PREVIEW: 2016 ACHA D2 Nationals

March 18, 2016 West Chester, PA The University of Utah Skatin’ Utes begin their quest for a National Championship this weekend as they take on the nation’s best at the 2016 ACHA Division II National Championships in West Chester, PA. This is the second straight trip to Nationals for the Utes as they finished second in their pool last season behind Florida Gulf Coast and finished sixth in the final national rankings after going 2-1 as the #3 seed in their pool at the tournament. This year the Utes are looking for an even better finish as they come in as the #2 seed in their pool, after posting a 26-3-3 regular season record. 11 of the 16 teams that competed in last year’s Nationals tournament are back in the field this time around, including all four semifinalists last season in Salt Lake City (ASU Elite, FGCU, NYU, Lindenwood). The 16 teams are divided into four pools of four teams each, with the winners advancing to the semifinals on Monday followed by the national championship game on Tuesday afternoon. Here’s a look at each of the teams that Utah will be competing against in their pool this weekend: Friday: vs Miami (OH) The Utes will kick off the tournament against the Miami (OH) Redhawks in the first ever meeting between the two teams. The Redhawks were in Utah for Nationals last season, where they went 1-2 and finished third in their pool behind Lindenwood and William Paterson. Miami had to go through the Southeast Regional tournament to get to Nationals, where they beat #10 Virginia Tech 3-1 and #6 Ohio 4-1 in order to get in. The Redhawks finished the regular season with the third best record in the Southeast, posting a 23-3-1-1 record. Tim Spicola leads the team in scoring with 51 points on the season, with Andrew Dower coming in second with 40 points. Taylor Ley is the man in between the pipes for the Redhawks, as he is 16-1 on the year with a 1.82 GAA and .924 save percentage. Broadcast Link Saturday: vs Boston University The Terriers shocked the Northeast Regional tournament as the #9 seed, where they beat #12 Rutgers 9-2, #4 Massachusetts 4-1, and #3 New Hampshire 3-2 in overtime to get to their first National tournament. This will also be the first ever meeting between Utah and Boston. The Terriers posted an 11-8 record on the season, which was the 20th best in the Northeast Region this year. Lucas Esposito leads Boston in points this season with 20 points in 18 games while Taylor Parkinson is second with 18 points in 17 games. The Terriers have had a trio of goaltenders play in net this year with Ryan Mack leading the way with a 3.01 GAA and .856 save percentage. Broadcast Link Sunday: vs Lindenwood-Belleville The Lynx are the odds on favorite to win the tournament this weekend in their first ever appearance at Nationals. Most of their hype comes from their 28-4 record on the season, which includes an 11-3 record against ACHA Division I opponents this year (17-1 in ACHA D2 play). Sunday’s game will be the second game all-time between the Utes and the Lynx. The Lynx were able to beat a weakened Utah squad 9-0 at the ACHA Showcase in Ohio last season, which was Utah’s second game of the same day. Daniel Hussey leads the team in points this year with 60, followed by Brad Edwards with 50 points. Kyle Miller and Jackson Germaine have split time in net for the Lynx with Miller posting a 12-2 record with a 1.84 GAA and .939 save percentage. Germaine is 13-2 with a 2.27 GAA and a .923 save percentage. The Utes take on Miami (OH) on Friday at the Ice Line Quad Rinks in West Chester, PA at 12:15pm ET. Saturday’s game against Boston will be at 3pm ET and Sunday’s game against Lindenwood-Belleville will be at 3:15pm ET. If the Utes win their pool, they’ll take on the winner of Pool B (Liberty, William Paterson, Lindenwood, ASU Maroon) in the semifinals on Monday at 3pm ET. If the Utes win that game, they’ll play in the national championship game Tuesday at 12pm ET. Broadcast Link All the games at this year’s tournament will be streamed online via Youtube. You can find the schedule and links by going to the ACHA’s Nationals website.