Week 1 Review (M2 Schoolcraft)
The regular season began this past Saturday at Farmington Hills Ice Arena with a preseason game against Men’s Division 2 Schoolcraft College Ocelots. The Ocelots took it to the Golden Grizzlies right from the opening faceoff and had quite the early start. With a 3-1 opening period for the Ocelots, the game would begin to slide from the Grizzlies, as the final would end up 8-1. Scoring the lone goal for the Golden Grizzlies was newcomer Cam Laufer (Grand Rapids) as he potted his first ACHA goal on Saturday night. In goal, the Grizzlies split time between returning goalie Caleb Godlewski and freshman Max Pierce. The Grizzlies used the opener as a chance to have many players record their first collegiate games while serving as a tune-up before starting Men’s Division 3 play this coming week.
Week 2 Preview (Aquinas College)
The Men’s Division 3 schedule begins this coming weekend as the Golden Grizzlies face off against the Aquinas Saints. Aquinas enters Men’s Division 3 play for the first time since the 2018-2019 season, as they have built a program around their Men’s Division 1 program over the past few seasons. Current Golden Grizzlies Head Coach Matt Stirling and his staff have not had the chance to play Aquinas. Like the Golden Grizzlies, Aquinas took on Men’s Division 2 Davenport University last week and lost to the Panthers by a score of 5-1. Freshman goal scorer Ben LaValley (Marysville) potted the lone goal for the Saints in the loss. As with any young program and season, the Saints provide quite the test for the Golden Grizzlies, with limited knowledge of each other’s programs.
Looking at Aquinas: Aquinas is led by head coach Nolan Smith. Smith, who was with Ferris State last season, has recruited for the program to get their Men’s Division 3 team in a competitive place for the 2025-2026 season. Leading the way up front for the Saints is LaValley, who had quite the high school career with Marysville just last season. In goal, goaltender Cody Palmer made 28 of 33 saves in the first week of the season.
Game times for the upcoming weekend:
Friday Night @ Buffalo Wild Wings Arena: 8:30 PM
Saturday Afternoon @ Southside Ice Arena: 4:00 PM
Other News and Notes
The first ranking period of the season will be announced on 10/31 via social media and the ACHA website. The Golden Grizzlies ended last season ranked 3rd in the country. This will include all games through 10/26/2025. The rankings will continue throughout the season on a bi-weekly basis until the final ranking period in February. The top 16 teams with some automatic bids for league winners will make the tournament which is hosted in St. Louis this season.
Men’s Division III Out of Town Schedule for Week 2 Relevant Games
University of Nebraska – Omaha vs Notre Dame
Michigan vs Northwood
CMU vs MSU
Florida Gulf Coast vs GVSU
Kent State vs Saint Vincent
Trine University vs Adrian College
MCHC – East Standings (As of 9/29/2025)
No MCHC – East Games Have Been Played
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