Davenport Athletic Network

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – After being swept by rival Oakland this past weekend the D1 hockey faces off against No. 7 Adrian College this Thursday and Friday. The Panthers slipped a little in the national rankings as they sit in the 16th spot and it makes these next two weekends very important as the DU looks to makes the National Tournament, where the top 20 teams in the country make the tournament. The first game of the series will take place on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Adrian, Mich.
 
Date:  February 6, 2014/February 7, 2014  
Location: Adrian, Mich. (Game 1)/Patterson Ice Center (Game 2)
Broadcast Coverage: Davenport Athletic Network (Game 2 Only)
Broadcast Talent: Thomas Biondo
Twitter: @DU_D1Hockey | @DUAthletics
 
SCOUTING ADRIAN:
 
Adrian has locked up the GLCHL regular season conference title and conference automatic bid to the national tournament. Seniors, Ryan Bachman and Logan Blackwell are leading the way for the Bulldogs offensively as they both are in the team lead in points with 42. Bachman leads the team in goals with 22 and Blackwell is leading in assists with 25. Adrian lost sophomore standout Senate Patton at the break, but have not missed a beat as they are one of the top seven teams in the country.
 
In net, Matt Schnoes and Matt Anderson have split time pretty evenly this season as Schnoes has compiled a 13-3 record with a 1.56 goals against average and .94 save percentage. Anderson has similar numbers with an 11-1 record, 2.60 goals against average and .90 save percentage.
 
LAST MEETING:
 
The Panthers and Bulldogs met in the final game before the Thanksgiving break and DU played on of the best games of the season beating Adrian 4-1. After a scoreless first period Davenport came out roaring as the scored three goals within five minutes to take a 3-0 leading into the second intermission.
 
Early in the third period, former Bulldog, Senate Patton, found the back of the net cut the Panther lead to two goals with 14 minutes left in regulation. Adrian started to apply offensive pressure late in the period, but the Panthers held Adrian at ease and scored a goal with 1:07 left in the game to ice the game for the Panthers.
 
WEEKEND RECAP:
 
This past weekend the Panthers played against rival Oakland for the Good Luck DUck, where DU was trailing 2-0 heading into the weekend. The first game on Friday was a physical battle between the two teams. The game was tied at 1-1 halfway through the game, but after a lengthy delay Oakland took advantage and scored two goals part way through the second period and took a 3-1 lead after the second period. Oakland added another goal in final five minutes of the game to win the game 4-1.
 
In the second of the weekend the Panthers started of the game strong scoring the first goal of the game and controlled play throughout the first period. In the second period, Oakland controlled the play and scored two goals to take the 2-1 lead after the two periods. DU came back once again as Robert Kleiman tied the game to force another overtime. For the second time in as many weeks the Panthers headed into a shootout where they lost 2-1, and Oakland completed the season sweep of Davenport with a 3-2 win.
 
THE PANTHERS:
 
After a great start to the 2014 portion of their season winning the first six games, the Panthers have sputtered a little bit losing three of their last four games. DU is 16th in the most recent national rankings, and need to have a big two weekends to solidify their spot for the national tournament. Leading the team offensively is Andrew Frank with 36 points and 25 assists, while Mason Bohlinger leads the team with 18 goals and is second in the country with 12 power play goals.
 
Phil Graveline and Matt Kaludis have had solid seasons in net for the Panthers keeping the team in every game. Graveline has 2.61 goals against average and .916 save percentage. Kaludis also has a .916 save percentage to go along with 2.17 goals against average.
 
GLCHL OUTLOOK:
 
Adrian has locked up first place in the conference, which also includes the number seed in the GLCHL conference tournament and the automatic bid for the conference in the national tournament. Davenport holds a three point lead over Oakland for second place in the conference, while Eastern Michigan is in fourth place with 24 points and Western Michigan is right behind with 23 points. Michigan-Dearborn is also eyeing the fourth spot in the conference as they have 20 points, and Kent State is finishes out the conference with ten points.
 
ACHA RANKINGS:
Preseason Ranking (9/20)                 10th
Week 1 (9/27)                                       11th
Week 2 (10/4)                                       12th
Week 3 (10/11)                                     12th
Week 4 (10/18)                                     12th
Week 5 (10/24)                                     14th
Week 6 (10/29)                                     14th
Week 7 (11/5)                                       15th
Week 8 (11/13)                                     15th
Week 9 (11/20)                                     18th
Week 10 (11/27)                                   16th
Week 11 (12/5)                                     12th
Week 12 (12/11)                                   13th
Week 13 (12/17)                                   13th
Week 14 (1/8)                                       13th 
Week 15 (1/15)                                     12th
Week 16 (1/22)                                     12th 
Week 17 (1/29)                                     12th       
Week 18 (2/4)                                       16th
 
DI Ice Hockey Contact: David Gerhart | 616-554-5045 | dgerhart@davenport.edu
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