When I look around Oakland University, a 1964 lyric by folk legend Bob Dylan runs through my head.

“… The times they are a-changin’.”

When you first pull into the University entrance, you immediately see the construction of the new Health Science building, which is ironic because Oakland’s image is also under the knife.

The campus additions like the medical school and various degree programs, go hand-in-hand with what OU athletics has done the past 10 years: grow.

I’ve gotten to know the various coaches in my year as the sports editor of The Oakland Post. Most athletes and athletic staff members share a unique mentality of optimism, as well.

That may seem like an obvious quality, but there is a degree of pride that involves much more than wearing a jersey.

Although there is progress in terms of interest, there are three ideas that I think will bring the Golden Grizzlies brand further into prominence.

Advertise the product

Having classes in different buildings, I’ve gotten an idea of what the students think of the athletics here. Frankly, most of them are oblivious. I can’t say I blame them.

You rarely see any commercials advertising the games and the O’rena sign is much too small. It’s not uncommon to hear of people driving right past it or not knowing where it’s located at.

The leading scorer in the nation, Reggie Hamilton, passed under the nose of many students.

The Oakland Basketball All-Access series that premiered this season on Fox Sports Detroit is a good start, but outside of the website, I didn’t hear hardly any buzz about it on local news or around campus.

To get more people at games, they’ll have to put more money in advertising.

‘If you build it, they will come’

The University of Michigan has opened both a brand new indoor football and practice facility in the past two years.

Opening a dedicated practice facility will put Oakland among the state’s elite and will no doubt give them a recruiting advantage against schools in the Summit League and comparable in-state schools like University of Detroit-Mercy.

Head basketball coach Greg Kampe  discussed the importance of a dedicated facility last December on WXOU.

This will no doubt come with a cost but a new facility is worth the investment.

Time to jump ship

The Grizzlies need to move onto what I believe is greener pasture in the Horizon League. They might have their chance very soon.

ESPN’s senior college basketball writer Andy Katz mentioned in late March Butler University has interest in moving  to the Atlantic-10 conference and replacing Temple University, according to many sources.

If you’re an OU basketball fan, you’ve no doubt heard the rumor of UDM blocking Oakland from the move to the more favorable and geographically-friendly conference, but it has never been officially confirmed.

The possibility of an UDM and OU matchup could generate excitement in the Metro Detroit area, which has been predominately controlled by professional sports.

A move to the Horizon League, would cut travel costs more than half across the board.

Oakland has had success over Horizon teams like Valparasio, formerly of the Summit League (then called the Mid-Con).

Invested emotion

Oakland has done something crucial and done it correctly: created a core fan base — the Grizz Gang.

People cared that OU lost to Southern Utah in the Summit League Tournament in a disappointed fashion.

Seeing multiple tweets and comments from fans and students alike, voicing their disapproval isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Emotion  shows a bond is there.

People change, relationships come and go, but love for sports teams rarely does.

OU can capitalize on this student relationship by showing that school pride isn’t only tied to academics, but also to the fields and courts of the campus.

Behind Ryan’s play, Grizzlies move into first place

Senior centerfielder Tim Ryan collected the Summit League Player of the Week award on Monday. Ryan’s performance over the past five games has led the Golden Grizzlies to the top of the Summit League standings, with a 10-24 record, 4-3 in the conference.

During the past week, Oakland went 4-1, fueled by the hot bat of Ryan. In that span, the senior hit .421 and extended his hitting streak to six games. Ryan swiped two bases, giving him a team-high 17 for the season. He only needs six more to set the school career-record of 80 stolen bases.

Oakland took three of the four games in a home series against IPFW this past week. Ryan went 7-for-16 in the four games against the Mastodons and hit a two-run homer in the series finale, an 11-6 victory.

Earlier this season, Ryan joined rare company, becoming just the third player in school history to reach 200 career hits.

Women’s golf takes second at Bowling Green tourney

The Oakland women’s golf team concluded the regular season strong with a runner-up finish in the Dolores Black Falcon Invitational. The event, hosted by Bowling Green, featured schools such as Ohio, Detroit and Indianapolis.

Indianapolis was the only school able to better OU’s final combined score of 636 (+60 for the course). Senior Liz Ecker led the Golden Grizzlies with a 156 (+12) over two rounds. Ecker led all players after the first day with a 73, but struggled the following round with an 83 in windy conditions.

Sophomore Kassandra Komma carded an 80 in the final round, while junior Mara Kovac was close behind, shooting an 81 to help Oakland secure the runner-up trophy.

The Golden Grizzles look ahead to the Summit League Tournament on April 22-24. The event will be held in Primm, Nev.

Coriasso leads men’s golf in Louisiana competition

The Oakland softball team snapped a 16 game losing streak with two straight victories against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits.

By taking two of the three matchups in the home series, Oakland captured its first Summit League series of the season.

On Friday, Oakland took the nightcap of a doubleheader with the Jackrabbits in walk-off fashion, winning 6-5. Junior third baseman Erin

Galloway had three RBIs in the game, providing the game-winning win in the bottom of the seventh inning. Her hit capped off a four run barrage in the seventh, completing a comeback win. Junior Abbie Richardson earned the win, pitching a complete game, giving up runs and striking out five batters.

