It had been a long five seasons since the last time Bowling Green (18-13-4) emerged victorious from a playoff series and six seasons since they were able to win a playoff series in front of their fans at the Slater Family Ice Arena.
BGSU head coach Dennis Williams was hired as the ninth head coach in program history in March of 2024.
Between BG’s recent streak of struggling once the playoffs roll around and the fact that it usually takes new head coaches a few years to find success after arriving with a new team, many people could be forgiven for expecting Bowling Green to struggle through the 2024-25 season.
“At the beginning of the year, I don’t know if our program really got a ton of respect of where we’d be,” said Williams. “I don’t think a lot of people probably think we are where we would be right now, outside of all of us in that room probably.”
However, breaking all trends and expectations, just under a year after originally being hired by BG, coach Williams led Bowling Green to a 4-0 win over Michigan Tech (16-17-3) to complete the sweep and secure the Orange and Brown’s first playoff series win since 2020.
“(Williams) has brought out the best in all of us,” said senior goalie Christian Stoever. “We’re not done here.”
The goal-scoring was started by the same man who finished the goal-scoring the night before. Junior forward Quinn Emerson, who scored the overtime winner in the previous night’s game, waited in the blue paint as senior forward and co-captain Ryan O’Hara skated behind the net and made a cross-crease pass to Emerson, who promptly tapped in the opportunity. Ben Doran was also awarded an assist on the play.
Not long after, Bowling Green would double their lead while on a power play opportunity thanks to the heroics of graduate forward and co-captain Ethan Scardina, who scored on the rebound after Doran set up junior forward Jaden Grant for the initial shot.
The first period also featured multiple scrums, resulting in two separate calls being called throughout the period. Both Michigan Tech’s Chase Pietila (whose penalty put BG on the power play opportunity that resulted in the Scardina goal) and BG’s Doran were issued roughing calls from two separate scrums.
By the end of the game, eight different penalties were assessed to the two teams, with penalties ranging from roughing to cross-checking and slashing.
The second period was noticeably less chippy than the first as both teams settled in and wished to not award their opponent power play opportunities. The period also saw BGSU take on a more defensive play style in order to prevent the Huskies from any dangerous scoring opportunities.
Despite the defensive playstyle, BG still outshot MTU nine to seven and had multiple truly dangerous scoring opportunities that simply couldn’t find that back of the net as Michigan Tech’s freshman goaltender Ryan Manzella was forced to make multiple key saves to keep his team within striking distance.
The third period would see BG return to adding numbers to the scoreboard when freshman forward Maxwell Martin scored on his own rebound after Manzella made a save on the initial shot off a wrap-around attempt. Jaden Grant was awarded the lone assist on the play.
Desperation started to build for Michigan Tech as time ticked off the clock and their season’s end drew closer and closer. The Huskies outshot the Falcons 11-10 in the final frame, and the Falcons relied on the effort of shot blockers and the superb play of senior goaltender Christian Stoever to hold onto their lead.
Multiple players stepped up and blocked shots, specifically Quinn Emerson and graduate forward Ville Immonen, blocking multiple shots throughout the game.
Stoever made saves on all 11 shots he faced in the third period, adding to his game total, which ended with the senior netminder making 27 saves on his way to his third shutout of the season.
Michigan Tech would pull their goaltender for the extra attacker with over six minutes remaining in the third period as a last-chance effort. Unfortunately for the Huskies, Ben Doran would score on the empty net to all but seal the game for the Falcons. Scardina was awarded the lone assist on the play.
“When it went in, it was just excitement to be able to celebrate with all the guys,” said Doran. “I think at that point, we kinda felt like we had it for sure.”
The final nail in the coffin for the Huskies was a penalty taken by senior forward and captain Jack Works with only two and a half minutes remaining in the third period.
The resulting Falcon powerplay allowed BG to hold onto puck possession and kill the clock long enough to prevent Michigan Tech from any more dangerous opportunities and secure the win in both the game and series.
Multiple Falcons had multiple-point performances between the two games.
Quinn Emerson finished the weekend with two goals, which happened to be the game-winning goal in each of their respective games.
Jaden Grant finished the weekend with one goal and two assists for three total points in the series.
Scardina had two points (a goal and an assist) within the final game alone and recorded seven shots on goal between the two games.
Ben Doran led the team in points for the weekend, recording three assists and a goal to add up to four total points. Doran assisted on both of Emerson’s game-winning goals, and his lone goal was the empty netter that secured the win for the Falcons in game two.
Stoever surrendered only one goal all weekend while making 47 saves and posting a .979 save percentage between the two games.
The pure joy amongst the players (who were swept by Michigan Tech in the first round of the 2024 playoffs) is undeniable.
“I’m thrilled for the guys,” said Williams. “There’s a group of seniors and grad students in there; they’ve been through a lot, and they’ve battled. They’ve competed. To see them in there getting to be kids again for that two to three minutes of a goal song and smiling, that’s why we coach.
“If you could’ve witnessed the locker room in there after that series, it’s awesome”, said Williams.
The Falcons will have to wait until the conclusion of the third game of the Bemidji State and Augustana series to find out who their next opponent will be. An Augustana win would result in the Falcons travelling to Mankato, Minnesota, to face Minnesota State, and a Bemidji victory would have the Falcons challenge St. Thomas on the road.
