BOWLING GREEN — The motto this season for Bowling Green’s hockey team has been “Kick The Door Down.”
Well, that metaphorical door is going to need some restoration work.
For the first time since 1990, Bowling Green is going to the NCAA hockey tournament.
The Falcons needed four teams to lose during conference tournaments this weekend, and the last one fell Saturday, assuring Bowling Green’s place the NCAA field as it played in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association championship game.
Bowling Green, the No. 3 seed in the WCHA, surrendered a late two-goal lead and lost 3-2 in overtime to first-seeded Minnesota State in the WCHA championship game, but the Falcons enjoyed good fortune elsewhere.
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BG began the week under the assumption it likely would need to win the WCHA to assure its place in the national tournament, but an at-large bid became a reality.
The Falcons will finish No. 15 — the final at-large spot this season — in the PairWise rankings that determine which teams make the cut for the 16-team NCAA tournament.
The winner of the Atlantic Hockey Conference will not be in the top 16, but every other automatic qualifier will be — which came as welcome news for Bowling Green.
All of the potential “bid thieves” who could win conference tournaments despite being ranked lower than 16th lost along the way.
First, No. 11 Cornell crushed No. 26 Brown 6-0 in an Eastern College Athletic Conference semifinal game Friday, followed by No. 7 Northeastern knocking 25th-ranked Boston University out of the Hockey East tournament semifinal round by a score of 2-1 in overtime.
Also Friday, Top-ranked St. Cloud State handled No. 23 Colorado College 5-2 in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference semifinal round, leaving only No. 34 Boston College standing between Bowling Green and the NCAAs.
The Eagles upset No. 2 Massachusetts 3-0 on Friday night to advance to the Hockey East championship game, but ran out of steam in the final. No. 6 Northeastern took a three-goal lead in the first period and held off BC 3-2 on Saturday as BG and Minnesota State were in the second intermission.
The top-16 positioning was established in part because of Bowling Green’s excellent start to the season. Before Jan. 1, the Falcons swept two-game series against Western Michigan and Minnesota State, then went 1-0-1 against Ohio State.
The Falcons will go into the NCAA tournament with a record of 25-10-5.
Bowling Green’s tournament destination will be revealed Sunday. The Falcons likely will travel to one of three East Coast destinations: Allentown, Pa.; Providence, R.I.; or Manchester, N.H.
ESPNU will televise the hockey selection show at 7 p.m.
First Published March 24, 2019, 1:57 a.m.
