BOWLING GREEN — There isn’t rest around the corner any time soon again for Bowling Green State University hockey.
Head coach Ty Eigner and his group — which had an off week leading into last weekend’s series against Ferris State — are at full-go from this point forward.
The road becomes a bit more difficult to travel, with a home-and-home series against No. 17-ranked Ohio State on Thursday and Friday.
The Falcons salvaged their previous weekend with a win Saturday, which followed a 6-3 Friday defeat which included a five-goal second period for the Bulldogs, including three goals scored in the final minute.
“Obviously, we were really frustrated on Friday after the game based on the result and based on some things that happened,” Eigner said. “We felt like for the most part Friday was overall a pretty good effort. We kind of fell asleep for a short span, and it ended up biting us.”
The Falcons scored two goals in the third period to rebound for a 2-1 victory Saturday.
“Saturday, the challenge was to come back and play well and make up for what happened the night before,” Eigner said. “It seemed like we were just chasing it a little bit Saturday. ... It was one of those games where I think the team that scored first probably felt like they were going to have a pretty good chance.”
The Falcons face Ohio State on Thursday at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, and the teams will take their buses up I-75 for a Friday contest at the Slater Family Ice Arena in Bowling Green.
Ohio State is coming off of a series split against No. 3 Michigan, which included a 6-1 victory over the Wolverines on Saturday.
Bowling Green (8-5-3) got a lift on defense from true freshman goaltender Christian Stoever, who earned CCHA goaltender of the week recognition for his efforts against Ferris State. Stoever saved 52 of 53 chances in four periods of play.
“Ultimately, what we want is to have our goaltender play well, and he did a nice job,” Eigner said. “Good for him, because it was in a spot where coming off a Friday loss at home, not a make-or-break game or anything like that, but in terms of our mentality and our attitude and how we’re feeling coming into this week, and then obviously conference standings. It was very nice to see him play the way he played.”
Ohio State (10-6-0) is 14th in Division I ice hockey in scoring defense with 2.31 goals allowed per game. Goaltender Jakub Dobes is 20th individually with a 2.20 goals-against average.
Ohio State coach Steve Rohlik said preparation for Bowling Green began immediately after Saturday’s win.
"We know they're a really good hockey team,” Rohlik said after Saturday’s game. “To have them back in our building and then go up there the next night -- our guys will be getting used to another rivalry in a hurry. We're looking forward to it. It's a short week. It's a short turnaround, and we're going to have to have a really good week of practice."
Bowling Green will face Ohio State for the first time since a home-and-home series in 2018. The two programs also swapped home ice on consecutive days in 2016, 2015, and 2014.
BGSU has an all-time record of 26-42-7 against the Buckeyes.
“They’ve had some real good wins this year,” Eigner said. “It’ll be a tough spot for us. They’ve got some really, really talented kids, a really good goaltender — a big guy and tough to beat. They don’t give up a bunch of goals. They’re a good defensive team.”
First Published December 14, 2021, 9:58 p.m.
