It was a hard-fought and physical hockey game at the BG Ice Arena on Friday night. Bowling Green and Michigan State played a very evenly-matched game, which saw the Falcons come out on top for the first time in their last 12 meetings with the Spartans.
For the Falcons, it was their first CCHA win on the season and a big boost for the team.
“We now have one win in conference and we know we can win in conference,” team captain D’Arcy McConvey said.
The win over Michigan State is big for this program, which has been struggling in recent years. Beating a conference and national power like the Spartans will give the Falcons some attention this week in the CCHA and around the country.
This Spartan team isn’t the same team they have been in recent years, but is still a very talented group.
“We beat a very good club tonight,” Coach Scott Paluch said. “We feel good about this one and battled hard in the game.”
It’s been a big two-week stretch for the Falcon hockey team, one that saw them battle to two wins, a tie, and only one loss.
Two weekends ago, the Michigan Wolverines brought a very talented team into town for two games that had only one loss on the year. The Falcons hung with them in the first game before losing 6-4. The next night, the Falcons took the No. 6 team to overtime and ended the game with a tie at 1.
What seemed to be a lost season for the Falcons two weeks ago is starting to look up again. The Falcons have now won two games in a row and are starting to come together as a team.
The Falcons will hope to continue their winning streak in two weeks in a weekend CCHA series at Notre Dame. They will then travel to Minneapolis, Minnesota over the Christmas break to play in the Dodge Holiday Classic against Boston College on Dec. 27. The next day they will play either Minnesota or Yale, in the two-day classic.
Coach Scott Paluch commented on how the BG Ice Arena is a special place and how fan support is important.
“Since I first saw this place in 1984, it’s been a terrific place to play,” said Paluch. “With our fans, the crowd getting into it, this is one of the elite places to play. Our team has always fed off the BG fans.”
The next home games for the Falcons are Jan. 3-4 when Alaska-Fairbanks comes to town for two games. Fan support is crucial to having a good home ice advantage for the Falcons.
