Week 3 Review (Aquinas)
The Oakland University Golden Grizzlies continued the regular season on October 2nd and 3rd against a familiar MCHC – Crossover opponent in Aquinas College. The weekend continues the build into the middle part of the season where the MCHC – East play begins to pick up. The two-game series led to a great weekend for the Grizzlies, and the results are below!
In game one of the weekend series, the Golden Grizzlies returned to Buffalo Wild Wings Arena, where the Grizzlies rely on the fast-paced facility as a key to their home success. Opening the evening quickly, the Grizzlies saw three first-period goals from Tyler Dix (1st as a Grizzly), Brennan Forward, and Ethan Zepke. The Grizzlies accomplished the three goals with 19 first-period shots. As the game continued, the Saints would find their way back into the contest with two second-period goals from Brody Traxler, which saw the Grizzlies lead 4-2 after the 2nd. In the final frame, the Grizzlies would add 25 shots on goal, which saw a goal by both teams and a final score of 5-3 in favor of the Golden Grizzlies. Alex Wilkey once again found the back of the net, along with Nathan Hall’s second-period tally. In net, Sophomore Max Pierce made 27 saves on 30 shots. The Grizzlies would outshoot the Saints 65-30 on Friday night.
In the second game of the weekend, the Grizzlies traveled on the road to Southside Ice Arena for the second game of the weekend. This is the facility that saw the Golden Grizzlies win a National Tournament in the 2015-2016 season against the Saints. With the Grizzlies traveling across the state, the first period was a slower start than anticipated, which saw the Saints score first in the contest on a power-play goal from Nolan Rasmussen. With the slow start, the Grizzlies were able to find a first-period goal from senior captain Kyle Giza, which would end the first period tied 1-1. The Grizzlies would find their legs in the second period, where they would pile on 32 shots on goal for a four-goal period. Scoring for the Grizzlies in the second period was Giza, Danny Fletcher, Christopher Herms (1st as a Grizzly), and Carl Merkle (also his 1st). The four goal second period propelled the Grizzlies to a final score of 7-2 at Aquinas. Adding goals in the third period were Nathan Hall and Brandon Jarvis (1st as a Grizzly). In goal, Patrick O’Gara would make 25 of 27 saves for his second win of the young season. The Grizzlies would once again win the shot total by a significant amount as they would outshoot the Saints 69-27.
Week 5 Preview (Illinois State Redbirds 7-2-1)
The Golden Grizzlies’ season continues this upcoming weekend as the team faces a new opponent for the program in Illinois State. The Redbirds play in the tough MACHA conference and are currently 7-2-1 in the young season. This will be the program’s first time playing Illinois State and will return the trip to Normal, Illinois next season. With limited knowledge of the Redbirds, the team notes a recent split last weekend with Notre Dame (3-2 W and 4-3 L) and a recent sweep last month of Western Michigan (6-1 W and 7-1 W). The teams will play at Buffalo Wild Wings Arena on Friday night and then will head to Oakland’s second home in Birmingham Ice Arena on Saturday afternoon. The Redbirds are led by longtime head coach Michael Hernbrott.
Looking at Illinois State: The Redbirds are made up of many players from the local Illinois area and have a wide net of recruits in the Chicago area. Leading the way for the Redbirds in the opening ten games are forwards #17 Peyton Enderle (9-3-12), #89 Marty McCauley (6-3-9), and #54 Matthew Storm (4-5-9). The Redbirds return over 90 percent of their roster and have one of the toughest schedules in the early part of the season. The Redbirds finished with a 19-9-0-2 record last season. In goal for the Redbirds has been a tandem of three goalies. See below for their statistics:
- #33 Sean Devalk (GP: 2, 1-0-0-1, GAA: 0.91, Save Percentage: 91.7%)
- #30 Matt Ogean (GP: 3, 3-0-0-0, GAA: 2.67, Save Percentage: 92.0%)
- #50 Matt Difilippo (GP: 4, 3-0-0-0, GAA: 3.44, Save Percentage: 89.6%)
Other News and Notes
The first ranking period of the season will be announced on 11/6/2026 via social media and the ACHA website. The Golden Grizzlies finished last season ranked #2 in the country and are looking to maintain that consistency throughout the season. The first ranking period will include all MD3 games played through that point. 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.
Leaders
Leading in Goals: Alex Wilkey and Brennan Forward (4)
Leading in Assists: Danny Fletcher (6)
Leading in Points: Danny Fletcher (8)
Goaltending GAA Leader: Max Pierce (1.50)
Goaltending Save Percentage Leader: Max Pierce (95.4%)
Team Power Play Percentage: 1 of 16 (6.25%)
Team Penalty Kill Percentage: 9 of 14 (64.29%)
Men’s Division 3 Out-of-Town Schedule for Week 5 Relevant Games
Ferris State vs Grand Valley State (MCHC – West)
Flint vs Michigan State (MCHC – Crossover)
Western Michigan vs Adrian (MCHC – Crossover)
Trine vs LTU (MCHC – Crossover)
Central Maine Community College vs Nebraska Omaha
Purdue vs Miami (OH)
Tampa vs Middle Tennessee State
Kent State vs Penn State
Arkansas vs Missouri
MCHC – East Standings (As of 10/12/2026)
T1) Central Michigan and Northwood – 6 Points
T2) Adrian, Oakland, Michigan, LTU – NA
T2) Flint – 0 Points