Bowling Green’s hockey team struggled to score this season.
The Falcons also lacked size and leadership as they finished 10-27-4 overall and last in the Central
Collegiate Hockey Association with a 3-21-4 record.
But coach Chris Bergeron believes the team is addressing those weaknesses with its eight recruits for
next season.
Four of the eight signed their national letter of intent earlier this month.
Three of the four are from the United States (Junior) Hockey League – forwards Dajon Mingo of Des Moines,
Adam Berkle of Youngstown and defenseman Marcus Perrier of Sioux Falls.
The fourth is forward Ted Pletsch, who played for Pembroke in the Central (Ontario) Junior Hockey League.

The other recruits signed their national letters in November.
The early signees were defenseman Connor Kucera of Des Moines and forward Ryan Carpenter of Sioux City in
the USHL, defenseman Mike Sullivan of Markham and Georgetown in the Ontario Junior Hockey League, and
goalie Wyatt Galley of Langley in the British Columbia (Junior) Hockey League.
"We wanted to address specific needs and some of those needs are our power play and scoring more
goals," said Bergeron, who will be in his second season next fall.
Berkle, Perrier, Kucera and Carpenter were team captains this season, while Pletsch was an assistant
captain. The seven non-goalies average just over 6-foot, 197 pounds.
"We need some leadership and it’s something we feel we’re going to do by committee," Bergeron
said. "Having leaders in our freshmen class is something of the utmost importance. We were looking
for size and and a winning mentality/leadership."
Mingo (5-9, 170) figures to provide immediate offensive help for the Falcons, who averaged just 1.8 goals
per game and scored at only 10.3 percent on the power play this season.
He had 24 goals and 11 assists in 52 games. He also had 42 penalty minutes, nine power-play goals, three
short-handed goals and three game-winning goals.
"The first thing that catches your eye when you watch him is his skating. He can really skate,"
Bergeron said. "He plays bigger than his size. He has some fire to his game. He goes to hard areas.
He has a knack for scoring.
"He has a magnetic personality. He’s a really, really nice kid. Wherever he’s gone, he’s left an
impression on that community and those fans.
Berkle (6-3, 193) had 11 goals and 18 assists in 60 games to go along with 99 penalty minutes and five
power-play goals.
"He is a great kid. He has lots of personality," Berkle said. "He is a big guy who makes
us better right away just by how hard he plays and that presence, that size. He’s played the point on
the power play, so he’s another option on the power play.
"He has the capability of putting up offense. We’re not going to say we only expect (Berkle) to put
up points. We expect (him) to finish checks and to get after people. He can kill penalties as well. We
expect him to make a pretty good impact next year. He has the potential to be a great college player,
and play at the next level, just because of the way he thinks the game and his size. He gets around the
ice pretty well, He’s not big and slow."
Pletsch (6-3, 200) will be a role player and leader for the Falcons, Bergeron said.
"He is all about winning and expectations," Bergeron said. "He has a physical side. He’ll
be in a forechecking role and a hard guy to play against. He gets around the ice pretty well for a big
guy. He kills penalties. We expect him to fight for ice time on (the penalty-killing unit). He’s a real
good piece of the puzzle. He’s a leader and people will follow him.
"He’s going to fit in really well, and really do well based on our culture and how he approaches
every day."
Perrier (6-1, 225) will add size and a physical presence to the BG defense.
He had 147 penalty minutes in 57 games. He also had eight goals and eight assists, while totaling an
on-ice rating of plus-4, four power-play goals and three game-winning goals.
"He’s hard to play against, but he can play the game, too," Bergeron said. "We’re very
excited about adding him to our (defense) corps. He shoots the puck well from the point and could play
on the power play."