In November of 2022, author Hannah Grace published her novel, Icebreaker. Her book has remained on the New York Times Bestseller list for forty-eight weeks. And with its newfound popularity, the book has created a wave of young girls who are now fascinated with Hockey. One of the most notable scenes to come from Hannah’s novel is when pop singer Taylor Swift’s hit song, “Cruel Summer,” makes an appearance. Many readers across social media, including “BookTok” have begun to correlate Taylor Swift songs to hockey romance novels.
As an avid reader and hockey fan, I greatly love our school’s hockey team. The Bowling Green State University Falcons last competed in the NCAA Men’s Division 1 Ice Hockey tournament in 2019. The last time they won a championship was back in 1984, against the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, which has also been claimed to be the longest championship game in the NCAA tournament history.
I have decided that it would be a great idea to compare some of our star hockey players to popular Taylor Swift songs. With the help of other hockey fans, I compiled a list of the top ten players I wanted to make note of. There is no particular guideline I used for choosing their songs. I based it on the way they play, their general demeanor, and how they present themselves off the ice.
#10- Dalton Norris.
We are starting strong with defensive player, #14, sophomore Dalton Norris. Dalton appeared in all 36 games during the 2022-2023 season, scoring two goals and nine assists. Both of his goals were scored on power plays, and he led his freshman class when it came to assists. And on top of all of that, he also earned the program’s “Rookie Of the Year,” award.
Based on his success, and the way Norris plays as a whole, I have decided to go ahead and say that he is Taylor Swift’s “You’re On Your Own Kid.” Despite being a freshman surrounded by upperclassmen, Norris treated the rink as if he was the only player there, taking the crowd by storm each time he stepped onto the ice. Which is exactly why I gave him one of Swift’s more heartfelt and encouraging songs. I hope you continue to succeed in your career Norris.
#9- Pete Eigner.
On to one of our goalies, the one and only, Pete Eigner. Pete is a Bowling Green Native and is also the son of the Falcons head coach, Ty Eigner. During the 2022-2023 season, Eigner made his collegiate debut at Ohio State on December 17th. He stopped all four shots he faced, with two of them coming from OSU whilst they had a power play. Eigner has not played thus far this season, other than at an exhibition game against the Windsor Lancers.
Overall, because of the small number of games Eigner has been able to play in and the pure dedication he continues to have towards the team, I have decided to assign him to “Shake It Off,” by Taylor Swift. The song was originally released in 2014, and it was written as Taylor’s response to the way that the media talked about her in a constant negative light. I feel as though this song perfectly suits Eigner. #FreePete always.
#8- Gustav Stjernberg.
Gustav Stjernberg is certainly an eye-catcher, as he is a towering 6’4, looking like a giant compared to some of the other players on the ice. Gustav is roughly 4,180 miles away from where he calls home, which would be Enebyberg, Sweden. During his 2021-2022 season with Orebo HK (A junior league team located in Sweden), he was dubbed to be the team’s highest-scoring defenseman. Stjernberg now plays for BGSU Falcon hockey as a defenseman and wears #5 on his jersey. So far this season, he has scored four goals and had six assists.
I had a ton of fun choosing his song, as I wanted it to perfectly suit the way he plays. After overhearing that he has had twelve penalties this season so far, with the next player in line having seven, I have learned that the majority of his penalties have been due to things such as slashing and holding. With that being said, I think that Taylor Swift’s 2012 hit, “I Knew You Were Trouble,’ is perfect for Gustav. And that is one decision I am not willing to debate.
#7- Cole Moore.
Cole Moore has to be my favorite freshman player we currently have on our team. He wears #34 and plays as a goaltender. Despite being a freshman, Moore has as come in and taken the Slater Ice arena as his own. So far during the 2023-2024 season, he has goaltender for roughly 15 games, blocking 460 shots in total. The crowd adores him already and has created his personalized chants, similar to the ones given to players like Christian Stoever.
As for his song, I knew right away that I wanted to give him something from Swift’s 2017 album, Reputation. Cole Moore is an absolute force to be reckoned with, and his future is looking amazing just based on his freshman year statistics so far. I ultimately decided to give up “Don’t Blame Me,” to him. I hope to continue to see Moore shine as a goalie within the next few years, as he makes his way up the league.
#6- Brandon Santa Juana.
Brandon Santa Juana plays as a Forward for the Falcons. He is a freshman this year and is originally from Langley, B.C. Brandon is roughly 5’8 and seems to be one of the shorter players on the team, yet he still takes hits like they are nothing. He played for five seasons within the BCHL and made 70 goals across 164 different games. So far this season, Brandon has made 1 goal and 5 assists. His first goal was made during the December 1st game against Michigan within the third period. He was assisted by Pasanen and Owen Ozar.
With Brandon being a freshman, I do not know much about the way he plays on the ice. However, I do know that he is quite attractive and seems like the type of guy who would worship the ground his partner walks on. Brandon is just another player I struggled with picking a song for, but after talking to some of my friends, I decided to go with a safe option. Taylor Swift’s 2019 hit, “Lover,” just seems to perfectly fit the general vibe Brandon gives off.
