ANGOLA, IND. -- In the tenth American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Division 2 rankings of the season, the Trine men's ACHA D2 hockey team moved up one spot to second in the central region.
The season's final rankings are used to determine which teams receive invites to the national championship tournament which will take place in Columbus, Ohio. Four teams from each region receive an invite. While teams ranked 3-12 compete in a regional competition for two of the slots, top two teams receive an automatic bid.
This is the first time this season that the Thunder have found themselves inside the top two spots and looking at the possibility of the automatic bid.
Trine's ascent in the rankings comes off a boost in strength of schedule and wins over two quality teams. Two weekends ago the Thunder swept the southeast region's fourth-ranked University of Toledo in a two-game series. This past weekend Trine picked up a 4-3 victory over central region seventh-ranked Adrian College. The victory also gives the Thunder a 2-0-1 record over the Bulldogs for the season.
Trine continues to boast a potent offense even against top-ranked teams as they still average over eight goals per game. Freshman forward Brandon Bornkamp (Fort Wayne, Ind.) remains a large part of that offense leading the team in all categories with 46 points including 21 goals and 25 assists. Behind Bornkamp a host of skaters boast offensive potential with eight other skaters having amassed over twenty points so far this season.
In goal, three Thunder have seen playing time. All three have recorded goals-against averages under three. Junior Tyler Hough (Mount Airy, Md.) continues to lead the pack in goal with a .922 save percentage, a 2.20 goals-against average and 225 saves.
Trine will look to boost their resume again this weekend with a pair of games against the 11th ranked team in the central region, the University of Michigan. The Thunder travel to Ann Arbor on Friday, January 26 for a 7:30 p.m. contest before returning on Sunday, January 28 to finish off the weekend. Puck drop on Sunday is scheduled for 1 p.m.