Ron Mason: 2009 BGSU Hall of Fame Inductee

The Bowling Green State University Athletics Hall of Fame will welcome five new members on Saturday (Oct. 24) on the BGSU campus.

The class of 2009 will include Cornelius Cash (men’s basketball), Travis Downey ’00 (men’s track and field), Ron Mason (hockey coach), Sara Puthoff ’98 (women’s basketball) and Scott Vallow ’02 (men’s soccer).

The official induction ceremony will take place Saturday, Oct. 24. The class will be recognized on the field at halftime of the BGSU-Central Michigan football game at Doyt Perry Stadium that afternoon. The game, which begins at 12:00 p.m., is designated as Hall of Fame Day, and is part of Family Weekend. The class will be officially inducted into the Hall at a ceremony following the game.

This is the third of five biographical updates, leading up to the 24th...

RON MASON (hockey coach; 1973-79)
Mason, the all-time winningest coach in NCAA hockey history, coached at BGSU for six seasons, establishing the Falcons as a national power. After a 36-year coaching career in college hockey, Mason became the athletics director at Michigan State.

In 1966, Mason began his coaching career as the first head coach at Lake Superior State. He guided the Lakers to five NAIA Tournament appearances, including the 1972 National Championship. Three of his other teams finished as NAIA runners-up.

Mason came to BGSU in 1973, and led the Falcons to three CCHA regular-season titles (1976, 1978, 1979) and three playoff championships (1977, 1978, 1979). His 1977-78 team finished third in the NCAA Tournament with an impressive 31-8 record. The following season, his BGSU squad established a then-national record with 37 wins. While at BGSU, he coached two members of the 1980 U.S. Gold Medal Olympic Hockey Team - Ken Morrow and Mark Wells.

Mason assumed the helm at MSU in 1979, where he spent 23 seasons behind the bench. With the Green and White, he posted a 635-270-69 mark, leading the Spartans to 17 CCHA regular-season and playoff titles and guiding 23 teams to the NCAA Tournament, an all-time record. In addition, he coached 35 All-Americans and 50 former Spartans who went on to establish careers in the National Hockey League. Mason guided the 1986 MSU squad to the NCAA Championship, the second national title in the school’s history, and took a total of eight teams to the “Frozen Four” during his career.

In 2001, the CCHA honored Mason by renaming the conference’s playoff trophy - The Mason Cup - in recognition of his contributions to college hockey and the formation of the league as well as his success behind the bench. Mason is considered one of the founding fathers of the CCHA, as he joined Bowling Green’s Jack Vivian – a 2008 BGSU Hall-of-Fame inductee – and Saint Louis University’s Bill Selman in establishing a “coaches’ league” in 1971.

On March 18, 1994, a win over Bowling Green established Mason as the winningest college hockey coach in history. In 2001-02, Mason’s final campaign as the Spartan coach, he recorded his unprecedented 900th win as a college hockey coach with an October victory over Ferris State. He finished his coaching career with an overall record of 924-380-83.

Upon Mason’s retirement, he assumed the leadership of the Spartans’ 25-sport department, beginning a five-year tenure as the school’s AD. During that time, State squads captured 11 conference championships (regular season and postseason combined) and one national title. In addition, MSU was represented at the NCAA Championships 72 times, including Final Four/Frozen Four appearances by men’s basketball (2005), women’s basketball (2005), field hockey (2002 and 2004) and ice hockey (2007).

Mason served on the American Hockey Association Board of Directors from 1973-77 and is a former member of the NCAA Ice Hockey Rules Committee and NCAA Ice Hockey Championships Committee.

