For only the third time in school history, the Grand Valley State University Division II club hockey team has defeated the best in the nation to move to the finals at the ACHA National Tournament.

After three difficult games in Fort Myers, Fla., the Lakers (29-5-1) emerged as the victor for the Pool D, and the team is united in excitement.

“We just played our game, and when we play our game, we can beat anyone,” said junior forward Chad Wilhelm. “I think that if we played how we played today, then we can beat any team in the tournament.”

On Friday, the Lakers came out strong with an 8-2 victory over Northern Arizona University, earning them the largest lead in the first round of the tournament.

“It was a good game to start out with,” Wilhelm said. “All the players on the team got their butterflies and jitters out and we took an early lead which helped us save some energy for later in the tournament. We didn’t necessarily see the win coming because any team at the tournament can beat anyone at any time, but it was a good start for us to get some confidence going into harder games.”

The Lakers leaped out to a 4-0 lead in the first and held on to their advantage, despite two goals from the Jacks.

Pleased with their success, but knowing that more challenging games were on the horizon, the Lakers rested and regrouped to return on Saturday for a 2-1 victory over Siena College. The game was much closer, but it also demonstrated the Lakers’ ability to play strong in back-to-back games.

“Siena needed a win to keep their season alive, and they were playing with nothing to lose,” said junior goalie Scott Tiefenthal, who shared the goal with senior Josh Lavigne over the weekend. “We played a pretty complete game and played really well defensively. We limited them to only one or two scoring chances and that made the difference in the game.”

On Sunday, the team faced off against Penn State University, scoring a 4-2 victory that carried them on to the semifinals. The Lakers led for the duration of the game, out-shooting and outplaying the Nittany Lions.

“It was very back and forth,” said junior defender Craig Marrett. “There wasn’t one period where you could say one team dominated the other, although we definitely out-shot them. We did a good job shutting down their offense, but it was a battle from start to finish.”

Monday at 1:45 p.m., GVSU will play William Paterson University for the opportunity to advance to the National Championship game on Tuesday.

“This is what we’ve been working for all year,” Marrett said. “We knocked out William Paterson last year, so they’re going to be looking for redemption. But, as tired and sore as we are, we are going to find a way to do it, we’re going to find a way to come together, and we’re going to come out with a win.”

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