The Bemidji State University men’s ice hockey team makes its first appearance at Sanford Center since Nov. 21 this weekend as it hosts No. 14 Bowling Green State University. The Western Collegiate Hockey Association series featuring the league’s top two defensive teams, will close out the first half of the 2015-16 season.

The Beavers open the series 5-7-3 overall and 4-6-2 in league play. Unbeaten in four of their last five games, the Beavers look to make a move in the WCHA standings versus a Falcon team that holds down the No. 14 spot on both major polls with a 9-3-5 record and 6-2-4 mark in league play.

Bowling Green, which is unbeaten in its last seven contests (5-0-2), opens the series following a pair of 2-2 draws versus Minnesota State University last weekend. The Falcons are led by Baxter, Minn. native Matt Pohlkamp, who has five goals and a team-best nine assists for 14 points. Mark Cooper enters the series as the team’s top goal-scorer with eight tallies, three of which have counted as game-winners, while sophomore blueliner Mark Friedman is tied for second on the team and leads all WCHA defenders with 10 points (2g-8a). Chris Nell has handled the bulk of the BGSU goaltending duties this season for a Falcon defense that paces the WCHA in goals allowed per game (1.92). In 14 appearances, the sophomore has a 6-2-5 record with a 1.59 goals against average and a .939 save percentage.

The Bemidji State-Bowling Green series got its start as a nonconference matchup during the 2011-12 season, but since 2013-14, the teams have been meeting as WCHA rivals. Bowling Green holds a slight 4-3-1 lead in the series, but the Beavers have never been beaten by the Falcons on Sanford Center ice. BSU owns a 3-0-1 mark versus BGSU at home, including a 5-2 victory and 2-2 tie Jan. 30-31 of last season.