GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Davenport D2 hockey team will start their season this coming weekend when they travel to Mentor, Ohio for the ACHA D2 Showcase. Davenport will be fielding a D2 hockey team for the first time since the 2009-10 season when the team won a National Championship. Head coach Chris Green will start the season with a busy weekend playing four games in three days. The Panthers first game of the showcase will be against University of Delaware at 3 p.m. on Friday.
 
Game 1
Vs. University of Delaware
Date: Friday, October 10, 2014
Puck Drop: 3 p.m.
Location: Mentor, Ohio (Mentor Civic Ice Arena)
 
Scouting Delaware
 
The Blue Hens enter the showcase with a 5-1-1-0 record after going 1-1-1-0 on three game road trip this past weekend. After starting the season 4-0-0-0 Delaware has had an up and down last couple of weekends just picking up one win their last four games. The Blue Hens are led by Nathan Marks and Trevor Jones who each have  nine points apiece.
 
Game 2
Vs. University of Cincinnati
Date: Saturday, October 11, 2014
Puck Drop: 9:15 a.m.
Location: Mentor, Ohio (Mentor Civic Ice Arena)
 
Scouting Cincinnati
 
The Bearcats will come into the showcase with a record of 0-7-0-0. Cincinnati started the season with close game against ACHA D1 team Slippery Rock in a 5-3 loss, but where then outscored 44-6 in their next five games. Last weekend, Cincinnati hosted Akron looking for their first win of the season, but Akron was able to prevail with a 5-4 win.
 
Game 3
Vs. North Dakota State University
Date: Saturday, October 11, 2014
Puck Drop: 6:15 p.m.
Location: Mentor, Ohio (Mentor Civic Ice Arena)
 
Scouting North Dakota State
 
North Dakota State is in their first season in ACHA D2 after spending a few season in D1 of the ACHA. The Bison have competed for 31 seasons and have been part of ACHA Division 1 since it began in 1991. North Dakota State won two National Championships at the D1 level in 1993 and 1994. The Bison enter the weekend with a 3-1-0-0 record after sweeping St. Cloud State last weekend.
 
Game 4
Vs. University of Utah
Date: Sunday, October 12, 2014
Puck Drop: 10:30 a.m.
Location: Mentor, Ohio (Mentor Civic Ice Arena)
 
Scouting Utah
 
Utah enters the weekend with a 4-0 record after outscoring their opponents in the first four games of the season 20-6. Last season the Utes posted a 30-9 record en route to a Pac-8 regular season championship. Utah was knocked out in the regional tournament last season by San Jose State.
 
The Panthers
 
Davenport will be tested right off the bat facing some of the top teams in the country at the ACHA D2 level. Utah was a conference champion from a year ago, while North Dakota State has competed at the D1 level since 1991. Davenport will have a strong offensive attack with many of the top scorers from the D3 team last season will make the jump up to Division 2 this year.
 
The Panthers will start their season on Friday when they face University of Delaware at 3 p.m. as part of the ACHA D2 Showcase, which Davenport will play four games in three days.
 
D2 Ice Hockey Contact: David Gerhart | 616-554-5045 | dgerhart@davenport.edu
DU Athletics: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
D2 Ice Hockey: Twitter