By Mark Snyder
Daily Sports Writer
BOWLING GREEN - A quick glance at Bowling Green's hockey stat sheet reveals a familiar trend.
Much like Michigan, the core of the Falcons' production is concentrated among the upperclassmen.
The core group of eight seniors likens Bowling Green to Michigan, which has nine graduating players. On each team, each of the seniors has a special role.
But that is where the similarities end.
While the Bowling Green media guide purports that two of its eight seniors are Hobey Baker candidates (center Mike Johnson and defenseman Kelly Perrault) and another player (forward Curtis Fry) is an All-America candidate, that is about as unrealistic as Nike taking swooshes off its products.
The trio did not even win any conference awards.
Neither Fry nor Johnson was named to either of the All-CCHA teams - both received honorable mention recognition. Perrault received no honors.
While the national awards have yet to be announced, none of the three are legitimate candidates anymore. But that is not to take away from their importance to the Falcons.
Johnson and Fry (along with fellow senior Brett Punchard) are the reason the Falcons are alive. As the No. 5 seed entering the CCHA playoffs, the Falcons travelled to Sault Ste. Marie to face Lake Superior over the past weekend.
Bowling Green fed off its three senior forwards, soundly defeating the Lakers, 5-3 and 8-4. The trio combined for nine goals and seven assists on the weekend, sparking the upset. Fry said their leadership was the deciding factor in the two wins.
"Johnson and I, (along with) the whole senior class had a good weekend against Lake Superior," he said.
All season, co-captains Johnson (61 points) and Fry (59 points) have provided the necessary support for the team on the score sheet.
"We certainly don't want to rely on one or two guys to do most of the scoring," Johnson said. "You want it to be even."
But it hasn't been even. The two forwards have shouldered the majority of the scoring load -the next leading scorer is 20 points behind.
The leadership burden off the ice is a part of the title Johnson has learned to accept.
"Some guys need a kick in the ass and some need an ear to listen," he said. "Now in our fourth year as captains, we've been asked to take over."
Powers feels that the entire class made a conscious effort not to let this season become a disaster after a 5-11-2 conference start.
Ironically, the Wolverines were partly to blame for the slow start.
In the Nov. 9 game in Ann Arbor, Punchard broke his ankle following a melee between the teams. The senior wing returned Jan. 4, and Bowling Green went on a five-game winning streak that night. And his game skills are just coming into form.
"Punchard is just now - in the last two weeks - starting to get back to where he was," Powers said. "That helped us quite a bit, because he's played in a few situations for us (in the past)."
Between the pipes, though, is where the most important senior resides. Goaltender Bob Petrie was a difference during the latter half of the campaign.
"Bobby Petrie's played well in goal for us the second half of the year," Powers said. "And that's a big factor in us getting some Ws."
While his statistics this season are far from exceptional - a 3.50 goals-against average and an .878 save percentage - Petrie was solid when necessary.
He made 41 saves against the Lakers last weekend. But the Wolverines will be a different story, as they average 35.5 shots - per game.
Powers trusted his upperclassmen to come through for him, and last weekend, they did.
"They look at this as a second season and a chance to do something in the playoffs," he said.
That chance comes Friday when Michigan brings its senior class, which includes a Hobey Baker candidate (Brendan Morrison) and a potential All-American (John Madden).
This weekend, Bowling Green will see the senior class it was supposed to have - on the other bench.
MARK FRIEDMAN/Daily
Bowling Green has had little luck keeping Michigan, or anyone else, down for long this season. The Falcons are 10-12-5 in the CCHA going into this weekend's tournament.