# 2020–21 Bowling Green Falcons men's ice hockey season

The 2020–21 Bowling Green Falcons men's ice hockey season was the 52nd season of play for the program and the 8th in the WCHA conference. The Falcons represented Bowling Green State University and were coached by Ty Eigner, in his 2nd season.

## Season

As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the entire college ice hockey season was delayed. Because the NCAA had previously announced that all winter sports athletes would retain whatever eligibility they possessed through at least the following year, none of Bowling Green's players would lose a season of play. However, the NCAA also approved a change in its transfer regulations that would allow players to transfer and play immediately rather than having to sit out a season, as the rules previously required.
Despite COVID concerns, Bowling Green was able to play several non-WCHA teams early in the year and propelled themselves into the top-10 with a fantastic start. The Falcons won 12 of their first 13 games, including an impressive series sweep of Quinnipiac, and rose to the #5 ranking by mid-January. Unfortunately, when Bowling Green began facing stiff competition, the offense dropped off dramatically. Over a 4-week stretch, the Falcons went 2–6, losing the six games against teams that finished the season ranked. In those games the team scored just 6 goals. While the defense wasn't particularly bad, it wasn't good either. Bowling Green recovered with a 3–0–1 run to end the season but the damage had been done.
Even with a 19–8–1 record, the Falcons had fallen to 13th in the rankings and were considered a 'bubble team', since they possessed a 1–7 record against the other top teams in the WCHA. To get themselves an NCAA Tournament bid, the team would need a good performance in their conference tournament. BG got off to a bad start, losing the opening game 3–4 to Northern Michigan, but rebounded with resounding 5–0 win. The turnaround didn't last long, however, and the Falcons dropped the deciding game 1–5. The team was ranked 16th the following poll and were passed over in favor of Notre Dame, who were just 1 game over .500.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Jacob Dalton | Defenseman | United States | Graduation |
| Frédéric Letourneau | Forward | Canada | Graduation (signed with South Carolina Stingrays) |
| Casey Linkenheld | Forward | United States | Graduation |
| Alec Rauhauser | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (signed with Florida Panthers) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Chrystopher Collin | Forward | Canada | 21 | Boisbriand, QC |
| Max Coyle | Defenseman | Canada | 22 | Tillsonburg, ON; transfer from Alabama–Huntsville |
| Seth Fyten | Forward | Canada | 19 | Sundre, AB; Selected 142nd overall in 2020 |
| Ethan Scardina | Forward | Canada | 19 | White Rock, BC |
| Anton Malmström | Defenseman | Sweden | 20 | Österhaninge, SWE |

## Roster

As of September 8, 2020.

## Standings

2020–21 Western Collegiate Hockey Association Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record |
| | GP | W | L | T | OTW | OTL | 3/SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| #4 Minnesota State † | 14 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 56 | 15 | 27 | 22 | 5 | 1 | 100 | 46 |
| #14 Lake Superior State * | 14 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 27 | 39 | 34 | 29 | 19 | 7 | 3 | 86 | 63 |
| #18 Bowling Green | 14 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 27 | 46 | 34 | 31 | 20 | 10 | 1 | 108 | 67 |
| #10 Bemidji State | 14 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 24 | 42 | 34 | 29 | 16 | 10 | 3 | 82 | 70 |
| Michigan Tech | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 38 | 35 | 30 | 17 | 12 | 1 | 78 | 63 |
| Northern Michigan | 14 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 40 | 47 | 29 | 11 | 17 | 1 | 79 | 103 |
| Alabama–Huntsville | 14 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 18 | 49 | 22 | 3 | 18 | 1 | 31 | 80 |
| Ferris State | 14 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 28 | 59 | 25 | 1 | 23 | 1 | 55 | 103 |
| Alaska | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Alaska Anchorage | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Championship: March 20, 2021 † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll ||||||||||||||||||

