With the basketball team coming off an era of great success in the early 1960's, and the football team proving itself
as part of the MAC's elite during the same time frame, the leaders of the university decided to embark on a new endeavor:
ice hockey.
The first season of BG hockey was a great success. After starting the season slowly, the Falcons finished with a 9-0-4 mark
over the last 13 games to win the MCHA title. After another winning season under head coach Jack Vivian the next year, the
Falcons moved up to the Division 1 level, playing in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA). Despite the step up
in competition, the Falcons still posted a 21-10-2 record, good for third place in the league. After a losing season in 1972-
73, Vivian was replaced by Ron Mason, who would lead the Falcons to three CCHA titles in his six years at the school, and a
third place finish in the 1978 NCAA tournament.
Mason left after the 1978-79 season, and was replaced as coach by Jerry York. In 15 seasons behind the bench, York led the
Falcons to four CCHA titles, one CCHA postseason tournament title, and six NCAA tournament appearances. On March 25, 1984,
York's Falcons brought Bowling Green to the top of the hockey world, beating Minnesota-Duluth 5-4 in quadruple overtime to
win the national championship.
After a rough stretch in the early 1990's, York left Bowling Green to coach his alma mater, Boston College. He was replaced
by Buddy Powers, who strung together three winning seasons at the start of his tenure, but couldn't find success again.
Prior to the 2002-03 season, the Falcons again made a coaching change, hiring Scott Paluch to lead the team. Paluch played
for the brown and orange from 1984-1988, scoring 48 goals in four years at the school.
The Falcon hockey team has also provided the sport with some big names. Ken Morrow and Mark Wells won gold medals with Team
USA at the 1980 Olympics, and Kevin Dahl and Greg Parks have taken home silver medals for Canada in 1984 and 1994, respectively.
Morrow, for a time, was the only player in history to win a gold medal and the Stanley Cup in the same year, when he joined
the New York Islanders following the '80 Games. He remains the only amateur Olympian to achieve that feat. In 1982, George McPhee
became the CCHA's first winner of the Hobey Baker Award, given annually to college hockey's top player, his feat was matched in 1995,
when Brian Holzinger was awarded the trophy.
The list of Falcons who have made an impact in the NHL is almost too numerous to list, though some that have stood out
include: Mike Liut, who spent 15 years in the league with the Blues, Whalers and Capitals; Rob Blake, who won the Stanley
Cup with the Colorado Avalanche; and all-time leading scorer Nelson Emerson, who crafted a 15-year NHL career with seven
different franchises.