Written by Tyler Kuehl
SAGINAW, Mich. – The D3 hockey team was looking to avenge a loss from Friday night at the hands of Saginaw Valley State. The Panthers traveled to Death Valley to meet with the Cardinals in their regular season finale. DU was looking to end on a high note heading into the Michigan Collegiate Hockey Conference (MCHC) Playoffs.
The Cardinals were able to jump out to a sizeable lead, going up 3-0 early in the second period. Davenport tried to chip away at the lead, but SVSU's offense was there to answer every Panther goal, and after three more goals in the third period, Saginaw Valley completed the weekend sweep.
QUICK STATS
Final Score: Davenport 3 – Saginaw Valley State 7
Power Play: DU (0/11) | SVSU (1/5)
Records: DU (9-17, 7-15) | #14 SVSU (10-15-2-1, 6-13-1-1)
The Cardinals went up early in the first period with goals coming from Brenden Baker and Steven Kukla. They extended their lead in the second period with Aaron Shahin's 10
th of the season.
The Panthers would get on the board with a few minutes remaining in the middle stanza thanks to
Elijah Klco's sixth goal of the season, but SVSU would answer back in the final minute of the period as Kyle Kubiak scored to send the Cardinals into the third period with a 4-2 lead.
Shahin scored his second goal of the game just a couple of minutes into the third before Kukla did the same just passed the halfway mark of the period.
DU would answer back with John Liznyess' second goal of the weekend, with
Alexander Brown scoring shortly thereafter.
However, it would be too little, too late for DU as Kukla completed his hat trick in the final minute, and SVSU would pick up the 7-3 win.
WHO'S NEXT?
The Panthers get set for the MCHC Playoffs at the end of the month. At this moment, the Panthers would be the home team in a match up with Calvin University. The Knights swept the Panthers in a weekend set back in October.
The first round of the MCHC West Playoffs will be February 28
th. Official match ups and times are yet to be determined.