Mason received his bachelor’s degree from St. Lawrence University in 1964 and his master’s degree from Pittsburgh in 1965, before beginning his coaching career at Lake Superior State in ’66. He was presented with an honorary doctorate from Michigan State in the spring of 2001. Mason is a member of numerous Halls of Fame, including the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame (1994), Lake Superior Sports Hall of Fame (1996) and St. Lawrence Sports Hall of Fame (1999) and now the BGSU Hall of Fame. In addition, the American Hockey Coaches Association honored him with the John MacInnes Award for his outstanding contributions to hockey in the spring of 2003, and he received the Hobey Baker Memorial Award Foundation’s “Legend of Hockey” award in April 2004. He was selected to receive the Spartan Hockey Distinguished Alumnus Award – an award he helped found – in 2008.

Born Jan. 14, 1940, in Blyth, Ontario, Mason and his wife, Marion, reside in Haslett, Mich. They have two daughters, Tracey and Cindy, and two grandsons, Tyler and Travis. An avid fisherman, Mason also enjoys golfing.

Falcons Show Promise, Downed by Providence 3-1

by Ryan Gasser, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green Falcon hockey team drew much excitement at the BGSU Ice Arena in the series finale against Providence Saturday night, yet lost 3-1 after a late surge by the Friars.

The Falcons stormed out of the gate offensively by taking the game’s first three shots, one of which would strike the PC pipe off of the stick of senior forward James Perkin. Freshman goaltender Andrew Hammond got the start for the Falcons in the net and rebounded from the 8-2 loss from a night ago by making his first six saves.

The Falcons took physicality to a new level by bodying up on the Friars and limiting them to nine shots in the opening period. Most notably, freshman Jordan Samuels-Thomas and senior Kai Kantola would step up their game on the power play when on two chances, the Friars could only muster one shot on goal in the period.

Bowling Green scored the opening goal for the first time this season to take an early 1-0 lead when Perkin struck the back of the net on a wide open slap shot from the top of the right circle at the 13:15 mark. Tommy Dee was credited with the assist, making good for his third point of the weekend series.

Despite the quick start, the Falcon lead would stand only 1:08 before PC tied it up at the 14:23 mark of the first period. Providence junior Matt Germain scored his first goal of the season after taking the puck around the back of the BG cage and wrapping it around the post past Hammond to tie the game at one.

The last half of the first period and the entire second frame would be filled with terrific defense and more hard hitting by both teams while both teams held the other scoreless for the next 15:51. Bowling Green’s physical and disciplined defense only allowed one power play opportunity to the Friars in the last two periods of regulation and two shots during that time. Bowling Green would outshoot Providence in the second period 15 shots to ten.

Hammond stepped up his game in the third by making two key kick saves off of the stick of Matt Bergland before snagging the loose puck out of the air, killing a the scoring chance for Providence.

Bowling Green responded with a prime chance to take the lead after two Providence penalties a minute apart put BGSU on a two-man advantage. The Falcons put six shots on goal; all saved by PC sophomore goalie Justin Gates. The Friars returned one man to the ice and for the next minute of the Bowling Green power play, allowed only one shot on goal to kill both BG power plays.

The Friars returned to the power play for the third time of the evening after Ian Ruel was charged with cross-checking, yet the Falcon defense would stay strong and kill the PC power play.

Less than 45-seconds later, Providence would take the lead when junior Eric Baier took a hard slap shot from the top of the left circle and beat Hammond top-shelf. Providence 2, Bowling Green 1.

The Falcons attempted a surge with a minute remaining by pulling Hammond out of the net to give them a man advantage, but the Friars' Ian O'Connor tossed the puck from center ice into the empty net with 0:47 to go. The 3-1 lead would be all Providence would need to complete the sweep of the Falcons, who begin the season 0-4-0.

Bowling Green outshot the opposition for the first time this season, 34-32. Neither team would score on the power play as Bowling Green went 0-4 on the night while Providence finished 0-3.

Hammond, despite the loss, had the best game of his young Falcon career stopping 29 of 31 Friar shots, including 11 in the third period alone. “Andrew played very well,” said interim head coach Dennis Williams. “He has the calmness and composure in net out there. He did a great job with his rebound control. He was aggressive. We just have to find a way to score now.”

