Week 2 Review (Aquinas)
The Oakland University Golden Grizzlies were back in action this past weekend against MCHC-West opponent Aquinas College for a two-game series. The team looked to begin Men’s Division 3 action on the right foot while continuing the encouraging signs shown in practice throughout the past week. In the home opener Friday night, the Golden Grizzlies came out of the gate flying, encouraged by being back at Buffalo Wild Wings Arena. The contest saw the Grizzlies skate to a 3-0 lead after the first period and continue to a 7-0 victory over the course of the game. Scoring their first ACHA goals in the contest were newcomers Max Sharkevich, Cam Laufer, and Danny Fletcher. These, alongside goals from Jack Abbo, Austin Fertik, Tommy Davis, and Cade McCrate, led to the victory. In goal, senior goaltender Caleb Godlewski made 18 saves in the shutout victory.
On Saturday, the Golden Grizzlies traveled to Aquinas College and played at Southside Ice Arena. The rink was home to the Golden Grizzlies’ last National Championship in 2015-2026 and offered fond memories for the program. The Grizzlies started much slower in the contest and managed to skate to a 3-0 lead after the second period. A quick goal from Aquinas ignited the Grizzlies as five third-period goals continued afterward, which led to a Golden Grizzlies win by a score of 8-1. Scoring in the contest for the Golden Grizzlies were Shane Arbour (x2), Nathan Hall (x2), Fletcher, Abbo, Laufer, and Brian Evans. The Grizzlies managed to put up 71 shots in the contest while giving up 35 on goal. Freshman goalie Max Pierce made 35 of 36 saves in the contest, which was his first ACHA win. Jude Payne was the lone goal scorer for Aquinas.
Week 3 Preview (Wisconsin)
The Golden Grizzlies’ schedule continues this coming weekend as the Golden Grizzlies face off against the Wisconsin Badgers. Wisconsin enters its 2nd season as a program and is an expansion team to add to its ACHA Men’s Division 2 team. Current Golden Grizzlies Head Coach Matt Stirling and his staff have not had the chance to play Wisconsin. Wisconsin had last weekend off while playing the weekend prior against Indiana University, where they split the series in Madison. Wisconsin will be making its first trip to Michigan at the ACHA DIII level.
Looking at Wisconsin: Wisconsin returns roughly two-thirds of its roster for the 2025-2026 season. Leading the way up front last year for Wisconsin were forwards Jack Tauscher (40), Zach Venable (36), and Davis Schlagenhaft (28), who are all returning. In goal, goaltenders Nolan Bunnell (GP: 9, GAA: 3.77, SV%: 87.6%) and Charlie Dentz (GP: 4, GAA: 2.00, SV%: 91.8%) are returning for the Badgers, who went a combined 10-3-0 in their games played. Wisconsin is led by head coach Devin Whitaker.
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.
Coach Stirling won his 100th win in program history last Friday after beating Aquinas 7-0. The team hosted a post-game ceremony for his efforts as he begins his 7th season.
Leaders
Leading in goals: Cam Laufer (3)
Leading in Assists: Shane Arbour and Tommy Davis (4)
Leading in Points: Shane Arbour (6)
Goaltending GAA Leader: Max Pierce (2.00)
Goaltending Save Percentage Leader: Max Pierce (94.5%)
Men’s Division III Out of Town Schedule for Week 3 Relevant Games
Michigan vs LTU (MCHC – East)
Northwood vs GVSU
Aquinas vs MSU (MCHC – West)
Ohio State vs Kent State
South Florida vs FGCU
Missouri State vs University of Nebraska – Omaha
Adrian vs Ferris State
MCHC – East Standings (As of 10/9/2025)
No MCHC – East Games Have Been Played
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