Tech Welcomes Midland to the Summit City
 
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The 19^th-ranked Indiana Tech ACHA Division 1 men's ice hockey team will host fellow second-year program Midland this weekend for two games at the SportONE/Parkview Icehouse.
 
#19 Indiana Tech (18-12-1-1, 37 points) (Win-Loss-Overtime Loss-Shootout Loss)
 
Friday, Feb. 5, 8:30 p.m. vs. Midland (14-10-4-2, 30 points) Fort Wayne, Indiana (SportONE/Parkview Icehouse)
Saturday, Feb. 6, 6 p.m. vs. Midland (14-10-4-2, 30 points) Fort Wayne, Indiana (SportONE/Parkview Icehouse)
 
Following the Warriors: Live video will be available for both games via Stretch Internet's Game Center at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/indianatech/, while live stats will also be available for both contests via Point Streak's Game Live (link to be sent out before games) at IndianaTechWarriors.com. You can also follow @INTechICE_D1 and @INTechWarriors on Twitter to keep up with the action.
 
Last Time Out: Tech earned a split against 10^th-ranked Michigan-Dearborn last weekend, falling 3-2 on the road before getting a thrilling 4-3 shootout victory at home. Alex Gregorich sent the Warriors home happy with the shootout winner, while Jarrett Pfeiffer, Adam Jonak and Ryan Theisen all scored in regulation. Jonak scored a power play goal to bring the Warriors within one on Friday. Zach Larson made 78 saves over the weekend and also picked up his 10^th victory of the season.
 
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: Midland – The Warriors of the orange and blue variety have dropped their last four games, including one in overtime and one in a shootout, most recently falling to Williston State College, 3-2, in overtime on Jan. 31. Midland is at the end of a seven-game road trip that has seen take on No. 18 Arizona and No. 2 Minot State. Ben Henry leads the team in points (39) and goals (21) while Blake Neumann, Zach Voss and Bradley Hepler all have 21 assists. Jarin Aden has logged over 1374 minutes in net this year, recording three shutouts while sporting a 3.35 goals against average and stopping 90.9% of shots fired at him.
 
Series Notes: Midland – Tech is 3-3 against the Warriors, most recently splitting their last series in Fremont. The Orange and Black opened up the second half of their schedule with a 5-2 win back on Jan. 9 before falling in a shootout one day later, 5-4. Dylan Grant had two goals in the win while Jace Childs, Jarrett Pfeiffer and Ryan Theisen all had two points in the weekend finale.
 
Climbing the Rankings: Tech are 19^th in the ACHA Top 25 Poll for the second week in a row after jumping up four spots last week. The Warriors spent two weeks in 23^rd and rankings on Jan. 14 for the first time in program history. Since entering the poll, the Orange and Black are 5-1, with their lone loss coming at the hands of Michigan-Dearborn on Jan. 29.
 
Sweeping it Up: Tech has swept five different opponents 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) and Illinois State (Jan. 22-23). In those 10 games, the Orange and Black have scored 61 goals while only allowing 15 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 (57), assists (34) and goals (23). The Savage, Minnesota winger is fourth in the nation in points, tied for fifth in assists and tied for 11^th in goals. Pfeiffer is second on the team in all three categories (45, 24, 21) and is tied for 14^th in points, 19^th in assists and tied for 17^th in goals.
 
Not to be Forgotten: Just behind Childs the Pfeiffer is the trio of Adam Jonak, Ryan Theisen and Joe Molfetta, who each have recorded double-digit goals and have over 25 points. Jonak is third on the team in goals with 16 while Theisen is right behind with 15. Mofletta has 12 goals to his credit. Theisen also ranks third in assists with 21 while Molfetta is in fifth with 18.
 
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 1,075 minutes of ice time while recording three shutouts, tied for sixth in the country, and is stopping 91.5% of the shots he's faced. He is allowing just 2.84 goals per game as well while sporting a 10-5-1-0 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. Six of the nine GLCHL teams are ranked along with Tech:  Davenport (fifth), Adrian (sixth), Michigan-Dearborn (12^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) and Western Collegiate Hockey League (WCHL) have all five and seven of their members ranked, respectively.
 
Team Effort: Over 86% of the Tech roster (19 out of 22 players, excluding goalies) has recorded at least one point through 20 games this season, while 17 different Warriors have scored at least one goal and 17 different players have notched at least one assist.