GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Davenport ACHA Division III men's hockey team began a new era under first-year head coach Eric Sikkenga this weekend and faced off against a Western Michigan Division III program making its debut. The Panthers managed to win just one game last season but opened this season with an 8-3 win in Kalamazoo on Friday. The Stallions returned the favor on Saturday at Patterson Ice Center with a 5-3 win over the Panthers to split the weekend series.
 
Game 1 (Friday, October 6th)
Final Score: Davenport 8, Western Michigan 3
Location: Kalamazoo, Mich.
Records: Davenport 1-0, Western Michigan 0-1

GOALS PER PERIOD
1st Period: DU-2 | WMU-1
2nd Period: DU-1 | WMU-2
3rd Period: DU-5 | WMU-0
Final: DU-8 | WMU-3

HOW IT HAPPENED
-The season began on a high note for DU as Tyler Heyboer scored the first goal of 2017-18 at 7:32. The Panthers increased their lead by two as Dillon Bond scored at 5:23 with Heyboer getting another point with an assist.
-Zach Mudge scored late in the first and then again early in the second period to tie the game at 2-2. Bouwkamp gave the Panthers a 3-2 lead at 1:55 from Chris Heath and Parker Schmitt on the power play. Ryan Sutcliffe tied the game at 3-3 just before the end of the period.
-It was all Panthers in the third period as they scored all five goals to pull away from the Stallions. Shawn Marschall, Heyboer, Heath and Bond (2) all scored in the third period. Bond scored one of his goals on the man advantage at 4:55 and then he completed the hat trick at 18 seconds remaining.
-Bond notched the hat trick and also assisted on another goal.
-Heyboer had a pair of goals and assists for the Panthers.
-Bouwkamp had a goal and three helpers on the night.

Game 2 (Saturday, October 7th)
Final Score: Davenport 3, Western Michigan 5
Location: Grand Rapids, Mich.
Records: Davenport 1-1, Western Michigan 1-1

GOALS PER PERIOD
1st Period: DU-0 | WMU-1
2nd Period: DU-1 | WMU-1
3rd Period: DU-2 | WMU-3
Final: DU-3 | WMU-5

HOW IT HAPPENED
-The home opener for Davenport saw the visitors put the first puck in the back of the net. Bond continued his impressive weekend with a goal at 7:56 of the second period unassisted. Mudge scored his third goal of the weekend at 10:14 to give Western Michigan a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes.
-The Stallions were the ones with a big third period on Saturday as they outscored DU 3-2. Mudge gave WMU a 3-1 lead at 7:29 and assisted on a JP Culbertson power play tally at 11:39. DU fought back as Heyboer cut the lead to 4-2 at 13:49 with an unassisted goal on the power play. Mudge completed his hat trick with 2:08 left in the game and Davenport got the final goal from the stick of Bond as Schuyler DeVries got his first assist of the game with one minute to play.
-Davenport went 1-for-5 on the power play and killed off all three penalties assessed to them.
-Conner McDowell made 26 saves in net for DU as the Panthers peppered netminder Seth Maloney with 55 shots. Maloney was up to the task with 52 saves.
 
UP NEXT
Davenport will have another weekend series next Friday and Saturday against Indiana Tech. The Panthers will visit Fort Wayne, Indiana for an 8:30 p.m. puck drop on October 13th and will host the Warriors the next night at Patterson Ice Center beginning at 6:30 p.m.
 
Story by: Ryan Thompson