BOWLING GREEN – Bowling Green State University’s hockey team has had some close matchups with plenty of fireworks recently against Ohio State University.
More intense moments could be in store when the in-state rivals meet for a home-and-home series this weekend.
BGSU (8-10-0) will host No. 14 Ohio State (10-7-1) at 7:07 p.m. on Friday at Slater Family Ice Arena before traveling to Value City Arena in Columbus to face the Buckeyes at 7 p.m. Saturday.
The Falcons dropped a pair of one-goal games to the Buckeyes a year ago. BGSU suffered a 4-3 overtime loss on Dec. 16 in Columbus in which the Falcons led 3-0 after two periods, then fell 3-2 at home after the Buckeyes scored the final two goals.
The finale of last season’s series at a sold-out Slater Family Ice Arena featured a wild finish in the final 30 seconds. Bowling Green’s Chrystopher Collin and Ohio State’s Quinn Preston got into a scuffle that, after players from both teams got involved, resulted in nine penalties for a combined 53 minutes.
When the game clock did not start upon the ensuing puck drop, Ohio State goaltender Jakub Dobes intentionally dislodged the net to gain the referees’ attention. The Falcons were awarded a penalty shot, but Taylor Schneider’s shot was saved by Dobes and the Buckeyes held on in the final 19 seconds.
“It was a really good series last year, and it’s a series that both programs value and want to continue, which is great,” BGSU coach Ty Eigner said during a news conference on Tuesday. “We went down there and we felt like we played really, really well for two periods. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to hold the lead there in the third, and lost in overtime.
“We came back here the next night, bus ride home and you’re tired and you’re frustrated and we played really well again. We had the penalty shot and we had the situation with the clock and their goalie, and there was just a lot of stuff going on. So, we anticipate that’s the kind of scenario we’re going to be in again this year because you’ve got two programs that appreciate the other one.”
The Falcons will be looking for their first win over the Buckeyes since early in the 2018-19 campaign. BGSU is 1-4-1 in the past six meetings, with four of the matchups being decided by one goal or less.
The matchup in goal will be key for both teams.
BGSU sophomore goalie Christian Stoever has been solid this season. He leads the Central Collegiate Hockey Association in saves per game (32) and is third in saves percentage (.920).
Stoever had a career-high 43 saves in Friday’s 2-1 loss to Minnesota State, but allowed five goals in 40 minutes the next night in a 6-2 loss to the Mavericks.
Eigner said he still has plenty of confidence in Stoever.
“We’re really comfortable with him in there,” Eigner said. “We see growth with Christian.
“Where he is now is ahead of where he was last year at this time, and we anticipate that happening. When Christian Stoever is playing up to his standard, he’s a really good college goalie and we’re excited about that. We think he’s in a good spot.”
Dobes earned Big Ten goaltender and co-freshman of the year last season. He has 443 saves with a .915 save percentage this year.
“We know in the series against us, he played really well,” Eigner said of Dobes. “They’re deep at all their positions, they’ve got some very good defensemen.
“We know it’s going to be a difficult task. They’ve been doing a really nice job down there for quite a while now, so it’ll be a really good nonconference series for us.”
For the Falcons, sophomore Austen Swankler leads the team in goals (10) and assists (10). Senior Nathan Burke and junior Ethan Scardina have chipped in seven goals each, while senior Chase Gresock has nine assists.
BGSU will look to take advantage of playing in its backyard over the next month. The Falcons, who are tied for first in the CCHA with the Mavericks (both teams have 23 points), will face Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in late December at home before hosting Lake Superior State and Bemidji State in league play in January.
“We talked about the second half being more [at] home, so you have to take advantage of those opportunities at home,” Eigner said. “They’re all important now.
“You’re just over halfway or at halfway if you count the first round of the playoffs, and now is when you start to see the separation. If we’re going to be the team that we want to be, we’re going to have to be good this second half.”
First Published December 13, 2022, 11:15 p.m.
