FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Indiana Tech ACHA Division 1 men's ice hockey team looks to close out the fall semester strong this weekend with a pair of games in Chicago against No. 12 Robert Morris.
 
Indiana Tech (12-9-0-1-0, 25 points) (Win-Loss-Tie-OT Loss-SO Loss)
 
Friday, Dec. 11, 8:30 p.m. at No. 12 Robert Morris (13-7-0-1-0, 27 points) Bensenville, Illinois (The Edge Ice Arena)
Saturday, Dec. 12, 8:30 p.m. at No. 12 Robert Morris (13-7-0-1-0, 27 points) Bensenville, Illinois (The Edge Ice Arena)
 
Following the Warriors: There will be live audio for Friday night's game, which can be found here. You can also check out the action on Twitter by following @INTechICE_D1 and @INTechWarriors.
 
Last Time Out: Tech had a one-goal lead three times last Saturday against No. 9 Davenport, but couldn't hold the lead as they fell in Grand Rapids, 5-3. Jarrett Pfeiffer led Tech with two goals and an assist, while Jace Childs also scored and picked up an assist. Dylan Grant would also notch an assist. Chet Tooker made 38 saves in net for the Orange and Black.
 
Head Coach Frank DiCristofaro: The first head coach in program history, Frank DiCristofaro enters his second season as Head Ice Hockey coach at Indiana Tech. In his first season at the helm, he guided the Warriors to an 8-26 record while playing one of the toughest schedules in the ACHA. The program's first win came against then 14^th ranked Oakland University Golden Grizzlies on Sept. 27, 2014. Under DiCristofaro's watch, the Warrior hockey program was able to gain entry to the highly-respected Great Lakes Collegiate Hockey League (GLCHL). The league boasts annual powerhouses Adrian, Davenport and Oakland. As part of one of the deepest and most talented leagues in the ACHA, the Warriors are tested by the best on a weekly basis.
 
Scouting the Opposition: Robert Morris – The Eagles snapped a two-game losing skid last Friday with a tight 4-3 win over CSCHL rival and No. 15 Illinois. Gavin Burbach leads the team in points (18) and is tied with Chris Pontello for the team lead in goals with eight. Burbach is also tied with Derek Diaz for the team lead in assists with 10. Justin Ball has recorded four shutouts in net for the Eagles and is giving up just 2.11 goals per game. He holds a .962 save percentage and has stopped 362 shots in just under 823 minutes.
 
Series Notes: Robert Morris – Tech is 0-3 against the Eagles, with two of those losses coming while Robert Morris was ranked second in the country.
 
Holiday Winnings: The Orange and Black went 3-0 over Thanksgiving weekend to claim their first tournament title in program history as they won the Michigan-Dearborn Great Lakes Showcase. Tech defeated Division 3 Michigan State and Central Michigan, 10-0, and 4-2, respectively, before taking down the host Wolverines in overtime in the championship game, 3-2.
 
More Firsts: The Warriors 3-2 overtime win over Michigan-Dearborn was the first victory over the Wolverines in program history and their fourth win over a ranked opponent. The two teams will meet on Jan. 29-30 in a home-and-home set, with Tech traveling to Dearborn on the 29 before hosting the Maize and Blue on the 30.
 
Keeping Up with the Best of Them: Jace Childs and Jarrett Pfeiffer has supplied the Warriors with plenty of offense this season and they find themselves among the best in the ACHA. Childs leads the Orange and Black in points, goals and assists and is tied for seventh in points with 39 while his 18 goals are tied for 14^th.  He is also tied for 10^th in assists with 21. Pfeiffer is tied for 21^st in points with 31, while his 13 goals are tied for 30^th and 18 assists rank in a tie for 19^th.
 
Special Teams Aces: Jace Childs, Quentin Holmes and Zack Morlock have all been dangerous on the power play this year as each has tallied four goals apiece with a man advantage. Childs has also notched two short-handed goals and two game-winners. Three of Morlock's goals have won the game for Tech.
 
Protecting the Net: Goaltender Zach Larson has been a steady presence in net this season for the Warriors, making 369 saves in just under 712 minutes of ice time. He ranks 15^th in the ACHA in saves while his two shutouts are tied for seventh. The Roseville, Minnesota native is giving up an average of 3.03 goals per night as well.
 
Picking up the Miles: Tech is in the middle of a five-game road trip and won't play in Fort Wayne again until Jan. 15, 2016, when they host ACHA Division 2 Ferris State at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. The Warriors next game at the SportONE/Parkview Icehouse isn't until Jan. 30 when they welcome Michigan-Dearborn to the Summit City for the season series finale.
 
Some Diverse Ice: Indiana Tech is loaded with players from all across the country and the globe. The Warriors feature players from 10 different states and four countries. Michigan tops the list with seven student-athletes while three Warriors hail from the Hoosier State. Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Canada are all represented with two players while California, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Texas, the Czech Republic and Scotland each have one.
 
How Sweep it is: With two wins over Eastern Michigan over Oct. 9-10, Indiana Tech completed the first series sweep in program history. The Warriors blanked the Eagles, 9-0, on Oct. 9 before coming away with a 5-2 win on Oct. 10. 14 different Warriors recorded at least one point while half of them had multi-point weekends. Ryan Attwood, Adam Jonak and Quentin Holmes led the team in goals with two apiece, while Holmes, Attwood and Joe Molfetta added three assists over the two games. Zach Larson picked up both the wins while stopping 44 shots over the weekend.
 
No Easy Skating: As Indiana Tech enters its first season as a member of the GLCHL, they will be tested night-in and night-out from one of the toughest and deepest conferences in the AHCA. Five of the nine GLCHL teams: Adrian (fourth), Davenport (fifth), Michigan-Dearborn (13^th), Western Michigan (17^th) and Rochester (23^rd) are all ranked in the latest ACHA Top 25 Poll. Oakland was ranked 25^th when the two teams battled back on Oct. 16-17. The GLCHL has the second most teams ranked of any conference and is also second in terms of percentage of teams ranked (55.6%) The Central States Collegiate Hockey League (CSCHL) has all five of its members in the Top 25 while the Western Collegiate Hockey League (WCHL) has six of its seven teams ranked.
 
Team Effort: Over 85% of the Tech roster (18 out of 21, excluding goalies) has recorded at least one point through 20games this season, while 17 different Warriors have scored at least one goal and 17 different players have notched at least one assist.