One couldn’t have asked for much of a better start from BGSU hockey. They have two strong wins against a fair opponent and a couple of players forecasting a breakout this season.
Due to an oddly shaped schedule, BG will hold their undefeated record for at least another series of games.
The next two opponents will be Robert Morris and Simon Fraser, both a single game at home and being counted as exhibition, not adding wins or losses to either team.
Robert Morris (Oct. 10, 7:07 p.m.)
The Colonials are the first home contest for the Falcons this season, unveiling, in game format, the changes to the Slater Family Ice Arena (we will not describe them, so you can view them for yourself).
This will be the second consecutive year that RMU will play BGSU to open the Slater for the season.
If you want to see the Falcons take a win at home, this will be their easiest weekend of the season. RMU finished only 11-25-3 in 2023-24, a 7-17-2 conference record with a seven and four-game losing streak to start and finish the Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA) campaign.
Their record was subpar, and their statistics backed it up. They gave up the highest number of goals in the AHA, had the second worst win margin (-1.2), and the worst shot percentage (.087), all while being the second least viewed team in the conference, with only 717 attendees per game.
Only one colonial had a season to put on an all-conference level (he didn’t win, however). Sophomore Tanner Klimpke had an impressive freshman season, ranking 10th in goals (15) and 10th in shot percentage (.217) in the AHA. He also bolstered the most first goals (four) and power-play goals (five) on his team.
While The Colonials kept Klimpke, they lost their two next-best players to graduation: Rylee St. Onge and Dallas Tulik. St. Onge was the next-best scorer on the team, recording 11 goals and nine assists while playing every game for RMU. Tulik was a fellow fifth-year but the strongest defenseman, leading the team in assists with 17 and adding six goals for 26 points, the second most on the team (Klimpke 26).
RMU has yet to contest in 2024-25 and will play three exhibitions before beginning their recorded season with Miami (OH).
Simon Fraser (Oct. 13, 5:07 p.m.)
The Red Leafs finished 7-11-0-2 in the British Columbia Ice Hockey League (BCIHL), losing in their first round of the league tournament 5-3 to the Logan Lake Miners. Like RMU, it is a game the Falcons should be able to coast through.
They are a forward-offensive team, meaning their forwards score most of their points. Nick Wagner led their scoring with the most goals, assists, and total points (11-15-26). He was followed narrowly by Max Lightfoot who trailed Wagner by one goal and assist.
The positive to the Red Leafs? They have returned every player who recorded a point (19) and every goaltender who recorded a win (3) in 2023-24. They have essentially returned their entire roster while maintaining their two head coaches, Mark Coletta (non-con) and Mark Soares (BCIHL).
The Falcon Media Sports Network will broadcast only the game against Robert Morris on Thursday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m.
The voice of BGSU hockey, Ben Corak, will walk you through pregame and puck drop on WBGU 88.1 FM and bring you a postgame recap for both exhibition matches.
