FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The No. 21^st-ranked Indiana Tech ACHA Division 1 men's ice hockey team heads up to Dearborn, Michigan this weekend for the Great Lakes Collegiate Hockey League (GLCHL) Tournament as the number six seed where they will take on 13^th-ranked and third seed Michigan-Dearborn.
 
#21 Indiana Tech (21-12-1-1-1) (Win-Loss-Tie-Overtime Loss-Shootout Loss)
 
Friday, Feb. 19, 8:00 p.m. at #13 Michigan-Dearborn (18-4-0-2-2) – Dearborn, Michigan (UM-Dearborn Ice Arena)
Saturday, Feb. 20, 5/8 p.m. GLCHL Semifinals – Dearborn, Michigan (UM-Dearborn Ice Arena)
Sunday, Feb. 21, 2 p.m. GLCHL Finals – Dearborn, Michigan (UM-Dearborn Ice Arena)
 
Following the Warriors: You can also follow @INTechICE_D1 and @INTechWarriors on Twitter to keep up with the action and full game recaps will be posted to IndianaTechWarriors.com after each game.
 
Last Time Out: Tech went 1-0-1 last weekend against ACHA Division 2 Michigan State, winning a thrilling come-from-behind 5-4 victory on Feb. 12 in their home finale before ending in a 6-6 on Feb. 13 on the road. Adam Jonak scored three goals in the two games while Ryan Attwood scored twice in the win on Friday. Chad Swartz had two assists in the Saturday game.
 
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 8-25-0-1 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 and as a member 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: Michigan-Dearborn – Tech is 2-3 against the Wolverines all-time, most recently in a shootout, 4-3 (3-2 SO), on Jan. 30 at SportONE/Parkview Icehouse.
 
Series Notes: Michigan-Dearborn – Tech is 2-3 against the Wolverines all-time, most recently in a shootout, 4-3 (3-2 SO), on Jan. 30 at SportONE/Parkview Icehouse. Alex Gregorich notched the game-winner while Zach Larson made 32 saves.
 
Rankings Update: The Warriors dropped one spot to 21^st in this week's ACHA National Rankings. The Orange and Black have been ranked for six straight weeks now, rising as high as 19^th in the nation.
 
Tourney Time: The Warriors are taking part in their first-ever GLCHL Tournament, finishing sixth (7-8-0-1-0) in a very strong league that sent four teams to the National Tournament. Top-to-bottom standings finished as: Davenport, Adrian, Michigan-Dearborn, Western Michigan, Kent State, Indiana Tech, Oakland, Rochester, and Eastern Michigan.
 
We've Seen This Before: This will be the second time this season the Orange and Black will partake in a tournament in Dearborn. Back over Thanksgiving Weekend, Tech went 3-0 to claim the Great Lakes Showcase Title, including a 3-2 overtime victory over the host Wolverines, their first victory in the series as they took down the 14^th-ranked team in the nation.
 
Year Difference: The Warriors have made major improvements in their second year of competition, more than doubling their win total from their inaugural season (8 to 21) and cutting their losses in half (25 to 12). Tech has not been shut out once this year, while they were blanked four times a season ago. The Orange and Black have also shut out their opponents four time this year after not recording one in the 2014-15 campaign.
 
Sweeping it Up: Tech has swept five different opponents in weekend sets so far this season (minimum two games) after not recording a sweep in their inaugural season. The Warriors have dispatched Eastern Michigan (Oct. 9-10), Canisius (Oct. 23, 25), Kent State (Nov. 13-14), Ferris State (Jan. 15-16), Illinois State (Jan. 22-23) and Midland (Feb. 5-6). In those 12 games, the Orange and Black have scored 68 times while only allowing 20 goals and have recorded three shutouts in those games.
 
Keeping Up with the Best of Them: Jace Childs and Jarrett Pfeiffer have 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 (59), assists (34) and goals (25). The Savage, Minnesota winger is tied for fourth in the nation in points, tied for eighth in assists and tied for 14^th in goals. Pfeiffer is second on the team in all three categories (48, 25, 23) and is tied for 17^th in points, tied for 24^th in assists and 23^rd in goals.
 
Not to be Forgotten: Just behind Childs and Pfeiffer is the trio of Adam Jonak, Ryan Theisen and Joe Molfetta, who each have recorded 30-plus points and 15 or more goals this year. Jonak is third on the team in goals with 21 while Theisen and Molfetta each have 15. Theisen ranks third in assists with 22 while Molfetta is in fifth with 19.
 
Power Play Specialists: 10 different Warriors have scored goals on the power play this season, giving head coach Frank DiCristofaro lots of options when his team has a man advantage. Jace Childs leads the team with seven power play goals, while Zack Morlock and Jarrett Pfeiffer each have each six apiece. Four of Quentin Holmes goals have come while up a man while Ryan Theisen has three tallies on the power play this season.
 
Protecting the Net: Zach Larson has been stout in between the pipes this season for the Warriors, accumulating over 1,324 minutes of ice time while recording three shutouts, tied for seventh in the country, and is stopping 90.7% of the shots he's faced. He is allowing just 2.99 goals per game, 33^rd in the country and is sporting a 13-5-1-1-0 record.
 
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 ACHA Division 3 opponents 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.
 
Diverse Ice: Tech is loaded with players from all across the country as well as all over the globe. The Warriors feature players from 10 different states and four countries. Michigan tops the list with seven 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.
 
No Easy Skating: As the Orange and Black embark on its first season as a member of the GLCHL, they will be tested night-in and night-out against one of the toughest and deepest conferences in the AHCA. Five of the nine GLCHL teams are ranked along with Tech:  Davenport (fifth), Adrian (sixth), Michigan-Dearborn (13^th) and Western Michigan (17^th) are all ranked in the latest ACHA Top 25 Poll. Rochester and Oakland were also ranked, 21^st and 25^th, respectively, when they matched up with the Warriors.
 
Crowded Ice: The GLCHL is tied for the second most teams ranked out of any conference (five) 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 ranked while the Western Collegiate Hockey League (WCHL) has six of its seven members in the poll.
 
Team Effort: Over 90% of the Tech roster (20 out of 22 players, excluding goalies) has recorded at least one point through 20 games this season, while 18 different Warriors have scored at least one goal and 18 different players have notched at least one assist.