Since Dennis Williams took over as the Falcons’ head coach before the 2024-25 season, Bowling Green (12-6-4, 9-4-3) and Bemidji State (9-12-3, 7-6-3) have faced each other six times, with every game finishing with only one goal differentiating the two teams and five of the six games ending in overtime or a shootout.
In the two teams’ series earlier this season, Bemidji got the best of the Falcons on Friday night in the shootout following a 4-4 tie and claimed a 3-2 overtime victory on Saturday at the Slater Family Ice Arena.
This weekend, BSU will be hosting Bowling Green at BSU’s Sanford Center in Bemidji, Minnesota, where the two teams will battle in what is likely to be two very close games with positions in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) standings on the line.
Since returning to play after the CCHA winter break, the Beavers returned to play with a shootout victory during an exhibition game over the University of Minnesota (8-14-1, 4-8-0), which was followed by four straight losses in conference games after being swept by Michigan Tech (16-8-2, 11-3-2) and St. Thomas (14-7-3, 11-3-2) in back-to-back weekends.
Bowling Green also returned to play with an exhibition game, a 6-1 victory over USNTDP, but has gone 4-1-1 since then, including claiming a victory over Ohio State (7-12-1, 3-7-0), sweeping Ferris State (4-22-0, 3-15-0) and splitting a series with Lake Superior State (9-14-1, 6-10-0) last weekend.
After a strong start to the season, which saw the Beavers go 7-1-2 and collect 23 points towards the CCHA standings, Bemidji has fallen to sixth in the CCHA standings and has not won in regulation since Nov. 22, when they claimed a 6-2 victory over Northern Michigan (1-23-0, 1-15-0). In total, Bemidji has claimed only six regulation victories all season.
Bowling Green currently sits at fourth place in the CCHA standings with 30 total points and is only six points behind St. Thomas in first place.
Bemidji’s offensive leaders this season have included senior forward and alternate captain Adam Flammang and junior forwards Oliver Peer and Kasper Magnussen.
Flammang leads the Beavers in points (24) and assists (18) and is second on the team in shots on goal (63). Flammang is currently in a four-game pointless streak and will look to get back on the scoresheet sooner rather than later.
Peer’s 13 goals and 69 shots lead the Bemidji roster in both categories. Peer is second on the team in points with 22 and power-play goals with three.
Magnussen is skating in his third season in a Bemidji State jersey and leads the team in power-play goals (4) and is third on the team in points with 20.
BGSU has been led offensively by senior forward Quinn Emerson, who has scored a team-leading 25 points and 18 assists while also leading the team in plus-minus rating with a +12. Emerson’s seven goals tie him with freshman forward Noah Morneau for third place on the team.
Along with Emerson, the Falcons have also seen key offensive contributions from junior forward Tyler Hotson and junior defenseman Breck McKinley.
Hotson is tied with senior forward and alternate captain Jaden Grant for the team lead in goals, with the two forwards having scored eight apiece. Hotson is second on the Falcon roster in points with 19 while leading the Orange and Brown in power-play goals with four. Hotson is also tied with McKinely for second place on the team in plus-minus rating with a +9.
McKinley is second on the team in assists with 16 and is tied with junior forward Ben Doran for third place on the team in points with 18.
Bemidji has had junior Raythan Robbins and freshman Max Hildebrand split time in net all season, with each netminder starting 12 games apiece. BSU tends to start one of their goalies on Friday night, with the other getting the nod for Saturday.
Robbins has made 263 saves while recording a 2.63 goals against average and a .892 save percentage during his time between the pipes in his third season with the Green and White.
Hildebrand has made 272 saves and recorded a 3.10 goals against average to go along with a .883 save percentage.
BSU has also had sophomore Trent Wiemken make an appearance during the second half of Bemidji’s 7-3 loss to Minnesota Duluth (17-7-0, 8-6-0) on Oct. 17. Wiemken made nine saves and finished the game with a .900 save percentage.
The Orange and Brown have given all three of their goaltenders meaningful minutes throughout the season, with junior Cole Moore, sophomore Tyler Palmer and freshman Jacob Steinman all making appearances in the net for Bowling Green.
Steinman has started the most games for BGSU, with the Ottawa, Ontario, native starting 10 games while appearing in 12. Steinman currently has a .912 save percentage and a 2.41 goals against average while making 268 saves so far this season.
Moore and Palmer have both appeared in seven games, with Palmer recording a team-best 2.16 goals against average to go along with a .900 save percentage after making 108 saves. Moore has made 125 saves and recorded a .896 save percentage and a .270 goals against average so far this season.
On top of battling the Beavers this weekend, Bowling Green will also continue to battle injuries. BG has struggled with injuries all season, with notable defensemen Gustav Stjernberg and Jackson Niedermayer having to miss time with injuries before the winter break.
Recently, forwards Noah Morneau and Adam Zlnka both missed games against LSSU, and senior defenseman and team captain Dalton Norris had to leave Saturday night’s game early with an apparent leg injury.
Norris’ injury will be a big hole for coach Williams and the Falcons this weekend against BSU, and the remaining players of the defensive core will need to step up in their captain’s absence.
Falcon Media Sports Network’s Ben Corak will have the live call of both games on WBGU 88.1 FM, with puck drop scheduled for 8:07 p.m. on Friday and 7:07 p.m. on Saturday.
Falcon Four Players to Watch
Junior Forward – Oliver Peer, Bemidji State
Peer leads the Beaver roster in goals this season and scored a total of four points during BSU’s previous series against BG this season.
Senior Forward – Adam Flammang, Bemidji State
Flammang leads the Beavers in assists and points but has been held off the scoresheet for the past four games. He will look to end his scoring drought and help the Beavers claim points against the Falcons.
Senior Forward – Quinn Emerson, Bowling Green
Emerson leads the Falcons in points with 25 and hasn’t been held off the scoresheet for an entire series since the Falcons’ opening weekend against Niagara (7-14-0, 4-9-0).
Freshman Defenseman – Bayden Crampton, Bowling Green
The entire defensive core will have to step up for the Falcons with Norris out of the lineup due to injury. Crampton leads the Falcons in shots on goal and will be expected to help create offensive opportunities over the course of the weekend.