## Schedule and Results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Rank$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| November 13 | 7:07 PM | vs. Adrian* | | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | | Dop | W 6–2 | 300 | 1–0–0 |
| November 21 | 7:05 PM | vs. Adrian* | #19 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | | Rose | W 5–0 | 0 | 2–0–0 |
| December 1 | 7:00 PM | at Robert Morris* | #18 | Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania | | Dop | W 6–3 | 0 | 3–0–0 |
| December 5 | 1:30 PM | vs. Mercyhurst* | #18 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | | Rose | L 1–2 | 300 | 3–1–0 |
| December 6 | 3:00 PM | at Mercyhurst* | #18 | Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania | | Dop | W 3–1 | 149 | 4–1–0 |
| December 11 | 7:07 PM | vs. Ferris State* | #16 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | | Rose | W 3–2 | 300 | 5–1–0 |
| December 12 | 7:07 PM | at Ferris State* | #16 | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | | Dop | W 6–2 | 0 | 6–1–0 |
| December 18 | 7:00 PM | at #11 Quinnipiac* | #13 | People's United Center • Hamden, Connecticut | | Rose | W 4–1 | 0 | 7–1–0 |
| December 19 | 7:00 PM | at #11 Quinnipiac* | #13 | People's United Center • Hamden, Connecticut | | Dop | W 4–2 | 0 | 8–1–0 |
| December 29 | 3:07 PM | vs. Robert Morris* | #7 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | | Rose | W 2–1 | 300 | 9–1–0 |
| January 2 | 3:07 PM | at Ferris State | #7 | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | FloHockey.tv | Dop | W 6–1 | 250 | 10–1–0 (1–0–0) |
| January 3 | 3:07 PM | at Ferris State | #7 | Ewigleben Arena • Big Rapids, Michigan | FloHockey.tv | Rose | W 4–2 | 250 | 11–1–0 (2–0–0) |
| January 7 | 7:07 PM | vs. Bemidji State | #7 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | FloHockey.tv | Dop | W 3–2 | 300 | 12–1–0 (3–0–0) |
| January 8 | 7:07 PM | vs. Bemidji State | #7 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | FloHockey.tv | Dop | L 3–4 $^{OT}$ | 300 | 12–2–0 (3–1–0) |
| January 11 | 7:00 PM | at USNTDP* | #7 | USA Hockey Arena • Plymouth, Michigan (Exhibition) | | Rich | L 1–5 | 250 | |
| January 15 | 7:07 PM | vs. Northern Michigan* | #8 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | | Dop | W 5–1 | 300 | 13–2–0 |
| January 16 | 7:07 PM | vs. Northern Michigan* | #8 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | | Rose | W 6–2 | 300 | 14–2–0 |
| January 21 | 6:07 PM | at Bemidji State* | #5 | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota | | Dop | L 1–2 | 0 | 14–3–0 |
| January 22 | 3:07 PM | at Bemidji State* | #5 | Sanford Center • Bemidji, Minnesota | | Dop | L 1–3 | 0 | 14–4–0 |
| January 29 | 7:07 PM | vs. #18 Michigan Tech | #8 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | FloHockey.tv | Dop | W 6–3 | 300 | 15–4–0 (4–1–0) |
| January 30 | 7:07 PM | vs. #18 Michigan Tech | #8 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | FloHockey.tv | Rose | W 5–2 | 300 | 16–4–0 (5–1–0) |
| February 5 | 8:07 PM | at #6 Minnesota State | #8 | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota | FloHockey.tv | Dop | L 0–4 | 150 | 16–5–0 (5–2–0) |
| February 6 | 7:07 PM | at #6 Minnesota State | #8 | Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center • Mankato, Minnesota | FloHockey.tv | Rose | L 1–5 | 150 | 16–6–0 (5–3–0) |
| February 12 | 7:07 PM | vs. Lake Superior State | #12 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | FloHockey.tv | Dop | L 1–2 $^{OT}$ | 300 | 16–7–0 (5–4–0) |
| February 13 | 7:07 PM | vs. Lake Superior State | #12 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | FloHockey.tv | Dop | L 2–5 | 300 | 16–8–0 (5–5–0) |
| February 20 | 6:07 PM | at Northern Michigan | #14 | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan | FloHockey.tv | Dop | T 0–0 $^{SOL}$ | 250 | 16–8–1 (5–5–1) |
| February 21 | 4:07 PM | at Northern Michigan | #14 | Berry Events Center • Marquette, Michigan | FloHockey.tv | Dop | W 6–2 | 250 | 17–8–1 (6–5–1) |
