Last week, Falcon fans were talking about how Bowling Green Hockey’s play needed to improve if they wanted to win a playoff series.
This week, we can honestly talk about how good BG looked, and “Who can’t the Falcons beat?”
It is a good question. The way Bowling Green played against Michigan Tech in the quarterfinal of the 2025 Mason Cup was in-dissectible by the Huskies, tough to believe any CCHA team would be able to solve BG if put in the same situation.
Like most series in Willie’s first season, it was bolstered on the defense. With the defensive support of nearly every BGSU skater, Christian Stoever was granted the Goaltender of the Week award for a 47-save goal-allowed performance.
The defense was able to hold the second best powerplay unit in the conference to no powerplay goals on five attempts, the only time this season MTU did not score a powerplay goal in two games played.
The only goal scored was left-winger Stiven Sardarian’s, resulting more from a bad line change and defensive mishap from the Falcons over the good play by the Huskies.
Not only was BG’s defense exemplary, but their offense also benefited highly from some changes to the lines by Willie.
In the final win of the regular season, Junior right-winger Quinn Emerson moved up to the first line with Ben Doran and Ryan O’Hara. He remained there for the MTU series, scoring the only two game-winners of his season, one an overtime goal to win the first game.
Not only did the line change benefit Emerson, but it also benefited Doran, scoring an assist on both of Emerson’s game-winners. He added another assist on Ethan Scardina’s powerplay goal and an empty-net game-sealing goal in the second game. His Forward of the Week bid was stifled only by two hat tricks by two other CCHA forwards, both 5+ point weeks.
BG has earned their way to play St. Thomas for the fifth time this season in a single-game semifinal match, winner going to the Mason Cup Championship match. Willie has a win, shootout win and two losses to St. Thomas this season.
The game will be played in Minneapolis/Mendota Heights, Minn. With a win, BG hopes Bemidji State upsets Minnesota State for the only way the Slater Family Ice Arena will see another game this season, possibly the championship contest.
