NEWS

COLUMBUS, Ohio – (March 14, 2017) – Tonight's ACHA Men's Division 3 2017 National Championship Semifinal Games feature matchups between the four schools that went an undefeated 3-0 in their respective pools.  Pool play concluded yesterday with Florida Gulf Coast University, Bryn Athyn College, Calvin College, and Aquinas College all defeating each of their opponents over a three-day period.

The first semifinal game pits teams from Aquinas College of Grand Rapids, Michigan and Bryn Athyn College of Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania. It starts at 5:00 P.M. at the OhioHealth Ice Haus in downtown Columbus.

Aquinas, of the Michigan Collegiate Hockey Conference, is the only semifinalist that was not the first-seeded team in its pool. The third seed from Pool D are led in scoring by forward Calvin Wojtaszak (3 GP, 3-3-6) of Comstock Park, Mich., and by goaler Sean Schmeiser (3-0, 1.94 GAA) of Grandville, Mich., who boasts a .940 save percentage thus far.

Bryn Athyn, of the Delaware Valley Collegiate Hockey Conference, the first-seeded team from Pool B, are led in scoring by forward Connor Buick (3 GP, 3-3-6) of Kitimat, British Columbia. They are represented in net by sophomore goaltender Landon Trutt (2-0, 1.50 GAA), of Robesonia, Penn., and Issac Syre (1-0, 1.00 GAA), a freshman from Lackawaxen, Penn. Bryn Athyn are the best defensive team (tied with Florida Gulf Coast University) to date, allowing only 4 goals in their 3 pool play games.

The late game (8:00 P.M., OhioHealth Ice Haus) features a matchup between Calvin College of Grand Rapids, Mich. and Florida Gulf Coast University of Naples, Fla.

Calvin, of the Michigan Collegiate Hockey Conference, lead the tournament in goals scored (22) during pool play.  Behind defenceman Nickolas Hirst (4-5-9) of Waterloo, Ont., the tournament's leading scorer to date, and goaltender Alex Gross of Fort Worth, Tex. (3-0, 0.92 GAA, .975 SV%), Calvin also boasts a tournament-high +16 goal differential.
 

Florida Gulf Coast of Naples, Fla, have the best defensive showing in the tournament so far (tied with Bryn Athyn), allowing only 4 goals against in their 3 pool play matches.  They are led in scoring by Daniel Fritz (1-4-5), a third-year forward from Tampa. In the net, FGCU's Jared Burch (3-0, 1.33 GAA) of Hatboro, Penn. leads the way with a .951 save percentage.

Tonight's National Championship semifinal games will start at 5 p.m and 8 p.m. at the OhioHealth Ice Haus. Currently in its 26th season of action, Calvin College is the only remaining team to have won a national championship previously, in 2004.

Presented by the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, Columbus Blue Jackets, and OhioHealth Chiller Ice Rinks at the OhioHealth Ice Haus, the ACHA National Championships will feature more than 1,600 players from 80 of the nation’s best men’s and women’s college hockey club teams. More than 100 games will be played across Columbus at the OhioHealth Chiller Ice Rinks (Dublin, Easton and North) and the OhioHealth Ice Haus at Nationwide Arena, home of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets.

Please visit achanationals.com for additional information about the ACHA National Championship.