| February 24 | 7:07 PM | vs. Alabama–Huntsville | #13 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | FloHockey.tv | Dop | W 5–0 | 300 | 18–8–1 (7–5–1) |
| February 28 | 4:07 PM | at Alabama–Huntsville | #13 | Von Braun Center • Huntsville, Alabama | FloHockey.tv | Dop | W 4–2 | 1,313 | 19–8–1 (8–5–1) |
| WCHA Tournament ||||||||||
| March 12 | 7:07 PM | vs. Northern Michigan* | #13 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio (WCHA Quarterfinals Game 1) | | Dop | L 3–4 | 630 | 19–9–1 |
| March 13 | 7:07 PM | vs. Northern Michigan* | #13 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio (WCHA Quarterfinals Game 2) | | Dop | W 5–0 | 630 | 20–9–1 |
| March 14 | 5:07 PM | vs. Northern Michigan* | #13 | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio (WCHA Quarterfinals Game 3) | | Dop | L 1–5 | 630 | 20–10–1 |
| Bowling Green Lost Series 1–2 ||||||||||
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Brandon Kruse | LW | 31 | 11 | 23 | 34 | 26 |
| Cameron Wright | LW | 31 | 13 | 16 | 29 | 32 |
| Connor Ford | RW | 31 | 16 | 12 | 28 | 10 |
| Will Cullen | D | 28 | 6 | 19 | 25 | 54 |
| Max Johnson | C | 27 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 8 |
| Alex Barber | F | 31 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 35 |
| Taylor Schneider | LW | 31 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 8 |
| Tim Theocharidis | D | 31 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 8 |
| T. J. Lloyd | D | 31 | 0 | 14 | 14 | 26 |
| Gavin Gould | F | 21 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 6 |
| Sam Craggs | LW | 27 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 55 |
| Evan Dougherty | RW | 31 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 20 |
| Carson Musser | D | 31 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 8 |
| Justin Wells | D | 31 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 18 |
| Seth Fyten | F | 28 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Ethan Scardina | F | 24 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 |
| Christopher Collin | C/LW | 21 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| Garrett Daly | D | 29 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| Anton Malmström | D | 20 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 17 |
| Chase Danol | F | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Adam Pitters | F | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 20 |
| Adam Conquest | RW | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Eric Dop | G | 23 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Max Coyle | D | 23 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Brett Rich | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trevor St. Jean | F | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cam Babiak | D | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Zack Rose | G | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bench | - | - | - | - | - | 6 |
| Total | | | 108 | 185 | 293 | 393 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Brett Rich | 1 | 1:59 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0.00 |
| Zack Rose | 10 | 545 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 178 | 1 | .908 | 1.98 |
| Eric Dop | 23 | 1306 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 47 | 566 | 2 | .923 | 2.16 |
| Empty Net | - | 11 | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 31 | 1865 | 20 | 10 | 1 | 67 | 744 | 4$^†$ | .917 | 2.15 |
† Dop and Rich shared a shutout on February 24

## Rankings

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | NR | 19 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 17 | - | 18 |
| USA Today | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 12 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | NR | NR | NR | NR |
USCHO did not release a poll in week 20.

## Awards and honors

| Player | Award |
| Will Cullen | WCHA Defensive Player of the Year |
| Will Cullen | WCHA First Team |
| Brandon Kruse | WCHA First Team |
| Connor Ford | WCHA First Team |