Hedquist Stops 38 Shots as Bulldogs Fall to Bowling Green

Postgame Interview 
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Big Rapids, Mich. – Junior goaltender Hobie Hedquist faced 40 shots from the Falcons of Bowling Green State University Friday (Jan. 9) and made 38 saves as Ferris State Hockey suffered a 3-1 defeat in Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) play.

It was the Bulldogs' (4-19-0, 3-12-0 CCHA) first home game of 2026 and third game against the Falcons (10-5-4, 7-3-3 CCHA) this year. BGSU has now won all three games with the final regular season meeting between the two teams set for Saturday (Jan. 10).

Hedquist's 38 saves were his second most of the season. His career-high was set Oct. 9 with 48 saves in a win over then-#1 Western Michigan. In Friday's loss, the Bulldogs were outshot 41-17.

Neither team scored in the first period as Hedquist stopped all 17 shots he faced from the Falcons. BGSU outshot FSU 17-3 in the first frame, and neither team had a power play opportunity.

FSU scored the game's first goal at 1:47 in the second period courtesy of Jack Mesic. Mesic's second goal of the season came from Max Itagaki and Gavin Best, who both have points in five straight games. That represents the longest streak for the Bulldogs this year. Best passed from the left point down the wall for Itagaki who then fired a pass to Mesic on the backside for a shot past BGSU goaltender Cole Moore. Itagaki and Best both collected their seventh assists of the season.

Brody Waters tied the game at 13:57 with assists going to Jake Sloan and Jackson Niedermayer. At 15:21, BGSU took a 2-1 lead with a power play goal from Jaden Grant. Ty Higgins and Dominik Rymon assisted.

Brandon Whynott scored an empty-net goal at 19:03 to seal BGSU's victory. Ben Doran and Waters assisted.

For the game, FSU was 0-3 on the power play and 4-5 on the penalty kill. The Bulldogs blocked seven shots compared to four for the Falcons and BGSU had a slight edge in faceoff wins at 34-31. 

Moore finished with 16 saves on 17 shots faced in the victory for Bowling Green. Xavier Jean-Louis led the Bulldogs with four shots on goal and Mesic had three. Mesic, Connor McGrath, Tyler Schleppe, Brian Morse, Caden Brown, Riley Wallack and Trevor Taulien each had a blocked shot and Josh Zary finished with a game-high 13 faceoff wins.

The Bulldogs will conclude their regular season series with the Falcons Saturday (Jan. 10). Puck drop is scheduled for 6:07 p.m. (ET) with pregame coverage provided on Sunny 97.3 FM. Fans can watch the video stream via pay-per-view on Midco Sports Plus.