Wed, 10 Feb 2010 02:53:11 +0000

Bowling Green Falcons 
(4-19-4, 3-14-4-3)

vs. 

RV/#19 Michigan Wolverines 
(16-12-1, 11-9-1-0)

Feb. 9, 2010 - 7:35 p.m. EST
Yost Ice Arena - Ann Arbor, Mich.

Listen to the game LIVE - click here!
Follow the game with live stats - click here!

BGSU game notes
Michigan game notes
CCHA Weekly

THIS WEEK
With the Michigan Wolverines (RV/#19) returning from Camp Randall, Wisc. in a single matchup with the Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday, the Falcons will meet the Wolverines in Ann Arbor, Mich. for the conclusion of their extended home-and-home series on Tuesday, February 9. Gametime is set for 7:35 p.m. EST for the season finale between BGSU and U-of-M.

MEDIA COVERAGE
Radio: This Tuesday’s hockey game can be heard as scheduled on WBGU-FM with Everett Fitzhugh bringing you the live action, shot-for-shot. Brian Fisher will join Fitzhugh on the broadcast with the color analysis. The pregame show will air 30 minutes prior to the opening face-off. The broadcast can be heard globally on www.bgsufalcons.com.
TV: Tuesday evening’s contest will be broadcast on the Comcast Cable Network with Fred Pletsch (CCHA Media Relations) bringing the play-by-play with Lyle Phair providing color analysis. Art Regner will down between the benches for in-game commentary.
Live stats: Live stats for all BGSU home games are available on the BGSU web site - www.bgsufalcons.com - via Live Scoring. The stats can be accessed from the schedule page in the hockey section of the web site by clicking on the “details” icon on the right hand side of the page, then by clicking “live scoring”.

LAST TIME OUT
On a rare Thursday night game that drew nearly 2,500 fans to the BGSU Ice Arena the Falcons and Wolverines spent nearly three-fourths of the contest divided by a single goal. The game would end that way as well with all the damage being done in the opening period. 

Following a cross-checking penalty that drew a game misconduct call on Tommy Dee (Sr., F), the Falcons were forced to defend a 5-on-4 Michigan power play for five minutes. The Wolverines’ Matt Rust and Chris Brown scored goals nearly a minute apart to put U-of-M out to a quick 2-0 lead. After killing off the rest of the full five minute power play, the Falcons retaliated by halving the lead in the 15th minute of the contest. Tomas Petruska (Sr., F) scored his eighth goal of the season when he scooped up a rebound from a David Solway shot, circled around with he puck and fired a bullet past Michigan goaltender, Bryan Hogan. 

No team would score for the following 44:10 of the game, and the Wolverines staved off a late BGSU power play to end the game, 2-1. 

THE STARTING FIVE - Five Facts On BGSU Hockey
(1) The Falcons and Wolverines have an all-time series record of 33-74-3, favoring Michigan dating back to 1971. The two teams have already squared off three times this season with BG winning in Ann Arbor, 4-2, and Michigan winning both away contests, one at Lucas County Arena (Toledo, Ohio), 4-1 and the other last Thursday at BGSU, 2-1.

(2) Bowling Green has won two in a row at the Yost Ice Arena. The last time the Falcons had won two or more games in a row at The Yost was between the 2000 and 2002 seasons with victories on March 4, 2000 (6-3) and a Jan. 25, 2002 (4-2).

(3) Three of the next four weekends to close out the 2009-10 season will be games played within Bowling Green’s cluster. BGSU has home-and-home series with Michigan (2/4, 2/9) and Michigan State (2/26-27) and host Notre Dame on 2/19-20. Cluster play will be halted for a weekend where the Falcons bring in the top team in the land, No. 1 Miami Redhawks.

(4) Three Falcons have found themselves on the Hobey Baker Award nomination list released earlier this month. Kyle Page (Sr., D), Tomas Petruska (Sr., F) and Jordan Samuels-Thomas (Fr., F) are all available to earn votes towards the 2010 Hobey Baker Award. To vote, visit www.hobeybaker.com/vote

(5) In recent years, the Falcons have struggled in the second half of their seasons. Last year the Falcons finished their last 18 games with a 4-14-0 record. Since 2000-01, BGSU has only had two seasons with post-.500 records in the second half of the season (2000-01, 2004-05) and have a combined record of 50-108-12 in that time. This year, they are currently 2-5-2 through seven games in the second half of 2009-10.

THE YOST - A PLACE FOR SUCCESS
Prior to last year, the Falcons had not won a game in the Yost Ice Arena since 2002 (1/25/02, 6-3) but in their last two outings in Ann Arbor, Bowling Green has pulled away victories in both appearances. On Jan. 16, 2009 the Falcons recorded the first shutout victory over the Wolverines in BGSU hockey history with their 3-0 win. Earlier this season the Falcons came back from a goal down with two power-play tallies and a third unanswered goal to take the “W” in a 4-2 win on Nov. 20, 2009. It also marks the first time the Falcons have won consecutive games at the Yost since their back-to-back away wins on March 4, 2000 and Jan. 25, 2002.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB
Needing two points to achieve the feat, Tomas Petruska (Sr., F) tallied two goals on Jan. 16 against NMU to achieve his 49th and 50th points of his career. He now is the third Falcon this season to eclipse 50 career points (David Solway - 55 and James Perkin - 53). He has since added two assists to now make his total career point marker 52, third most for active Falcons. Senior Forward Kai Kantola is only one point away from joining the club himself. He resides with 49 career points (26-23--49) going into this weekend.

