goals in their first six games. It was their first home series sweep since 2004.
Although BG has dropped to 2-6-1 on the season with a Central Collegiate Hockey Association record of 2-4-1, no one is feeling desperate.
“It’s nothing to push the panic button over,” Falcon defenseman Russ Sinkewich said. “We just have to move forward here and we’re definitely excited about this weekend with a good home series and getting back in our own rink.”
This weekend the Falcons will host the 20th ranked Northern Michigan Wildcats. It is the first of three straight CCHA series against three of the tougher teams in the league leading up to Christmas break. The Falcons will face Miami and Michigan State in the next two weekends in a home-and-home series before non-league opponents Clarkson and St. Lawrence come in the Ice Arena to end the first half of the season.
The Wildcats come into tonight 5-5 overall with a CCHA record of 2-4 which has them in a four-way tie for last place with four league points. Both face-offs are set for 7:05 p.m. as the series will conclude tomorrow evening.
“It’s quite clear that we have to focus on what we did Friday night playing a pretty good road game,” Falcon coach Scott Paluch said of what they could take into this weekend. “We didn’t get the points rebounding from Thursday night, but we played a game that was a very manageable game and a game that we need to play in order to get points.”
One who did contribute points for the Falcons on the weekend was Mike Falk. The senior forward scored three goals on the weekend and leads the team with eight goals and is third best on the team in points with nine.
“He [Falk] has continued to maintain a pretty steady pace here scoring goals,” Paluch said. “He’s been able to keep himself involved by moving his feet consistently through practices and through games and he is letting his shot and stick become a consist factor.”
The Falcon offense is averaging 3.3 goals a game which is good for fifth-best in the CCHA. However, they rank last in the league in goals against – allowing on average 4.67 goals per outing.
Freshman goaltender Jimmy Spratt had another rough outing on Thursday allowing nine goals. Jon Horrell faired better the next night, but the defense in front of the net-minders has continued to struggle.
This weekend the Falcons will be going against a team that takes pride in strong defensive play as the Wildcats have one of the best defensive cores in the country.
“They’re a very physical and sound defensive team,” Paluch said. “They’re near the top of the league in team defense and teams don’t get that many shots against them. It’s a battle any time you go against them.”
NMU comes in allowing only 2.4 goals a game – fourth best in the CCHA. This is due in part to play of goaltender Bill Zaniboni who has a 2.12 goals against average and save percentage of .916, but also is due to the play of their talented and very experienced defensive core.
“You talk about experience, they have a lot of guys back from the last couple of years,” Paluch said. “Oystrick is as good a two-way defenseman as there is in our league. Geoff Waugh is a big, strong, physical guy and they make it difficult to get second or third chances against them.”
On the other end of the ice, the Wildcats bring in as Paluch says, “as good as threesome at center as our league has to offer,” in Darin Olver, Dirk Southern and Mike Santorelli.
NMU has lost four straight games coming in after a hot start and will be looking to get back on pace.
“It’s a weekend series that I think will really play into our favor,” Sinkewich said. “We’re a team that really focuses on working hard, playing the body and moving the feet. Nothing soft, nothing fitness and that’ll play into our favor against a team like this that plays really similar to how we play.”
