FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Indiana Tech American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division 1 ice hockey team begins its second season on Friday night when they welcome Illinois State to the SportONE/Parkview Ice House as part of Homecoming Weekend.
 
After going 8-26 in their inaugural season, head coach Frank DiCristofaro returns 11 players from last year's squad, while welcoming two Division 3 players up and adding 12 freshmen to the mix. Headlining the D1 returners is sophomore forward Jarrett Pfeiffer, who led Tech in goals (13), assists (16) and points (29) last year. Also back are classmates Ryan Theisen, Matt Walton and Jace Childs, who recorded 14, 13 and 10 points as freshmen, respectively.
 
John Slavik and Zach Larson will battle it out for the starting goaltender spot again. Last season Larson played in 18 games, logged over 950 minutes of ice time, had a goals against average (GAA) of 4.41, and saved over 88 percent of shots faced en route to a 4-12 record. Slavik logged over 500 minutes of ice time en route to a 1-6 record and 4.29 GAA. He also saved over 89 percent of the shots he faced.
 
Tech will look to step its game up as they join the Great Lake Collegiate Hockey League (GLCHL) this year. The affiliation will allow the Warriors to play in both conference and national postseason competition. Members of the GLCHL include: Adrian College, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Oakland University, Western Michigan and Rochester College, along with Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference members Davenport and Michigan-Dearborn.
 
Puck drop is set for 8:30 p.m. on Friday from the SportONE/Parkview Ice House and links to live video will be available at IndianaTechWarriors.com.