For the Bowling Green hockey team, big changes come ahead.

Having honored ten seniors last season and junior Anton Malmstrom signing a pro contract with St. Louis Blues, the Falcons look to replace a veteran team in the transfer portal.

Players transferring out of BG:

G Zack Rose: A senior who has been with the team since the 2019-20 season, has decided to transfer to new CCHA opponent Augustana.

The Vikings will be playing their inaugural season next year.

Despite battling hip injuries, Rose had a very successful stint in the orange and brown.

He ranked sixth in program history in goals against average at 2.69 and tenth in save percentage at.894.

Playing in 42 games for the Falcons, Rose played five games last season, his last game being a 7-4 win on Dec. 12.

F Adam Pitters: Another senior and the only other Falcon so far to join the transfer portal, has committed to Long Island University.

Coming from the same recruiting class as Rose, he played 102 games for the Falcons, including 27 this past season.

He ends his Bowling Green career with six goals, 17 assists, and 23 points.

A highlight of his career came on December 29, 2021, when he scored a Michigan Lacrosse-style goal in the first annual QuickTrip Holiday Faceoff.

Players joining Bowling Green:

F Spencer Kersten: A senior transferring from Princeton with one more year of college eligibility.

At Princeton, he played 91 games spanning across three seasons (did not play in the 2020–21 season).

In those 91 games, he had 38 points on 15 goals and 23 assists.

He does have a past relationship with current Falcon Ryan O’Hara, as they played together in 2018–19 for the Oakville Blades of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL).

This will be an interesting storyline to think about going into the season as the coaching staff looks to replace graduating senior Chase Gresock on the Austen Swankler and O’Hara line that found lots of success last year.

D Tommy Pasanen: A junior transferring from Clarkson with two more years of college eligibility.

Pasanen joins a gutted defense that is only returning three players from last year. 

He played 60 games in the past two seasons with a plus/minus of +11 and 13 points on five goals and eight assists.

He also has a past relationship with a Falcon, as he was former teammates with freshman forward Jaden Grant, who is playing for the Sioux City Musketeers of the United States Hockey League (USHL) in the 2019–20 season.

F Owen Ozar: A sophomore transferring from Denver with two more years of college eligibility.

At Denver, he played 48 games, making the playoffs both years with the Pioneers, including winning the national championship in 2022.

In those 48 games, he recorded seven points on one goal and six assists.

Ozar is also a former teammate of current sophomore Ryan O’Hara; they played together for the Waterloo Black Hawks of the USHL in the 2020-21 season.

He will also probably be in consideration for replacing Chase Gresock on that first line.

F Josh Nodler: A senior transferring from UMass Amherst with one more year of college eligibility.

The Falcons will be Nodler’s third school, he played three years at Michigan State before UMass.

Throughout his college career, Nodler has played 126 games with 39 points, including 15 goals and 24 assists.

Nodler also breaks a two-year drought for the Falcons without an NHL drafted player on the roster.

He was drafted by the Calgary Flames in 2019, going 150th overall in the 5th round.

The last Falcon who played after being drafted was Brandon Kruse, who was drafted 135th overall in the 5th round of the 2018 draft.

With just under 40 days left before the transfer portal opens for college hockey, there is a lot to look forward to for the 2023-24 roster. 

For more information, visit the athletics webpage.