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They say college hockey is a small world.
Surely, everybody involved in the sport was paying attention last spring when it appeared the world of NCAA pucks was about to get smaller.
In March, Bowling Green, UNO's CCHA rival, announced that it was considering dropping its hockey program as a cost-cutting measure.
The school eventually pulled that option off the table, and has since recommitted its resources to hockey. Bowling Green appears to be on much more solid ground now as it comes to town this weekend to take on the University of Nebraska at Omaha in the teams' CCHA opener.
But when the Falcons' future was in doubt beyond the 2009-10 season, the news had far-reaching effects. For example, Alex Hudson, the Mavericks' sophomore forward, is close friends with Bowling Green's Ryan Peltoma, a rookie defenseman.
Hudson and Peltoma skated together for two seasons in Kearney, Neb., with the USHL's Tri-City Storm. Peltoma, who played with the NAHL's North Iowa Outlaws last season, chose to go to Bowling Green in June even as the program appeared to be on thin ice.
“It was a tough situation,” Hudson said. “But it was one of those things that he really couldn't control. All he could do was go there, hope for the best, and work his hardest.”
Bowling Green announced in July that it will spend $2.5 million to improve its hockey arena. In September, the school launched a $5 million fundraising campaign to bolster the program.
Those developments, interim coach Dennis Williams said, have helped his staff and his players shift all of their energy back to on-ice matters.
“It allowed us to get right back in the game,” said Williams, a BG graduate who took over coaching duties following the June resignation of Scott Paluch. “Up until then, there were a lot of questions from student-athletes — and rightfully so — wondering what was going on with the program. We have been able to get back into the recruiting cycle and make offers to kids since the announcement.”
The Falcons haven't had a winning season since 1996-97, and they'll come to Omaha hoping to improve on an 0-4-0 start.
But Bowling Green boasts one of the proudest hockey traditions in NCAA history. Legendary coaches Ron Mason and Jerry York, in separate stints at the school, led the Falcons to nine NCAA tournament appearances between 1975 and 1990.
Two Bowling Green products, Ken Morrow and Mark Wells, won a gold medal in 1980 with Team USA's “Miracle on Ice” squad, and the Falcons won a national championship in 1984.
In the Mavericks' 13 seasons of Division I hockey, Bowling Green was on the ice for one of UNO's most magical moments. Playing in front of a sellout crowd at the Civic Auditorium on March 14, 2000, the Mavs worked out a 3-1 “Tuesday Night” playoff win against the Falcons to advance to the CCHA semifinals in Detroit.
“It would not have been good for our sport to lose a program like Bowling Green, and you hate to see anyone have to drop out,” UNO coach Dean Blais said. “We want to see college hockey keep growing, not shrinking.”
The 3-0-1 Mavs, ranked Nos. 12 and 13 in the NCAA's major polls, were idle last Friday and Saturday. This weekend's games against Bowling Green will kick off UNO's final season in the CCHA. The Mavericks will move to the WCHA in 2009-10.
“We're excited to get going again against the league,” Hudson said. “Every night is a battle in the CCHA, and we can't expect to just walk in here and blow them out. They're a good team, they're going to be hungry, and we're going to have to earn it if we want to get some points.”
Contact the writer:
444-1207, chad.purcell@owh.com
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