“They deserve way more than a loss out there tonight,” said Williams. “This one hurts way more than last night. If we can play like that every night and get a bit better, watch out.”

The Falcons fall to 0-4-0 to begin the 2009-10 season and will take the week to prepare for its first conference action when the team travels to Omaha, Neb. to play the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks.

Falcons Lose Home Opener to Friars

by Ryan Gasser, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

The Bowling Green State University hockey team welcomed the Providence Friars to the BGSU Ice Arena Friday night, however the visitors would take game one of the weekend series by a score of 8-2.

Providence College scored the first goal of the game when Ian O'Connor put one home against BGSU junior goaltender Nick Eno four minutes into the contest.

Bowling Green quickly retaliated after senior Tommy Dee would score his first goal of the season from a James Perkin pass less than three minutes later. After receiving the soft pass from his fellow senior, Dee took a one-on-one opportunity with Providence goaltender Alex Beaudry, faked right and wrapped the puck around Beaudry and into the net.

Dee would strike again while the Falcons were on a power play opportunity mid-way through the first period. At the 12:22 mark, Dee zipped one into the net for his second goal of the night. Credited with assists on the goal were freshman Reed Rushing, his first collegiate point, and senior David Solway, fresh in the lineup after missing two games with an injury.

The Friars evened the game up at two goals apiece when Matt Bergland scored the first of his three goals on the night with 2:06 remaining in the first.

The flood gates opened in the second period when Providence rattled off five second period goals. Bergland scored his second goal of the game after flipping the puck over Eno’s right shoulder on a four-on-four chance just over a minute into the second period, giving the Friars a 3-2 edge. Providence winger Chris Eppich sent a laser in top shelf on Eno five minutes later making the score 4-2, Friars. Centerman Aaron Jamnick scored his second goal of the season on a Providence power play late in the second period. Providence 4, Bowling Green 2.

After PC’s fourth goal, the decision was made to pull Eno in favor of freshman goalie Andrew Hammond, though he would not fare as well against the Friars either.

The scoring continued after Bergland completed the hat trick by taking a one-timer from the top of the left circle beating Hammond for the fifth Providence goal. Both Eppich and Jamnick scored a second goal to make the score 8-2 in favor of Providence. The final PC goal by Jamnick would complete a streak of seven unanswered goals by the Friars over the last 43:06 of the game. Bergland finished with a career-high four points on three goals and an assist.

After the game, head coach Dennis Williams commented on his team’s play. “Every time you looked up something was coming back down on us.” He continued, “Pucks that were going in were weird ones. It was unfortunate. It just seemed like everything thrown at the net was going in.”

Despite the loss, Williams also realized that his own opponent’s success can help teach the Falcons a valuable lesson. “We can learn from that,” said Williams. “We got to get pucks to the net. We should have 45 shots on net. That’s something that we can take from that game that happened to us. Let’s learn from what made them successful tonight.”

The Falcons were outshot on the nigh 45-18, with the Falcons only registered four shots in both the second and third periods. Bowling Green went one-for-six on the power play and only put two shots on goal in their last five power play opportunities after launching four shots on their first. The Friars finished two-for-five with the man advantage.

Eno finished with 18 saves on 22 shots in his 26:14 of play while Hammond saved 19 on 23 shots after taking over in net mid-way through the second period. Their counterpart, Beaudry, finished with 16 saves on 18 BGSU shot attempts.

The Falcons will be back in action tomorrow against the Friars as a part of Parents Weekend at BGSU. Drop of the puck is set for 7:05 p.m. EST at the BGSU Ice Arena. The game will also be broadcast by BCSN on tape delay and will air following the Toledo Walleye game.

Falcon Hockey Available on B2 Network

If audio just is not enough to satisfy your Falcon hockey fix and you are out of the local area to be able to watch the television broadcast, fans may now tune into the B2 Network for coverage of Falcon hockey.