SEASON-HIGH PRODUCTIVITY
With a shootout win and a tie against Western Michigan on the weekend of Jan. 22-23, the Falcons strung together some of their best play to accumulate a season-high five points towards the CCHA standings. The team had twice brought home three points following back-to-back splits with Alaska (Nov. 13-14) and Michigan (Nov. 20-21). In their last two weekends, BGSU has tallied six points with a 1-1-2-1 record in that time.

SECOND YEAR - SECOND HALF SENSATIONS
It may have taken a bit of time, but the sophomore class is starting to heat up in the second half of the season for the BGSU Falcons. After the first 18 games of the 2009-10 season, the sophomore class had only tallied one goal and one assist on the season. However, since Jan. 2 they have exploded for five goals and five assists - 10 points - in eight games. Cameron Sinclair and Brennan Vargas both have 2-1--3 lines in that time while James McIntosh has also chipped in with a goal and pair of assists.

For complete notes, download the note packet at the top of the page.

Brent Chismark is a Michigan State University alumnus. This is his first review for The A Cappella Blog.

A remarkable change of venue is the first thing to note about the 2010 ICCA Midwest Quarterfinal in East Lansing, MI. Since my time as an undergraduate at MSU at the start of the Millennium, all the ICCA shows that took place at Michigan State University have been on-campus. This year, the venue was moved to the John Hannah Community Center, about a half-mile north of the University. I was initially apprehensive about the suitability of a community center for an ICCA show, though it had promise as far as available free parking was concerned.

However, once inside, the White Performing Arts Theater has a lot to offer an ICCA Quarterfinal–standard theatrical seating and better acoustics and light than the on-campus Fairchild Theatre for sure. The balcony section provided an excellent place for the event coordinators to corral the performing groups, while still giving them a great view of the show, and provided them a direct path to and from stage. Down below, as the show began, the available ground seats were mostly full, taking into account all the various roped-off seats for judges and timekeeper.

Our emcees for the night were MSU’s Spartan Dischords, known for their boisterous brand of on-stage antics. They opened the show with Jay Sean’s “Down”, which integrated “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas. Then, after the requisite rules summary, the first competitor took the stage.

Smooth Benediction is a mixed group from Mount Marty College, a private Catholic institution in South Dakota. Undoubtedly the farthest travelers of the day (at 800 miles), they only retained a slightly haggard appearance from their long trip. Their set followed the typical “Holy Trinity” (no pun intended) of upbeat, down-tempo, and rock-out, interspersed with some preacher-inspired intros. Their final song, an arrangement of George Michael’s “Faith” was pretty well received, especially when the lead was interrupted Kanye-style by another group member. While injecting a moment of laughter, it seemed a little out-of-place. However, when they got going again with a fumbled key change, the stunt just came off as an attempt at misdirection while they tried to nail that key change.

Next up was the GMen from the University of Michigan. Sporting their customized GMen jerseys, they took the stage with Guster’s “Careful”. It has been a few years since I last heard this now 15-year-old men’s group, but they have definitely stepped up their game in the last few years as they were the tightest I had heard them. Strong bass presence on the mic–probably the best of the night–great choreography and solid arranging were particular highlights. Their arrangement of Queen’s “(Crazy Little) Thing Called Love”, was arranged in a 60’s lounge style, with 50’s inspired choreography and an Elvis Presley lead standing down-right with the ensemble arranged in two rows center stage. The choreography here was especially well-done and reminiscent of perennial ICCA competitor U of I Xtension Chords.

Our third competitor was Euphoria from Michigan’s Grand Valley State University. The first group to take the stage in all-black, these men and women used colored ties and scarves to avoid the “floating head” problem all too common with monochromatic wardrobe on the competition stage. Euphoria brought us solid lineup of strong R&B and R&B-influenced pop, but the bass section’s lack of experience with microphones shone through. While the vocal percussionist was clearly at home on the mic, the bass was all but silent for the entirety of the set, hurting their overall sound. In spite of this, they had great solo work all around. A gentleman from my CAL group who joined me in the audience has a soft spot in his heart for soulful female belters and essentially melted into his seat when Euphoria’s belter joined center stage toward the end of Mariah Carey’s “You’ll Always Be My Baby”.

