It is very rare that a CCHA school plays against true NHL-caliber talent. Maybe a couple of skaters in the entire conference will go on to be any level of NHL player. Bowling Green has played against some greatly talented teams this season, Ohio State and Western Michigan being the main ones.
BG’s exhibition opponent, the United States National Development Team (USNDT), has the highest density of prospects the program has faced since the 2022-23 season when they fell 6-3 in regulation.
In the loss at the Slater Family Ice Arena, BG skated against five certifiable studs. The most impressive being the San Jose Shark’s Will Smith who has scored 23 points in 49 games this NHL season and a 71-point scorer in 41 games with Boston College last season.
That 2022-23 USNDT also had three current star BC players: top two scoring forwards Gabe Perreault and Ryan Leonard and D-man Drew Fortescue, who has a team-high +25 rating this season.
Not to mention arguably the best goaltender in the NCAA right now, Michigan State’s Trey Augustine who sits at about two goals allowed per game and a .928 save percentage in the Big-10.
Oh, and they are all currently 19 or 20 years old.
Fast forward to the players from BG’s 2024-25 4-6 loss, who knows who on this team will be representing Team USA in the coming decade? Who will be the NHL talent of the future? Will we look back on LJ Mooney, Conrad Fondrk, or Jacob Kvasnicka and say we got to see them play, or will it be Will Moore, Cole McKinney, or Jack Murtagh we reminisce upon and of their game against BG when we did not know their name?
BG’s next escapade comes back to the regularly scheduled CCHA play against Bemidji State in Bemidji, Minn. With a sweep of the Beavers, Bowling Green could possibly clinch a home Mason Cup Playoff series, needing some Michigan Tech and St. Thomas losses as well.
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Ben Corak and Sean Connelly will have the broadcast from Bemidji on Friday, Feb. 21 at 7:45 and Saturday, Feb. 22 at 6:45 p.m. on WBGU 88.1 FM, located on local radio and streaming on bgfalconmedia.com.