Game packages at $7 per game and season passes for $75 are now available for BGSU hockey with a subscription to the B2 Network. The season package will give fans access to all 16 home contests and select road games. Buckeye Cable Sports Network broadcasts will be provided by the B2 network, when available.

To subscribe to the B2 Network or purchase single game packages, visit BGSUFALCONS.com and click on the B2 Network link.

Team USA downs BGSU

Bowling Green hockey played host to the United States Under-18 Development team Friday night and lost, 7-2.

The U.S. National U-18 squad jumped out to a quick 3-0 start in the first period off of goals scored by Justin Faulk, Bill Arnold and Bryan Rust. Six minutes into the game, Justin Faulk scored the first of his two goals on the night. From the top of the left circle, Faulk blasted a shot to the glove side of starting freshman goaltender Andrew Hammond.

Midway through the first period, Bill Arnold caught a rebound off of a Hammond save and put the second Team USA goal home on a power play to make it a two-goal advantage for the Red, White and Blue. To end the first period, forward Bryan Rust would score his third goal of the season from inside the left circle.

The U.S. U-18 team continued the scoring in the second period at the 3:22 mark when Luke Moffatt scored an unassisted goal on Hammond’s glove side to put them up 4-0. The Falcons kept the U.S. National team scoreless for the next thirteen minutes-plus until Nick Shore scored the fifth Team USA unanswered goal with 2:12 remaining in the second period off a Jarred Tinordi setup.

The Falcons did not give in, despite the five goal deficit. Senior captain, Kyle Page, reared back and cracked the first Falcon goal past netminder Jack Cambell on a five-on-three power play opportunity to eliminate the shutout and make the score 5-1, 5:45 into the final frame. Junior defenseman Andrew Krelove added another score from in front of the net less than two minutes later coming off of assists from Page and fellow senior Josh Boyd.

Team USA would avenge the two Falcon scores soon thereafter. With 7:51 remaining in the contest, Faulk added his second tally of the night on a Team USA power play to make the score 6-2. With that goal, it made him the team’s high goal scorer with five on the season. Brandon Saad concluded the scoring for the night with his fourth goal of the season.

After all was said and done, Bowling Green took the 7-2 loss into the locker room. “They have a great team,” said head coach Dennis Williams. “I’d put them against any college hockey team in the nation. We will practice hard tomorrow and regroup for Providence.”

Bowling Green would score twice on their seven power play opportunities, while the opposition scored twice as well in its six chances. Team USA outshot BGSU 41-29 on the night and had double-digit shots on goal in all three period, with a high of 15 in the first period.

Hammond started between the posts and saved 14-18 shots he faced. Junior Nick Eno came in for relief early in the second period and stopped 17 of the 19 shots fired at him. Senior Phil Greer enter the game to play the final 3:35 of the match, stopping three of four shots in that time.

Page finished the game with two points on the evening (1-1) and three other Falcons would score points on the evening. Josh Boyd has now scored points in consecutive games for the first time this season and becomes the third Falcon to do so in 2009-10.

Of the game, Page said, “We’ve got to reset from here. The clock turns twelve at midnight and it’s a new day. We just need to get ready for Providence now.”

Bowling Green will have an off day on Saturday, but will prepare to host the Providence Friars next weekend, Oct. 26-27. Game time is set for 7:05 p.m. EST for both nights.

BG Hockey Falls in Series Finale with Minnesota State

by Ryan Gasser, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

Falcon freshman goaltender Andrew Hammond would get his first start of his collegiate career and would be tested early as in the first period alone, the Mavericks would put 13 shots on goal. Hammond recorded his first collegiate on a Ryan Galiardi slapper that Hammond would deflect with a kick save. He would save four consecutive shots against him, all within the first five minutes of play.