#5- Tommy Pasanen.
Tommy Pasanen is a junior defenseman player who transferred to Bowling Green this year. He has come a long way to be here, originally from Schweinfurt, Germany. When he was only 18, he played for Germany’s U16-U18 National Teams and the U-20 team. This season, he has made one goal and four assists with the Falcons. And to my knowledge, he has appeared in every game this season thus far, becoming a fan favorite.
If you have had the opportunity to see Pasanen on the ice before, you would know that he looks ever so graceful at a towering 6’5. He genuinely looks like he came straight out of a Taylor Swift music video, ready to steal your girl. He gives off huge ‘charming prince’ vibes, so I gave him “Wildest Dreams.” More specifically, the line, “He’s so tall and handsome as hell, He’s so bad, but he does it so well.”
#4- Brody Waters.
Brody Waters came to Bowling Green as a Freshman, playing as a forward for the Falcons. He is originally from Heidelberg, Ontario, and played three seasons in the BCHL on the Nanaimo Clippers. He ranked eighth in the BCHL with 61 points. Brody has been an extremely impressive player this season, making six goals and having seven assists as a freshman. Brody has also had only 4 penalties so far, which is far less than some of the other players on this list.
With him being a new player, it was slightly difficult for me to pinpoint which song correlates to him. Everything I know is what is given to us on the BG Falcons website, or what I have seen at games I have personally attended. As I said before, Waters has been extremely impressive this season and has something good going for him. I have also noticed that he is kind of a rough player (which don’t worry, I see this as an extremely positive thing.) With that being said, I decided on a song from Taylor’s 2017 album, “Reputation.” After going through the tracklist multiple times, I decided that the perfect song for Waters would be “Getaway Car.”
#3- Ben wozney.
Oh, Wozney, we will all be so heartbroken to see you graduate from our team and move up in life, not only because of your killer looks but also because of the skills you possess. Ben Wozney is yet another defenseman for the Falcons, who represents #2. His face is unforgettable, just like the way he works the arena. Wozney played in all 36 games during the 2022-23 season and ended it with 2 goals, and 13 assists. (Equating to 15 points.) He managed to clutch six power-play assists and was ranked second amongst our team’s defensemen when it came to assists and points. For the current season, he has managed to score two goals and six assists. (Upon doing some more digging, I also found out that Wozney has 7 penalties so far this season, falling behind Gustav Stjenbergs 12.)
Right away, I knew that I needed a song that suited the face Wozney had on him. Not only that but also the way he so gracefully body slams opposing players. (Seriously, I am addicted to watching it happen.) Wozney is the type of player that you would write a novel about, describing him as the love interest who made everyone swoon for him. This is exactly why I have given him my favorite song on Taylor Swift’s 1989′ Album, “Style.” Please never lose your charm, Wozney.
#2- Ryan o’hara.
Ryan O’Hara is a junior at Bowling Green, and he plays as a forward. He is originally from Oakville, Ontario, and played for the Waterloo Black Hawks before making his way to good old, Ohio. During his freshman year playing for the Falcons, he skated for 33 games and made 4 goals as well as four assists. Within his sophomore year, he skated in all 36 games and made 11 goals and 19 assists. And then for both his freshman and sophomore years, O’Hara was dubbed a CCHA all-academic athlete. So far this season, he has made 9 goals, and 8 assists, totalling up to 17 points to his name altogether.
On the ice, O’Hara looks like an actual beast. Taking hit after hit, but continuing to play on. (Cue the “whiney bitch,” chant our student section does when an opponent leaves the ice after a hit.) O’Hara is yet another fan favorite, and he definitely gives off Reputation vibes. With that being said, I did decide to give him, “I did something bad,” due to the fierceness he seems to have both on and off the ice.
#1- Christian Stoever.
You all knew that I had to save my personal favorite for last. The first time I stepped into the Slater Ice Arena, I knew that Christian Stoever would be the one player I cheered on the most. Stoever is currently a junior at Bowling Green State University, playing as a Goaltender for the Falcons. He represents #30 and wears it with pride. In the 2022-23 season, Stoever appeared in 31 games and had a total of 914 saves overall. He was also deemed the CCHA Goaltender of the Month in November 2022. So far this season, he has tallied up 172 saves during the eight games he has played.
I spent a lot of time mulling about which should I should give Stoever, as I wanted one that would fit him perfectly. I spent an endless amount of time watching highlights from past games, trying to focus on the way he works the net. But, I also wanted to go off of the general vibes he gives off. (Because out of all the other players, he screams ‘I’m a Swiftie and I’m proud of it.’) On top of all that, I wanted to do one of Swift’s songs that includes a feature for him. In the end, after hours of debating which song he would be, I decided to go with, “I Don’t Want to Live Forever,” which Swift released in 2017, with artist Zayn. (Who also used to be part of the hit boyband, One Direction.)