BGSU hockey entered its most difficult stretch of the season against Bemidji State in Minnesota. BG unleashed a blizzard on the Beavers, winning both games, taking all six points, and outscoring BSU 8-2 over two games.
Now with four series and four top-of-conference opponents left on the schedule, head coach Dennis Williams and his men sent some much-needed messages.
Burying in the Beavers
Bemidji was a team looking to prove something to the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) and themselves. They were first in the conference for multiple weeks at the start of the season with some well-performing newcomers, including two from pro hockey.
Yet, they had suffered a huge collapse before the BG series on home ice, going 0-6-2 in their previous eight games. In sixth place but very close to the top four, they needed at least one win to climb towards the leaders and break their horrible streak.
BGSU came into the Sanford Center and won 3-1 in night one and 5-1 in night two. They wiped out a team that was just five points back in the standings and all but eliminated Bemidji State from a home playoff berth.
More importantly, the Falcons have drawn an invisible line below themselves and above Bemidji. Now, the CCHA knows Bowling Green is a six-goal better team than the Beavers, and Williams can turn his attention towards the four real contenders.
Snow Fort
The BG series was the only series this season in which Bemidji State was held to two goals or fewer. Close seconds now include three-goal series against St. Thomas (No. 18) and Michigan Tech (RV).
Bemidji has even competed in six games against three National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) opponents, St. Cloud State (RV), Minnesota-Duluth (RV) and North Dakota (No. 6). The Beavers scored four goals in each of those three series.
Bowling Green is quickly establishing their goaltender group as one of the best-performing in the nation. Their combination of three goalies has allowed the second fewest goals against in the CCHA this season, just behind Augustana’s Josh Kotai and ahead of reigning CCHA Player and Goaltender of the Year, Alex Tracy.
For three series in a row, Cole Moore has played on Friday, and Jacob Steinman has played Saturday. In six games in a row, the Falcons have allowed one goal.
Four of those games were against Ferris State and Lake Superior State, talented teams, but two of the bottom three in the CCHA, and not known for their goal scoring. Maybe you can attribute great goaltending to simply playing poor competition.
But the duo did the same to Bemidji State. The Beavers are in the top four overall and in conference in goal scoring this season. Their star forward, Adam Flammang, is seventh in the CCHA in points and was held to none on four total shots last weekend.
The real test is longevity and how long the group can maintain the high level. But in 2026 CCHA play, one goal allowed average and a .953 save percentage in six games played.
Knee deep
Every team needs to have some go-to and reliable offensive playmakers, guys that will win games for you. Yet, championship teams do not rely on their top two lines for all of their offensive production.
The three most reliable Falcons offensively are Quinn Emerson, Ben Doran and Tyler Hotson, the three highest-scoring forwards with all three north of 20 points this season. Doran was the only one of the three to score a goal this weekend, his final stat line reading three goals and an assist against Bemidji State.
Aside from Doran, BGSU did not rely on its top lines for all of its offense. In fact, maybe the top overall offensive players for BG were Max Martin, Jake Sloan and Brett Pfoh, who were never really consistent scorers or top-line players.
Martin scored his first goal of the season on the first night, a game-winner assisted by both Sloan and Pfoh, and was a pest to the Beavers, especially on breakaways. The sophomore’s goal was his first in 321 days, since the Mason Cup Quarterfinals in 2025.
Sloan doubled his season goal, assist, and point total with his first career three-point weekend. The freshman center assisted Martin’s game-winner on night one, scoring the game-winner on night two before his second point of the night, assisting Pfoh’s goal.
Like Sloan, Pfoh also assisted the game winner on Friday and scored a goal Saturday, the fourth of a 5-1 BG victory. He is the highest scoring of the three and a great goal scorer, with six goals and four assists this season.
Even on the defensive side, there was offensive success. Defenseman Gustav Stjernberg scored a goal and an assist, with Jackson Niedermayer recording three assists in the Saturday game.
The beauty of depth scoring? It can be someone different every night.
BG already has a well-diversified attack with eight different players scoring six or more goals. These players don’t need to score for the Falcons to win, but a complete team effort in the offensive zone is needed to really compete for championships.
The Forecast
Williams and BG can make even more of a statement against Notre Dame this upcoming weekend, a home-and-home series with BG hosting on Saturday. They already have a 1-0-1 record against the Big Ten and Ohio State, and Notre Dame is the only team lower than OSU in the conference standings.
Both games will be broadcast by Falcon Media Sports Network—7 p.m. on Friday and 6:07 p.m. on Saturday—on WBGU 88.1 FM, also streaming on bgfalcomedia.com.