After killing eight consecutive Minnesota State power play opportunities, seven of which from last night, the Mavericks would make the best of their second power play of the night. After Brian Moore was penalized for tipping at 14:13 in the first period, Ryan Galiardi would crash the net when three Falcons went to help Hammond’s left side and slap one home past the freshman keeper to take a 1-0 advantage.

The second period would be a similar story to the opening period as against the Mavericks would out-shoot the Falcons by a wide margin, 17-6. Hammond would keep 16 of those out of the net, but the Mavericks would raise the rowdy crowd of 3,546 to their feet when the power play would once again benefit the Purple and Gold. Senior Tomas Petruska would be called for a hooking penalty with 1:09 left in the second period and forty-five seconds later the Mavericks would strike again. Kurt Davis would acquire the puck at the top of the slot and with lots of traffic between he and Hammond, Davis would flick a wrister below his glove to put MSU up two goals to none. Galiardi would get credit with an assist on the play for his second point of the contest.

The Mavericks would take the fewest shots on goal in the third period (11), but would double their lead in the process. Andrew Sackrison would find himself at the right place at the right time when an errant shot would bounce hard off the board and find his stick for an easy rebound shot that would sound the arena horns a minute into the final period. Bowling Green 0, Minnesota State 3.

The home team would not be stopped there as Galiardi would reemerge in the scorers column with another red lighter, his second on the night. After out-skating two BG defenders, he would take an open slap shot and blazed one past the glove of Andrew Hammond. With 13:06 remaining, the Mavericks would take a 4-0 lead.

Fresh off of MSU killing a Bowling Green power play, the Falcons would charge towards Murdock and follow up on a loose puck in front of the net. Boyd would scoop up the loose puck and shoot stick side on Murdock and beat him to his left from five feet out and put the Falcons on the board, 4-1.

Jordan Samuels-Thomas (Fr., F) would gain credit for the first assist, his third of the weekend, and senior assistant captain Tommy Dee would get the second assist.

The Bowling Green State University hockey team returned to the Alltel Center Saturday night for vengeance after their 3-2 loss the previous night, but came up short losing to Minnesota State, 4-1.

Falcon freshman goaltender Andrew Hammond would get his first start of his collegiate career and would be tested early as in the first period alone, the Mavericks would put 13 shots on goal.

“We’ll get back at practice on Monday,” said Williams. “It will be a tough one too. We learn from this and get tougher for next week.”

Bowling Green now falls to 0-2-0 on the young season and will return home next week for an exhibition match with the U.S. Under-18 Developmental team based out of Ann Harbor, Mich. on Friday, Oct. 16.

Falcons Fall in Season Opener, 3-2, to Minnesota State

by Ryan Gasser, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant

The 2009-10 season and the Dennis Williams era for Bowling Green State University hockey began Friday night as the Falcons took to the road in a non-conference match up with the Minnesota State Mavericks. Bowling Green would take the loss by a final score of 3-2 in a game filled with speed and goaltending highlights by both teams.

The Falcon’s Josh Boyd won the first puck drop of the season and immediately it was apparent that speed would be each team’s strength for the other to control as puck control went back and forth.

Junior goaltender, Nick Eno, would get the starting nod between the pipes for the Falcons and was tested early by fielding shots of the sticks of the Maverick’s Andrew Sackrison and Tyler Thompson, both of which Eno would stop.

Minnesota State would serve the game’s first penalty when Mike Louwerse was called for a hooking penalty at the 4:41 mark of the first period. Try as the Falcons may, only one shot would make it past the Maverick defenders in that two-minute span. Senior Tomas Petruska would have two shots blocked by Maverick defenders with captain Kyle Page succumbing to the same fate on his lone shot of the power play. Freshman Ian Ruel would miss wide before the Falcon power play would end and both sides would return to even strength.

Nearly thirty seconds following the BG power play, the Mavericks would strike first when Jerad Stewart broke away as part of a three-on-two Maverick advantage taking a shot to Eno’s glove side that skimmed his mitt but would trickle into the net for the first goal of the game.

