GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The D1 Panthers were set to take on one of the tougher teams they have faced this season in the Adrian Bulldogs. The Panthers had a week off following a tough overtime loss to #21 Western Michigan, whereas the Bulldogs were coming off a loss at the hands of Michigan-Dearborn.  This matchup was pitted against two fast and exciting offenses.
 
Thursday, February 15
Final Score: Davenport 3 – Adrian 4 (SO)
Records: #7 DU (22-4-2), #3 AC (25-2)
Location: Arrington Ice Area (Adrian, Mich.)
 
BASEBALL SEASON?
The contest was a fast-paced, end-to-end matchup between two of the most lethal offenses in the country. Adrian was able to strike first, after Cooper McLean threw a pass in front, the puck deflected up into the air. Mark Fratarcangeli batted the puck out of midair passed Jason Rhynold to give the Bulldogs the early lead.
 
COMING BACK ON THE PROWL
Just a handful of minutes later, the Panthers would answer. Ian Thompson picked up the puck in his own zone and streaked all the way into the Adrian zone. After making a great move around a Bulldog defenseman, he sniped home his 11^th of the season to tie the game at one.
 
Davenport would obtain a power play just a couple minutes later, unfortunately they would not be able to capitalize. However, just moments after Steven Szekesy left the box, Tyler Ploeg threw a wrister on goal from the point, and it somehow it slipped passed the traffic in front, and Adrian netminder Michael Barrett, and in to give DU the lead.
 
TAKING ADVANTAGE
With a little over five minutes to play in the period, the Bulldogs would have a power play of their own. Adrian's power play had many chances, and they would be rewarded. After Domenic Moore slipped a pass through the Davenport penalty kill to Marcus Rose, who fired a shot passed Rynold for his sixth goal of the season to tie the game at two.
 
The period would end with the two teams deadlocked, even though Adrian outshot the Panthers 17-9 in the first 20 minutes.
 
GIVING THE DOG A BONE
Adrian carried their play early into the second period, and were able to cash in less than two minutes in. Mike Finger fired a wrister that was tipped towards the goal by Brenden Stanko, and with Rhynold scrambling to find the rebound, Joe Costello found the loose puck and put the biscuit passed the DU netminder to give Adrian their second lead of the game.
 
DRAWING THE EQUALIZER
As the second period ended and third began, Davenport could not find the back of the net. They upped their chances in the final 20 minutes, however they would have an offensive zone faceoff just before the halfway mark of the period. Keegan Miller won the draw back to Austin Thompson, and he ripped a shot passed Barrett for his 24^th goal of the season, and the game was tied at three.
 
EXTRA TIME AGAIN
The remaining ten minutes solved nothing, and for the second game in a row, the Panthers would head to overtime. However, the five minutes saw no hero, so for the third time this season, Davenport would go to a shootout.
 
Ian Thompson shot first for the Panthers, and he beat Barrett's left shoulder. Rainer Glimpel shot first for Adrian, and he beat Rhynold just passed his pad to tie DU after the first round.
 
Neither teams could score for the next five rounds, but in the seventh round, Luke Cowan made a great move to bury one passed Barrett, but McLean was able to beat Rhynold as well to tie it up once again. After Alyx Fonseca was stopped, and after an exciting eight rounds, Manny Silvero beat Rhynold, and Adrian would take the first game of the weekend by a 4-3 final.
 
 
Saturday, February 16
Final Score: Davenport 7– Adrian 8
Records: #7 DU (22-5-3), #3 AC (26-2)
Location: Patterson Ice Center (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
 
ROBBING THEM BLIND
Adrian came out flying in the first period, hemming the Panthers in their own zone for the majority of the opening 20 minutes. Early chances saw DU's Tanner Swift come up with a couple of marvelous saves to keep the game scoreless.
 
Davenport would not earn a shot in the first 15 minutes of the game, but they picked up the offense later on in the period. With less than three minutes to play in the period, Sam Basich brought the puck into the Adrian zone, threw the puck into the slot, and Luke Cowan fired a back hand shot that beat Barrett to give the Panthers the 1-0 lead.
 
