Bowling Green sophomore forward Austen Swankler has earned first team All-Central Collegiate Hockey Association recognition.
He led the conference in assists (24) and points (42) during the regular season while ranking second in goals (18). He had a 19-game scoring streak, the NCAA’s longest since Kyle Connor scored in 27 consecutive games in 2005-06.
During this span, Swankler totaled 11 goals and 21 assists for 32 points. He is the third Falcon to earn All-CCHA honors this season, joining Nathan Burke (second team) and Dalton Norris (All-Rookie).
Austen Swankler concluded the 2022-23 campaign with 19 goals and 25 assists for 44 points, marking the highest single-season point total at BGSU since Alex Foster had 51 in 2005-06.
In conference games, he totaled 19 assists and 32 points, both league-bests. He recorded 10 multi-point efforts, ranking second in the conference. Eight of those came during his nation-best 19-game scoring streak, including a five-game span that saw him register 14 points.
Swankler was named December’s HCA National Player of the Month, a month that saw him total an NCAA-high 15 points (six goals, nine assists). He also earned CCHA Forward of the Month in December, an honor he repeated in January.
He was also named CCHA Forward of the Week on three occasions. Swankler led the Falcons in goals (19), assists (25), points (44), power play points (16), plus/minus (+13), game-winning goals (3), and penalty minutes (43).
“From day one of his first season, Austen has been an offensive threat for our team and is as talented of a player as there is in the CCHA,” BGSU coach Ty Eigner said. “He’s progressed from the All-Rookie Team last year to first team All-CCHA this year.”
This is the second consecutive season Swankler has earned a postseason honor from the CCHA. Last year, he was named to the All-CCHA Rookie Team.
He is the first Falcon to earn All-CCHA first team honors since Jordan Sigalet was recognized in 2004. The last time BGSU had a first-team all-conference selection was 2021, when Will Cullen, Connor Ford, and Brandon Kruse were honored.
Burke, a senior forward, ranked in the top-three in the conference in goals (17) and power play goals (7) this season. Burke had 24 points in conference games, ranking sixth in the league. He is the second Falcon to earn All-CCHA honors this season, joining All-CCHA Rookie selection Dalton Norris.
In conference play, he had 15 goals, with six coming on the power play. Overall, he ranked third in total goals and second in power play tallies.
In CCHA play, he was second in total goals and third in power play goals. Burke also had 12 assists, putting his season point total at a career-best 29. This included six multi-point efforts, including a three-point game against Ferris State where he tallied the game-winning goal.
Burke had a two-goal game against St. Thomas on Jan. 20, making him one of two Falcons with multiple two-goal efforts. On Nov. 21, he was named CCHA Forward of the Week, the first weekly conference honor of his career.
He ranked third on the team with a plus/minus of plus-7 when on the ice. He recently signed his first professional hockey contract with the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears, where he has two assists and is plus-2 through two games.
“It’s great to see Nathan honored by the CCHA,” Eigner said. “He’s been a really valuable addition to our program over the past two seasons and has been a huge part of our power play and overall team offense.”
This is the first all-conference honor of Burke’s career. The last Falcons to earn All-CCHA second team were Ryan Carpenter and Bobby Shea, who were selected in 2013.
Burke is the first Falcon to earn second-team all-conference honors since Brandon Kruse and Alec Rauhauser were selected in 2019.
Norris, a freshman defenseman, had two goals and nine assists for 11 points this season, with a line of one goal and seven assists for eight points in regular season conference games. Both of his goals were power play tallies, including the first score in Game 1 of the CCHA Quarterfinals.
Norris led the Falcon freshmen class in assists and points. He ranked second in assists and points among CCHA freshmen defensemen and was one of just seven to net a goal. He also ranked second among league blue-liners in blocked shots with 34, a total that ranked fifth on the team.
Norris recorded a pair of assists in his second collegiate contest, a 4-3 overtime loss to Northern Michigan on Oct. 2. His first assist came on the power play, one of five power play assists on the season.
He notched a point in both games of the Dec. 2-3 Lake Superior State series, including his first career goal that helped the Falcons complete the sweep.
He also tallied a power play assist in back-to-back games against ranked teams, recording one against No. 16 Minnesota State and another against No. 14 Ohio State. On Jan. 7, he had the primary assist on Ryan O’Hara’s game-winning goal that gave the Falcons another series sweep of LSSU.
“It’s great to see Dalton recognized for having a really good rookie season,” Norris said. “He’s been a big part of our defensive group from day one and we’re excited to see where he goes from here.”
This is the second consecutive season the Falcons have had a player named to the All-CCHA Rookie Team. Last year, Swankler and defenseman Eric Parker were selected.
