BGSU hockey (8-5-3, 6-3-3) and Ohio State’s (6-10-0, 2-6-0) rivalry spans decades from the two teams’ first matchup in 1969, through battles as conference foes in the original Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA), to the present.
BG holds the advantage in the series all-time with a record of 94-81-9. However, Ohio State has taken control of the matchup over the last handful of years.
BGSU last defeated Ohio State over seven years ago when the Orange and Brown secured an 8-2 victory on the road against the Buckeyes on Oct. 26, 2018. The following night, BG and OSU tied 2-2 after overtime at the Slater Family Ice Arena.
Since then, Ohio State has won eight straight contests against the Falcons, including securing 3-1 and 2-0 victories during last year’s series between the two Ohio teams.
This weekend’s series will be Ohio State’s first action since its series against the University of Minnesota (8-10-1, 4-4-0) on Dec. 4 and 5. Bowling Green returned to action following the CCHA winter break on Dec. 29 with an exhibition game against Team USA’s National Team Development Program U-18 team at the Slater Family Ice Arena, which the Falcons won 6-1.
Ohio State’s offensive weapons this season include graduate forward Adam Eisele, sophomore forward Félix Caron, freshman forward Jake Karabela, and junior forward Max Montes.
Eisele’s eight goals currently lead the Buckeye roster in the graduate student’s first year in Columbus after playing for Minnesota State (11-4-5, 8-3-3) for the first three seasons of his college career.
Caron is also playing in his first year in the Scarlet and Gray after transferring from RPI (5-13-0, 2-6-0). Caron is tied with Karabela for the team lead in points (14) while leading the team in power play goals (4).
While being tied with Caron for the team lead in points, Karabela also leads the OSU roster in assists as the freshman from Guelph, Ontario, has amassed 11 so far this season.
Montes is in his third season in Columbus and is currently tied with Eisele for third place on the team in points (12). Montes was also on a three-game point streak going into OSU’s winter break, having scored two goals and three assists in the final two series for Ohio State before the break.
Bowling Green’s offensive leaders this season have included senior forward Quinn Emerson, junior defenseman Breck McKinley, and freshmen forwards Noah Morneau and Dominik Rymon.
Emerson and McKinley are currently tied for the team lead in assists (13) and +/- rating (+8). Emerson stands alone as the team leader in points with 18 on the season while setting new career highs in points, assists, and power-play goals (2) before the halfway point of the season.
McKinley has also set many career highs already this season, with the St. Albert, Alberta native setting new personal bests for assists, points (14), and game-winning goals (1).
Rymon is tied with McKinley for second place on the Falcon roster for points, while fellow freshman Morneau leads the Falcons in goals with seven so far on the campaign.
Ohio State has had two goalies appear in net this season, with junior Kristoffer Eberly starting the grand majority of games and freshman Sam Hillebrandt making choice starts throughout the season.
Eberly has started 14 games this season and has made 338 saves while recording a .892 save percentage and a 3.05 goals against average over the course of the campaign.
Hillebrandt has appeared in four games and started in two so far during his freshman campaign. In his small sample size, the Port Huron, Michigan native has made 79 saves and recorded a .878 save percentage to go along with a 4.33 goals against average.
Bowling Green has had three goalies make appearances in net throughout the season, with freshman Jacob Steinman appearing in 10 games while starting eight, sophomore Tyler Palmer appearing in seven games while starting five, and junior Cole Moore starting in all three of the games he has appeared in this season.
Steinman boasts the best save percentage of the three netminders, having posted a .905 to go along with the 229 saves and 2.72 goals against average he has recorded this season.
Tyler Palmer has the best goals against average within the BG goaltending room, having posted a 2.16 goals against average after making 108 saves and posting a .900 save percentage.
Cole Moore has made 37 saves while recording a .804 save percentage and a 4.90 goals against average so far this season, after struggling in the small sample of games he has appeared in this season. However, while it didn’t count towards his season stats due to being an exhibition game, Moore did have a strong performance against the USNTDP, having saved all nine shots he faced while playing half the game to finish with a perfect 1.000 save percentage on the contest.
Other players that have impressed for both teams this season include Ohio State’s junior forward Ryan Gordon and defenseman William Smith, and Bowling Green’s sophomore defenseman Ivan Korodiuk and freshman defenseman Brayden Crampton.
Gordon and Smith are tied for the team lead in blocked shots for OSU as the two juniors have blocked 21 apiece.
In a similar vein, Korodiuk leads the Falcon roster in blocked shots, having made 20 throughout the season.
Crampton leads the Falcons in shots on goal with 56 during his freshman campaign. Crampton’s high shot output has rewarded him with two goals and seven assists so far this season.
BGSU head coach Dennis Williams and the Falcons will look to reverse the team’s recent misfortune against their in-state rival as the Orange and Brown travel to Columbus on Jan. 2 to face the Buckeyes at the Schottenstein Center before returning home on Jan. 3 to finish the series in front of a confirmed sold-out crowd at the Slater Family Ice Arena.
Falcon Media Sport Network’s Ben Corak and Nathan Burkett will have the call of both games on WBGU 88.1 FM, with puck drop scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Friday and 6:00 p.m. on Saturday.
FALCON FOUR PLAYERS TO WATCH
Graduate Forward – Adam Eisele, Ohio State
Eisele is no stranger to playing at Bowling Green, having spent the first three seasons of his college career at Minnesota State, helping the Mavericks win two Mason Cup championships in the process. Eisele has scored four goals and three assists over the Lake Elmo, Minnesota native’s eight previous games against the Orange and Brown.
Senior Forward – Davis Burnside, Ohio State
Burnside has played well while serving as OSU’s captain for the second season in a row, having scored six goals and five assists. Much like Eisele, Burnside has had a history of being a thorn in BG’s side, having scored at least one point in every game he’s had against the Falcons. In total, Burnside has scored four goals and five assists in six career games against Bowling Green.
Freshman Forward – Noah Morneau, Bowling Green
Morneau has impressed in the first half of his rookie season of college hockey by leading the Orange and Brown in goals (7), including being the only Falcon to score a hat trick this season. While Morneau did struggle heading into the CCHA break, having gone on a five-game pointless streak, he returned to form in BG’s exhibition game, having scored two goals and two assists against USNTDP.
Junior Defenseman – Gustav Stjernberg, Bowling Green
Stjernberg has struggled with injuries throughout the campaign, having only been able to play in seven games. However, in the games he has played, the alternate captain has scored two goals while blocking nine shots and laying multiple big hits. Stjernberg returned to the lineup in BG’s exhibition game against USNTDP after missing six games with his most recent injury, but now that he is back, his physical and offensive contributions will be a much-needed addition to the Falcon roster against their in-state rival.