"Swift was huge for us in the first," Head Coach Phil Sweeney stated after the game. "The game could have easily been 3-0 or 4-0 at the end of it."
 
DOG EAT DOG
While four-aside in the first minute of the second period, Glimpel would score his 17^th goal of the season to tie the game at one. Later on in the period, Cooper McLean tipped home a Raposo point shot to the Bulldogs their first lead of the game. Just 22 seconds later, Glimpel would score his second of the game after a pass from Moore on a 2-on-1 to put Adrian up by a pair.
 
JUMPING RIGHT BACK
30 seconds after the Glimpel goal, Weisgerber intercepted a Bulldog pass, and took off on a breakaway. He made a move and slipped the puck through the five-hole of Barrett to put the Panthers back within one.
 
TAKING ADVANTAGE
Adrian would receive a power play opportunity after Ian Thompson would go off for roughing. Shortly into the man advantage, Donaldson would sneak a shot short-side on Swift to put the Bulldogs back up by two. A couple minutes later, the Panthers would be called for too many men on the ice, despite DU not having control of the puck. Adrian would once again convert on the power play, after Stanko's centering pass went off a Davenport stick and passed Swift to give the Bulldogs a 5-2 lead.
 
NOT GIVING UP
Despite the margin, the Panthers would continue to press on. Fonseca would take the puck in his own zone, streak in between the Adrian defense, and slip a shot under the pads of the Adrian netminder to make it a 5-3 game with a minute to play in the second.
 
Down two heading into the final 20 minutes, Davenport knew they would have to play some of their best hockey to come back. Just minutes into the period, Tyler Layle would be called for slashing, however Stanko would also go off for embellishment after diving on the play. While 4-on-4, Adam Goudelock would find a wide-open Austin Thompson, who buried the one-timer to make it a 5-4 game. Almost 90 seconds later, Goudelock would fire a shot from the slot that would bounce off the glass, bounce to the side of the net, and Austin Neirynck would tap the rebound in for his third goal of the season to tie the game.
 
WILD ACTION
Shortly after the goal, Cory Bussing would go off for high sticking, and Adrian would score with the man advantage once again as Stanko scored his second of the game to Adrian back out in front.
 
Half-a-minute later, Layle created a beautiful end-to-end rush. The defenseman came down the right wing side, took a shot, but was stopped. Layle found the rebound and tucked it in short side to tie the game again.
 
The action was back-and-forth with both teams earning scoring chances. Fratarcangeli would take an innocent looking shot at a bad angle, but somehow the puck squeaked through Swift, and the Bulldogs would go up a 7-6 score.
 
Less than a minute later, the Panthers would answer back. Off an offensive zone faceoff, Austin Thompson jumped on the loose puck, and unleashed a hard wrister that went into the back of the net, and for the third time in the period, the Panthers were able to the tie it up.
 
A BAD CALL
With seven minutes left and the game tied at seven, all bets were off. The speed picked up, the chances increased, but neither team could find the go-ahead goal. With less than two minutes to play in regulation, Moore brought the puck into the Davenport zone, and fell after catching a rut in the ice. However, the referee called Tyler Ploeg for slashing, putting Adrian on the power play for the seventh time in the game. Davenport's penalty kill put in a dogged effort, but with 25.5 seconds left, Moore fired a shot that beat a screened Swift to give the Bulldogs their fourth lead of the game. The Panthers were unable to find an equalizer, and the Bulldogs would complete the weekend sweep by a final score of 8-7.
 
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Along with Austin Thompson's two goals, Weisgerber also had an assist to go along with his second period tally. Basich, Goudelock, and Hulford each had two assists for the Panthers.
 
WHO'S NEXT?
The Panthers wrap up their regular season with a pair of games against the #1 team in the country, the Lindenwood Lions. Lindenwood is 23-1, and had the weekend off after defeating Robert Morris (Ill.) back on the ninth. Davenport is 8-10-2 versus the Lions all-time. First game of the weekend will be at 8:35 p.m., with Saturday's game set to start at 3:35 p.m. Both contests will be at Patterson Ice Center.
 
Story by: Tyler Kuehl
 
Picture credit: Malachi Corliss