GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The D3 program kicked of its 11^th season this past weekend against a familiar foe, the Calvin Knights. Davenport swept the season series last season, but a bolstered Knight lineup looked to make sure that a repeat was not going to happen. The Panthers lineup features eleven returners and eight new faces, and look to build off the success the team had in the second semester of last year.
 
Friday, October 19
Final Score: Davenport 3 – Calvin 5
Records: DU (0-1), CC (2-1)
 
 AN UNAUSPICIOUS START
With a lot of new names on Head Coach Eric Sikkenga's roster, there was a sense of uncertainty of how the team would be heading into their first game of the season. The opening night jitters showed as William Housekamp was able to beat Austen Strauss, and the Knights took the lead less than five minutes into the contest.
 
A BETTER RESPONSE
It looked like the Knights were going to take that lead into the break with under 20 seconds left in the period, and a faceoff in the Davenport end. On the faceoff, the puck squirted out to the point, and Dillon Bond poked it by the pinching defenseman, took off down the wing, and fired a wrister passed the glove of Calving netminder Brett Avery to the tie game at one.
 
At the start of the second period. Davenport was able to earn a power play after Blake Jarret went off for slashing. Davenport came out flying with the man advantage, and just under 30 seconds into the power play, a shot from the point was knocked down in the crease, slipped by Avery, and Ethan Tellier tapped it over the line for his first as a Panther, and Davenport took their first lead of the night.
 
THE KNIGHTS CRUSADE
The Davenport lead was short lived, as just a couple of minutes after the Tellier goal, Nathan Pohl caused a turnover at the DU blue line, Ben Morse picked up the puck, made a great move around the Panther's Elijah Klco, fired a shot just passed the glove of Strauss to tie the game up at two. Despite a couple of great scoring chances created by the Panthers, the Knights kept peppering the DU net, and at the 17:13 mark of the second period, the Knights took their second lead of the night on a goal from Sam Boelema. Calvin's offense continued to press on, as Zach Nowak sniped Strauss up under the bar with just over a minute remaining. Three unanswered goals gave the Knights a 4-2 lead after 40 minutes.
 
BATTLING UNTIL THE BUZZER
Trailing by a pair heading into the third, Davenport knew they had to come out flying if they wanted any chance of coming from behind. The period featured a wild start. Charlie Bonser, right off the faceoff, got a breakaway, but was robbed by Avery. The Knights came right back the other way as Jake Oakes came and was stopped by Strauss. That pace continued throughout the final frame, with the Panthers garnering the majority of the chances. Bond had a pair of glorious chances, but Avery stopped both of them, keep the lead for the Knights. Over the halfway mark of the period, the Panthers forecheck forced a Knight turnover, as the puck landed right on the stick of Andrew Papcunik, who beat Avery on the short side to put the Panthers within one. Davenport kept firing everything in their arsenal at the Knight goal, but could not tie the game. The Panthers pulled Strauss for the extra attacker, but after a rather questionable non-icing call by the officials, the Knights put the puck into the empty net, and went on to defeat the Panthers by a 5-3 score.
 
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Austen Strauss did his part in trying to help DU on Friday night, stopping 31 of the 35 shots he faced. "Strauss was big for us," Coach Sikkenga stated postgame. "He did his best to keep us in it."
 
Saturday, October 20
Finals Score: Davenport 4 – Calvin 4
Records: DU (0-1-1), CC (2-1-1)
 
The second game of the back-to-back started fairly similar to the matchup to the night before. Calvin came out strong, and with that scored the first goal of the game as well, as Jarret snuck a shot passed Jacob Mofield, and the Knights led early in the contest. Neither could muster up anything more on the scoreboard for the remainder of the period, and Calvin took a 1-0 lead heading into the first period.
 
The Panthers came out looking to even things up in the early going of period number two. The chances ramped up in the middle portion of the period. Hunter Tolsdorf worked the puck over to Tellier, and he beat Avery to score his second goal of the weekend to tie the game at one. The game would not be even for long, as just over a minute after the Panther goal, Jake Panzer would score to give the Knights the lead once again.
 
SWINGING MOMENTUM
The Knights would carry their momentum into the third period. As Panzer would score his second of the game to put the Knights up by two. On the ensuing faceoff at center, Davenport would get the puck, and quickly move it into the Calvin zone. Then, Nathan Hangas would get the puck and fire one into the net, and Davenport was back within one just ten seconds after the Panzer goal. The Panthers did not stop there, as just 36 seconds later, Bond would get a pass from Tellier, and he would score his second goal is as many games to the tie game at three. Back-and-forth the two teams went, looking to take the lead. Davenport was able to take the advantage. After a nice setup from Brandon Bihn and Charlie Bonser, Klco scored his first goal as a member of the Panthers, and DU took their first lead of the game before the halfway mark of the third. The swaying action continued as Davenport looked to extend their lead. However, it would be Calvin who would get a prime scoring chance in the Davenport zone, and Cal Erdmann tied the game with his third goal of the season.
 
The final 10 minutes of the period was spent with both teams trying to garner the potential game winning goal, but neither of which would tickle the twine, and the teams would head to overtime tied at four. In overtime, both teams obtained scoring chances, but nobody was able to be the hero, and the game would end in a solemn 4-4 tie.
 
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Tellier led the Panthers with a goal and an assist, and two more Panthers put in their first collegiate goals, as Klco and Hangas found the back of the night.
 
WHO'S NEXT
The Panthers are back at it again next weekend with another home-and-home, this time against Western Michigan. Western is 2-3-1, and split with Calvin just last weekend. Davenport and Western split their series last season with DU winning the first contest 8-3, followed by Western going over DU by a 5-3 score. Friday night will be down at Wings West in Kalamazoo starting at 8:15 p.m., then the two teams will meet back at Patterson Ice Center on Saturday with a 9:30 p.m. puck drop.
 
Story by: Tyler Kuehl
 
Picture credit: Alexis Hoffman