Off of an Ian Ruel hooking call that put him in the box, the Mavericks would struggle getting a shot off on the Falcons special teams as a Kael Mouillierat shot would fly wide of the cage and Eno would come up with a stuff at the right post on an Eriah Hayes wrap-around shot.

Minnesota State would then turn up the heat on the Falcons after killing a Bowling Green power play and send Tyler Thompson hard to the net for a pair of shots. Eno would make a fantastic stick-side save on Thompson’s first attempt and straight off a faceoff the Falcon defense stood their ground blocking Thompson’s second shot.

However with traffic building in front of the Falcon net, Geoff Irwin would extend the Maverick lead to two goals after Zach Harrison would set up Irwin for the red-lighter. Irwin would take the pass from Harrison and flip it over the right shoulder of Eno to make the score Bowling Green 0, Minnesota State 2 with 29 seconds remaining in the first period.

Bowling Green would half the Mavericks lead with time ticking away late in the second period. With just over a minute remaining in the period, Petruska and freshman Jordan Samuels-Thomas would break away from the pack on a two-on-one opportunity. Samuels-Thomas would feed Petruska with a touch pass in front of the net that the senior would flick over the shoulder of MSU sophomore goaltender, Austin Lee. Bowling Green 1, Minnesota State 2. Despite the goal, the Falcons would be out-shot by the Mavs 16-7 in the period.

To open up the third period, the Mavericks would take a two-man advantage after freshman Max Grover and sophomore Brennan Vargas would be called on separate penalties to create a five-on-three advantage for MSU. Six shots would be taken in the 3:29 span that the Mavericks were on the power play. Three would fly wide of the goal and the Falcons special teams unit blocked the remaining three shots.

The Falcons would kill both power plays as a result of the Grover and Vargas penalties, however four seconds into returning to full strength MSU would score its third goal. On his way to the net, Louwerse would lose his footing but while sliding would flick a shot on goal that would fly through the five-hole of Eno. With 15:16 remaining in the contest, Minnesota State would hold a 3-1 lead.

Bowling Green would struggle in the third period to get a shot through to the cage, only getting six on goal in the period. Three of those six shots would be taken with less than three minutes remaining.

After a Mavericks power play came up short at the 16:15 mark, Bowling Green would go on the power play for the seventh and final time of the night. With the faceoff being held in the Mavericks zone, head coach Dennis Williams pulled Eno out of goal to give the Falcons a six-on-four opportunity with 1:35 to go. With the two-man benefit, BGSU would rocket seven shots. Four would be blocked by the MSU defense, two would sail wide but the last would be the one that counted.

Kyle Page would receive a pass from Petruska and fire a laser from the top point between the circles right over the shoulder of goaltender Austin Lee with 0.1 seconds remaining. Though the goal would not make the game’s outcome any different, the Falcons would finish one goal down to the Mavericks and the game would conclude with a final score of Bowling Green 2, Minnesota State 3.

The Falcons begin the season 0-1-0 with the loss and drop their season-opener for the third consecutive year. BGSU was outshot 35-20 and killed all seven of Minnesota State’s power play opportunities. Tomas Petruska (1-1--2), Kyle Page (1-1--2) and Jordan Samuels-Thomas (0-2--2) would all finish with two points each and would be the only players to score for the Brown and Orange.

Following the game, head coach Dennis Williams expressed his pleasure with his team, despite the loss. “It was a real nice effort out there tonight. Our guys worked really hard and never gave up, which was evident with the last-second score by Kyle Page. We battled right to the end.”

One bright spot in particular was the performance by Eno, who finished with 32 saves on the night. “He had a lot of big saves for us tonight,” said Williams. “Five or six of his saves were highlight reel saves that could of went the other direction and really put us in a hole. He came out and challenged well and we took a lot of good things away from his performance.”