Bowling Green Preview

Clarkson (4-11-2 overall) will face Bowling Green (2-15-2) in the consolation game of the Dodge Holiday Classic at 5:07 p.m. today at the University of Minnesota's Mariucci Arena.

The two teams should be somewhat familiar with each other, as today's game will mark the fifth time in the last five years they've faced each other. The Falcons swept Clarkson 3-1 and 4-1 in Bowling Green last season. Clarkson beat Bowling Green in single games in 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons.

Last Night's Games

Northern Michigan 4, Clarkson 0

A bad first period proved costly for Clarkson as the Wildcats scored twice and outshot Clarkson 15-4. Clarkson had more chances early in the game, but was never the same after Northern Michigan's Phil Fox scored a goal on the Wildcats' first shot just 4 minutes and 6 seconds into the contest. Clarkson played better in the final two periods, outshooting Northern Michigan 25-22.

Minnesota 3, Bowling Green 1

The host Golden Gophers won the other semifinal before a crowd of 9,712, relying on three goals in the third period to overcome a 1-0 deficit. Bowling Green's Jordan Samuels-Thomas scored a second-period goal to give the Falcons the lead after 40 minutes. The Golden Gophers tied the game with a goal from Mike Carman at 3:31 of the third period, then scored twice in the final 2:50 of the game to seal the win.

Stat of the Night

This could be a case of whoever scores first, wins. Clarkson is 1-7-2 this season when the opposing team scores first and the Falcons are 1-9-2 in the same scenario.

Who to Watch

Clarkson:Sophomores Louke Oakley and Nick Tremblay are the only two current Golden Knights to score goals against the Falcons. Goalie Richie LaVeau, who will start tonight's game, lost to the Falcons last year but gave up just three goals in 30 shots.

Bowling Green:Senior forward Kai Kantola scored one goal with one assist against Clarkson last season. The Falcons feature two NHL draft picks. Freshman forward Samuels-Thomas, who scored the only goal last night, leads the team in scoring with seven goals and nine assists in 19 games. He's an Atlanta Thrashers draft choice. Junior goalie Nick Eno, a Buffalo Sabres selection, is 2-9-1 this season with a 3.14 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage.

Last Meeting

The Falcons wrapped up a two-game home sweep of Clarkson with a 3-1 win on Dec. 20, 2008 at the BGSU Ice Arena. The game was tied 1-1 after two periods when Clarkson's Oakley scored a shorthanded goal 3:43 into the second period. Bowling Green scored a four-on-four goal early in the third period and added a power-play goal three minutes later.

Stats and Notes

Clarkson coach George Roll was a member of Bowling Green's 1984 national championship team. ... Both teams in today's game have struggled at the start of contests, though the Falcons have fared much worse. Clarkson has been outshot 189-149 in the first period, though has only been outscored 17-15. Bowling Green has been outshot 214-138 and outscored 22-10. ... How important is a lead for both teams after the first 20 minutes? Clarkson is 1-9-2 this season if it does not lead after the first period and the Falcons are 0-13-2.