Written by Tyler Kuehl
 
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Panthers traveled out East to meet with another GLCHL opponent Thursday afternoon. They took on the Eagles of Eastern Michigan for the first of two meetings, a team that had only defeated the Panthers once in the 29-game history between the two.
 
Eastern Michigan stunned the Panthers by scoring first, but then DU took over, and never let the Eagles back into the game. Davenport's penalty kill scored three goals, including two from captain Ian Thompson. Davenport more than doubled EMU in the shot category, and won by the biggest margin yet this season.
 
QUICK STATS
 
Final Score: Davenport 9 – Eastern Michigan 3
Shots: DU 55 | EMU 19
Power Play: DU (0/1) | EMU (0/3)
Records: #12 DU (7-5) | EMU (4-12)
 
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
 
Ian Thompson led the offense with three goals and two assists for five points against the Eagles. Austin Thompson had two goals and an assist, while Austin Neirynck chipped in with three assists. Chris Corgan scored his first two goals of the season, and Adam Goudelock and Nathan Nickelson each had a goal and an assist.
 
Alexander Rogers picked up his first win in his college career, making 16 saves in the process.
 
EAGLE SLIDE
 
The Panthers came ready to play on the road, and put a lot of shots on EMU's Daniel Collins early. However, it would be the Eagles who would strike first. Just over five minutes into the game, Spencer Poscente would find a loose puck at the side of the DU goal, and, while lunging to his side, slid a shot through the five-hole of Rogers to make it a 1-0 game.
 
TAKING THE GAME OVER
 
The goal did not sit well with Davenport, as the Panthers began to hog the puck from the Eagles for the remainder of the first period. DU ended up putting 21 shots on goal, keeping Collins busy. DU would finally break through late in the period. Jason Cohan took a shot that Collins stopped, but he put the rebound right into the slot where Adam Goudelock was standing, and the defenseman put home his ninth goal of the season to tie the game.
 
It did not take long for DU to take the lead in period two. Just a few minutes in, Nickelson dragged the puck around Eagles' defenseman Tucker Bartenslager, and fired a shot off the post and in for his second of the season.
 
Less than two minutes later, Ian Thompson found Austin Thompson in front and the Leamington, Ontario-native scored his first goal of the season to put the Panthers up by two. Minutes later, while down a man, Ian Thompson took advantage of a mistake by the Eagles' defense behind their own goal. He picked up the puck and snuck it through Collins to make it a 4-1 game.
 
Later in the period, Corgan rushed the puck end-to-end, and snapped a shot just inside the post for his first of the game to put Davenport up by four. Austin Thompson scored his second of the period on a breakaway with less than 90 seconds remaining, and the Panthers carried a 6-1 lead into the second intermission.
 
"POWER KILL"
 
The third period started pretty quiet, with both the Eagles and Panthers getting scoring chances. Just over five minutes into the period, Luke Formica took a five-minute major penalty. DU went to the penalty kill, or "Power Kill" as Assistant Coach Bill McSween calls it, because DU creates as many scoring chances while down a man as the team with power play does.
 
This time was no different. After winning a race to the puck, Ian Thompson took a slapshot that beat Collins for his second shorthanded goal of the game to put the Panthers up by six. A minute-and-a-half later, Marc Anderson scored his fourth of the year, giving the Panthers three shorthanded goals on the night.
 
Chris Corgan scored his second of the game with a little over five minutes to play in regulation. The Eagles' Tim Conlin scored two goals in the final minute, but it was too little, too late, as the Panthers took home the 9-3 win.
 
WHO'S NEXT?
 
The Panthers will wrap up the extended home-and-home with the Eagles on Saturday. Puck drop at Patterson is set for 3:35 p.m.