GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – After the Davenport D1 hockey team lost in the championship game of the GLCHL Tournament, the Panthers will now continue their postseason run as they head to Ohio for the ACHA D1 National Championships. Davenport enters the tournament with a 24-11-1-4 overall record and is the 14th seed in the tournament. Davenport will start the National Championships on Thursday at 11 a.m. against 19th-seeded Villanova at the OBM Arena in Strongsville, Ohio.
 
Game 1 – Opening Round
Vs. Villanova
Date: Thursday, March 5, 2015
Puck Drop: 11 a.m.
Location: Strongsville, Ohio (OBM Arena)
Internet Coverage: FAST Hockey
 
Scouting Villanova
 
The Wildcats received an automatic bid the 2015 ACHA D1 National Championship after they won the Eastern Collegiate Hockey Association regular season title. Villanova comes in with a 21-7-2-0 record on the season and lost to Townson, 7-6, in the ECHA Conference Tournament. Leading the Wildcats in scoring is Michael Miniconzi who has 54 points on the season, 37 of which came from assists, while Nicholas Schultz is the leading goal scorer on the team with 26 goals and he his two points shy of hitting the 50 point mark this season. In net, Michael Harper has appeared in 18 games to compile a 13-3 record on the year to go along with a 3.02 goals against average and a .895 save percentage.
 
The Panthers
 
Davenport enters the National Championships with a 24-11-1-4 record on the season and are the 14th seed in the tournament after they earned an at-large selection to the tournament. Chris Eckler leads the Panthers in points with 45 on the season, while he also leads the team with 31 assists on the year. Jordan Simmonds in the leading goal scorer on the team with 25 on the season and has chipped in with 41 points, and Kody Polin is the only Panther with at least 40 points on the year. In net Matt Kaludis and Clayton Brown have split time throughout the year to combine for a goals against average of 2.63 and a .900 save percentage.
 
A Quick Look at the Field
 
The defending National Champions, Arizona State, enter the tournament as the number one overall seed, while Central Oklahoma comes in the number two seed in the tournament. Minot State and Robert Morris (Ill.) rounded out the top four, who will wait their opponents of the Thursday winners. The winner of the Davenport and Villanova matchup will face No. 3 Minot State on Friday at 11 a.m., while seeds 5-12 will open up their games on Saturday.
 
DI Ice Hockey Contact: David Gerhart | 616-554-5045 | dgerhart@davenport.edu
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