The University of Michigan’s most recognized and decorated group, Amazin’ Blue, rounded out the first half of the night. If there was a special award for “Best Dressed”, it would have gone to them hands-down, with the guys in tuxedos, and the ladies all in dresses of a rich wine color. Their set was equally top-notch, starting with U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name”, which the lead carried well even without the reverb that the sound guy threw on. After a rendition of “Heart of the Matter (Forgiveness)” as performed by India Arie, Blue ended their set with “December ‘63” aka “Oh What A Night”, originally by the Four Seasons. A popular classic rock anthem, emulating Frankie Valli’s vocals is a challenge to all leads that attempt it. Most times, a poor mix between a male lead’s falsetto and upper register leads to a jarring performance, and sadly Amazin’ Blue’s was no exception, though offset in some ways by how well he owned his awkward and sometimes spastic gyrations during the song.

The second half started with an update from the Spartan Dischords on the MSU basketball win, then a rousing rendition of the MSU Alma Mater and Fight Song, which served as an appropriate segue to MSU’s own Capital Green. Capital Green’s set started out with Matt Nathanson’s “Car Crash”, which was performed very well, though not without an unacknowledged sense of irony as members of University of Wisconsin’s Fundamentally Sound, originally scheduled to compete, were involved in a collision during their trip to East Lansing and were thus unable to participate. Remaining technically tight through their set, they performed Sara Bareilles’ “Between the Lines” and closed with “All the Above” originally by Maino, which surprised me, since they routinely pick up speed each time the refrain comes up.

Next up was University of Illinois’s No Comment, a mixed group founded in 2004. Unfortunately true to their name, they turned in a mostly unremarkable performance. While technically adept, their arrangements felt overly simple. Their soloist on Kelly Clarkson’s “Beautiful Disaster” was a stand-out, however their standing order rotation immediately following it was excessively protracted and exaggerated, soliciting an awkward laugh from the crowd. Perhaps the group felt that such a mechanical swap-around was somehow apropos, but the reason behind this was lost on me.

The competitors’ portion was closed out by the University of Illinois Rip Chords whose ladies put on a solid performance, though they suffered from the normal hallmarks of arranging for all-women’s groups. Bass lines were frequently too low for their basses, causing them to bend their pitch sharp. Their final song, Donna Summer’s “Hot Stuff” suffered the most, when after the late upward key change, the chord structure forced the basses to shift up and out of their low registers, leaving the final refrain without the strong bass line which had permeated the arrangement to that point. These things aside, the overall mix and complexity of their arrangements was what we expect from one of the most noted all-female groups in the Midwest.

With all competitors finished, the time had come for the interminable wait for scores. Throughout the show, the Spartan Dischords had established a good rhythm, giving the judges an appropriate amount of time to score each group and finish their last comments. The MC groups in general at the ICCA competitions I’ve been to in the past tend to be pretty hit-or-miss, but the Spartan Dischords managed to keep thing moving and realize when their intermediate banter was falling flat.

Their “deliberation” set consisted of them singing a couple songs in their characteristic way–making wisecracks and homoerotic allusions during the length of each song. They then invited a vocal percussionist from each group onstage to take part in the infamously clichéd “Beatbox Competition” or as the Spartan Dischords termed it, the “Beat-Off”. This is, of course, an idea that was novel the first time it was done several years ago, but now that nearly every Midwest ICCA (and ICHSA) show features this time killer, it has quickly reached the point of intolerability.

However, this night’s might go down in history as one of the best beatbox competitions I have seen. One of the groups had an underutilized secret weapon, known only to them (and anyone like me who researched the groups before the show). His name is Nick Michalek, and he is the beatboxer for Euphoria. He also goes under the stage name “DJ Phazer”. Humbly standing as the third from the last participant, the Spartan Dischord MCing the competition nearly went limp when DJ Phazer dropped his first sonic bomb and then proceeded to own the remainder of the unofficial competition, bringing the house to their feet.

Clearly the presumptive winner, some chatter around me wondered why he hadn’t shown his real chops during the judged portion. It seemed pretty clear to me that Euphoria (and DJ Phazer along with them) were under no illusion that the judges would respond favorably to one Beatboxer overshadowing the whole group.

Deliberation complete, the judges special awards were given as follows:

Outstanding Soloist went to Sarah Farkesian of No Comment for “Beautiful Disaster”. Outstanding Choreography went to the University of Michigan GMen for “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.” Outstanding Vocal Percussion went to Tony Pachella and Tom Hu of the GMen for their combo work on “Careful.” An award for Outstanding Arrangement was not given.

This led to the final rankings. Second Runner-up with 315 points was the University of Illinois Rip Chords. First Runner-up, also advancing to Regional Competition was the University of Michigan GMen with 364 points. University of Michigan Amazin’ Blue took top honors with 384 points.

I look forward to the results of the other Midwest Quarterfinals at Northwestern University, Missouri State, and Washington University-St. Louis, and seeing the winning groups from those competitions join Amazin’ Blue and the GMen at the Midwest Semifinal in March at the University of Michigan’s Michigan Theater. Congratulations to the GMen and Amazin’ Blue and, of course, to all those who picked them in the ACB Bracket Contest.

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