60 Days. 60 Teams. 600 Words (or Less): Bowling Green

Bowling Green

2018-19 Record: 25-15-5 (16-8-4, 3rd in WCHA)
Head Coach: Ty Eigner, 1st Year
Top returning scorers: Brandon Kruse (10G-31A) and Connor Ford (17G-17A)
Top returning goaltender: Eric Dop (Jr.)

Figuring out whether the glass is half empty or half full in Toledo Northwest Ohio depends on your outlook. Optimists can find solace in Bowling Green's recent path. So can pessimists.

After recent close calls, the Falcons finally snapped its 29 year NCAA Tournament drought, giving the eventual champions its biggest scare. For a program whose entire future was uncertain a decade ago before Chris Bergeron took over, that's no small accomplishment.

Ryan Bednard (.926%) and the team's defense stifled opponents, allowing on average less than two goals (1.83) per game. On offense, the top three scorers were all sophomores.

For a pessimist, just when things went well the bottom fell out. A 13-3-3 first half turned into a nailbiting finish for an at-large bid. BGSU lost to four of the WCHA's bottom five. The Falcons blew late leads against both Minnesota State in the WCHA championship game and UMD in the NCAA Tournament (losing both in OT).

Bergeron departed for old rival Miami. Bednard signed with an NHL team near Miami (Florida, not Ohio). Junior forward Lukas Craggs signed with Nashville as a free agent.

What's New: The Falcons host the Ice Breaker Tournament in Toledo to kick off the season...a week after kicking off the season on the road against Bergeron's Miami.

Even though the tournament now ends up being the equivalent of a networking event over drinks after meetings, it features RIT, Western Michigan and in-state rival Ohio State (who BGSU absolutely crushed 8-2 last season). Notre Dame comes to town as part of a home-and-home series. The Falcons add former Michigan Tech forward Gavin Gould as a transfer.

And of course, Bergeron leaving means Bowling Green has a new head coach. Enter Ty Eigner.

Eigner, who spent the previous nine seasons as an assistant coach under Bergeron, gets his first head coaching opportunity at his alma mater. His staff rounds out with Merrimack associate coach Curtis Carr and Wisconsin alum Maco Balkovec.

Closing Thoughts: No matter whether the glass is half empty or half full, Bowling Green has been on a program-changing run. The Falcons continue to be one of the top WCHA (for now) teams. There's some sense of stability returning several key players and Eigner promoted from within to the head coaching position.

An optimist and pessimist will answer the same questions differently. Can BGSU replace Bednard's play the past two seasons? What adjustments will be made under Eigner? How do the Falcons react to success and snapping the NCAA Tournament drought?

It's that last question which stands out. 2018-19's ending and last-minute OT losses should be a learning experience. BGSU can say it had both the ending it wanted and a chip on its shoulder being hungry for more (and I'm sure the atmosphere for Miami's trip to Toledo Bowling Green on December 30th will be fun to watch). Max Johnson is an underrated player nationally, as is Alex Rauhauser on defense. 50+ teams would take getting back three players with 34+ points.

The Falcons should be intriguing. Whether the optimist or pessimist is right, both can agree on not expecting Bowling Green to spend another 29 years without an NCAA Tournament appearance.

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