BGSU hockey (9-5-4, 6-3-3) kicked off the 2026 calendar year with a home-and-home series against its in-state rival, Ohio State (6-11-1, 2-6-0). BG would fall in the shootout after a 2-2 draw on Friday night in OSU’s Schottenstein Center before returning home to the Slater Family Ice Arena on Saturday night, where the Falcons would claim their first win over the Buckeyes in over seven years via a 5-3 scoreline.
This weekend, the Falcons will return to conference play with an away series against the Ferris State Bulldogs (4-18-0, 3-11-0) at FSU’s Ewigleben Ice Arena.
During BGSU hockey’s weekly press conference held on Jan. 6, head coach Dennis “Willi” Williams discussed the team’s upcoming series against Ferris State, building a winning culture, his team’s ability to block shots and the idea of Bowling Green being a hockey town.
Here are the Falcon Four takeaways from the press conference:
Ferris State
The Falcons and the Bulldogs previously met this season for a weekend series at the Slater Family Ice Arena, where the Orange and Brown secured a series sweep via 9-5 and 5-2 scorelines.
While Bowling Green had great success against FSU earlier in the season, Williams explained the importance of understanding that both teams have changed since their previous matchup.
“Quite a bit of games from then for both teams,” explained Williams. “Both teams have probably changed a little bit of their identity and the way they’re playing.”
While BG will have to make small adjustments for the upcoming series, Willi wants the main focus for his team to be on themselves rather than their opponent.
“As we say all along, we’re gonna have to tweak a few things to how they’re playing, but we really need to focus on us right now,” said Willi. “That’s always been our MO, is worrying about what we do. We want to play to a high level and a high standard so that we hope our opponent has to change their game.”
Building a winning culture
Since Williams was originally hired back in March of 2024, he has worked to implement a winning culture in the program.
Part of the equation is the standards and expectations that Williams and his staff have put on the team.
“You gotta challenge ‘em,” said Willi. “It’s a standard we say all the time. We never play to a score, we play to an expectation and a standard, so whether it’s 5-0 them, 5-0 us, 3-2, 2-1, we have to clean up certain areas of the game.”
Another major piece of the puzzle has been the leadership within the Bowling Green locker room. Not just the leadership group of captain Dalton Norris and alternate captains Jaden Grant and Gustav Stjernberg, but all of the upperclassmen and returning players have helped cement BG’s culture and welcomed newcomers to the system.
“Great leadership in that locker room pulls that along as well, because the most important meeting is the meeting after the meeting. So, when a coach comes and addresses the team, that’s one thing. Everybody can put on a false front and nod their head and be involved, ‘Oh, I got ya, coach,’ and then when you walk out. A lot of teams, too, that don’t have a winning culture, will start talking, calling out what the coach is saying, or maybe not agreeing with it. So, I always say the meeting after the meeting is so important.”
“We have such great leaders,” continued Willi. “We have such great upperclassmen, and they have brought along the younger guys and have really enforced our culture and standard. So, I know when I leave a meeting that I feel really good that I got great support in there from the seniors and the leadership group and the juniors that are gonna keep continuing to pull everybody through. So, real credit to those guys.”
Blocking shots
Williams has previously emphasized the importance of blocking shots, and his team certainly displayed this mantra during their series against OSU, as the Falcons blocked a total of 33 shots over the two games.
“To see our group, the willingness to compete, the willingness to battle to the end. One of my favorite photos, I don’t know if it’s circulated or not, was when they (OSU) were on a six-on-five, we had three guys down on one knee, in the front, all blocking pucks,” said Williams.
Later in the press conference, Williams once again emphasized the importance of blocking shots.
“You win hockey games that way. You win hockey scoring goals, let’s be honest, and you gotta keep ‘em out of your net,” said Willi. “At the end of the day, it was just a gutsy effort, and that’s what probably draws in that energy that was in the building.”
A hockey town
The fan support for the Orange and Brown over the weekend could not be understated, as many Falcon fans made the trip to Columbus to support the team, with Bowling Green fans being at times more audible than OSU fans. BG’s fans once again showed out on Saturday with the Falcons playing in front of a sold-out Slater Family Ice Arena.
The major fan support within Bowling Green is one of the factors that drew Williams to play for Bowling Green during his college career and then to return to BG as a coach.
“It was great. It’s one thing that drew me here,” said Williams about the fan support. “Back in the mid ‘90s or late ‘90s, when I came, it was when you went on your visits and options. First of all was the coaching staff, with Buddy (Buddy Powers), Wayne (Wayne Wilson), and Brian Hills, but when I came in and got to see the community, see the town, the campus, it’s what drew me back again. I’ve been one of the fortunate ones to play here, coach here as a grad assistant, coach here as an assistant, coach here as an interim, and come back again, so Bowling Green does that, I think. It draws you back in, it’s a special place with great people and great community support.”
