BGSU hockey (8-5-3, 6-3-3) returned to action following the CCHA winter break with an exhibition game against the Team USA National Team Development Program U-18 team (8-15-1), which saw the Falcons skate to a 6-1 victory at the Slater Family Ice Arena on Dec. 29.
This weekend, Bowling Green will face in-state rival Ohio State (6-10-0, 2-6-0) in a home-and-home series, with OSU hosting Friday night’s game at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus and Saturday night’s contest being held at BGSU’s Slater Family Ice Arena.
During BGSU hockey’s weekly press conference held on Dec. 30, head coach Dennis “Willi” Williams discussed how the exhibition game allowed his team to get back into form, the competitive environment the team has tried to create, the importance of having players return from injury and acquiring a new player for the second half of the season and the fans’ support for the upcoming series against OSU.
Here are the Falcon Four takeaways from the press conference:
Knocking the rust off
One major benefit of Bowling Green playing an exhibition game as their first appearance after the CCHA winter break is that it provided the Falcons an opportunity to get back to form after the break.
“When you get back from that long of a break, you really wanna focus on guys getting (to) knock the rust off,” said coach Williams.
Even though the game was an exhibition match that will not count towards the team’s record or the players’ stats, Williams saw many positives in his team’s performance.
“We were able to get through the game with a lot of positives, guys getting a lot of good puck touches, nobody injured, nobody suspended, especially this time of year in those types of games. Both goalies played well. We got an opportunity to work on a little bit of special teams, both power play and penalty kill, and got some new guys back in the lineup.”
While there were many positives to be seen, Willi adds that in a game where the Falcons played a total of 15 forwards and 10 defensemen, it can be difficult for players to get into a rhythm.
“It’s a tough game for players to play in when you have 15 forwards dressed and 10 (defensemen) to get rhythm,” said Willi. “Overall, I thought the guys did a really nice job. They’re great on the bench, they’ve been great since they’ve been back, really excited to be back, and they’ve given our staff just a bowl full of energy because of the way they’ve approached everything since they’ve been home.”
Healthy players and a new addition
Bowling Green defensive pairs received some additional manpower with senior defenseman Jackson Niedermayer and junior defenseman and alternate captain Gustav Stjernberg returning from injury in the exhibition match. Additionally, freshman defenseman Ty Higgins made his first appearance for the Orange and Brown as he joined the team for the second half of the season.
“It was nice timing,” said Willi. “Getting him (Higgins) into this game before we play Ohio State. Getting Goose, Gustav, and Jackson into games because they’ve been out with injuries.
Creating a competitive atmosphere.
Williams has emphasized the idea that it’s the players’ job to make him have to make difficult choices when deciding who should play all season.
“When we’re healthy, we’re gonna have some really tough decisions to make, and as I always say to guys, whether we’re healthy up front or on the backend, your job is to make my life difficult,” said Williams.
“I want tough decisions. I want guys to be selfish when it comes to ice time and making sure that if you’re our top (defenseman), you got eight, nine, ten guys coming after you for that spot.
We wanna create that competitive culture and environment day in and day out at practice.”
Fan Support
While the Falcons will begin their weekend series against the Buckeyes at OSU’s Schottenstein Center, the Orange and Brown will return home to the Slater Family Ice Arena to wrap up the series on Saturday night.
Saturday night’s game has already been confirmed to be a sold-out crowd at the Slater Family Ice Arena.
“You play games too, I always say, to compete and win, but there’s also the other value to make those who support you feel proud of how we play. I say it all the time, we have such a loyal and committed fanbase, they’re passionate for hockey,” said Williams. “I’ve always said, Bowling Green’s a hockey town if you ask people in and around the area. It’s not a sport that you have to overly market, I don’t think, because you have your fans that have been here since day one, and it’s awesome, so our thanks to everyone coming out Saturday. Now the pressure is on us to put a good product on the ice.”