Galloway added two more hits in the game on Saturday, a 5-3 victory. Freshman Morgan Muron led the Oakland attack with two hits and two RBIs as the team improved to 5-31 on the year and 3-15 in the Summit League.

The season continues for the Grizzlies with a road doubleheader today at Toledo beginning at 2 p.m.

Lithuanian big-man signs with men’s basketball team

Viktoras Merkevicius signed his National Letter of Intent to play college basketball at on April 12. Merkevicius used his 6-foot-9 frame to dominate the paint in high school at Stoneridge Prep in Simi Valley, Calif.

A native of Vilkaviskis, Lithuania, Merkevicius is exactly the kind of player Oakland head coach Greg Kampe is looking for.

“We are very excited to sign Viktor, because he meets a need we have,” Kampe said. “I believe he can play the four or the five. He’s a great free-throw shooter, good jump shooter, left-handed and will fit very well in our dribble-drive offense as a four. We believe he has a chance to play right away.”

Contact Timothy Pontzer via email at trpontze@oakland.edu and follow him on Twitter @timothy_pontzer

Women’s golf wins Detroit Titans Invitational tourney

On Tuesday afternoon, the Oakland University women’s golf team captured their first tournament title of the spring season at the Detroit Titans Invitational.

The team enjoyed an impressive first day of play on Monday afternoon at the Western Golf and Country Club.

The team shot a combined 333 (+45 for the course) to finish atop the leaderboard after the first round. Oakland led the host, Detroit, by three strokes and came in third place against Illinois-Chicago by 27.

Senior Liz Ecker paced the Golden Grizzlies with an opening round of 78 (+6) which was the lowest mark by any player in the field during the whole tournament. Sophomore Kassandra Komma shot an 80 (+8) to tie for second place.

Fellow sophomore Elizabeth Dawkins was close behind with an 87 (+15) to place ninth and freshman Maya Parsons tied for 10th place with an 88 (+16).

On the second day of play, Komma and Parsons each shot a final round of 81 to help OU secure the victory. Overall, the team put up a combined 328 on the scorecard for the second round for a 36-hole total of 661 (+85).

Colette Hansen of Detroit claimed medalist honors with her two rounds of 80 to post a 160, only one shot better than Ecker, who shot 83 on the second day to have a total of 161 (+17).

Komma finished with a 161 as well to tie for second place.

The win marked the second tournament victory of the campaign, following their top finish at the Cleveland State Invitational back in the fall. The season continues this weekend with the Dolores Black Falcon Invitational hosted by Bowling Green.

Coriasso leads men’s golf team in Indiana

The Oakland University men’s golf team took a trip south over the weekend to Bloomington, Ind. to compete in the NYX Hooiser Invitational, hosted by the University of Indiana.

Senior Michael Coriasso paced the Golden Grizzlies with a combined 219 (+6 for the course) over three rounds of play.

Coriasso’s mark placed him 30th overall in the tournament featuring Big Ten schools such as Northwestern and Indiana and familiar Summit League rivals like IUPUI.

Overall, Oakland finished in 14th place with a score of 914 (+62).

The team continues the season this weekend with the Detroit Titans Invitational in Highland, Mich. The tournament will be held Friday and Saturday at Prestwick Village Golf Course.

Oakland falls to local rival Detroit in dual-meet finale

Over Saturday afternoon, the Oakland University men’s and women’s track and field team faced off against local rival Detroit in the seventh annual UDM-Oakland Dual Meet.

Despite strong showings from the Golden Grizzlies, the women fell 111-77 and the men lost 111-71 against the Titans.

For the women, senior Micah Jones led the way by winning both the long jump and high jump events. She also was the runner-up in the triple jump.

Junior Brittini Hutton captured the top spot in the 3,000 meter run and 1,500 meter run. Junior Autumn Cleverley earned a first place finish in the 800-meter run.

For the men, senior Brandon Griffin won the 1-mile run and 3,000 meter run.

Fellow senior Steven Marcinkowski finished first in the 2,000 meter steeplechase and junior Anthony Sterzick took home the top spot in the 800-meter run.

Junior Andrew Stebbins shattered the school record in the shot put with a throw of 52 feet, 9 inches, beating the old mark by more than two feet.

The Golden Grizzlies continue their campaign as they head to Lewisburg, Pa. to compete in the Bison Outdoor Classic hosted by Bucknell on April 14 to 15.

Homework, class, work — college students live busy lives, but every other Wednesday at City Grind Skate Park, students take a break from the everyday stress to board.

Skateboarding recently became an Olympic sport, increasing its popularity, along with new trends like long boarding. Oakland University followed suit with the creation of the skateboard club at OU last October.

“(The club) lets you take a break from studying and everything so you can just skateboard,” creator Chris Arellanes said. “You don’t think about school, work or worries. When you’re skating you leave everything at the door.”

Unlike most college skateboard clubs, the club is recognized as an official club sport by the university. The school funds them through intramural sports, along with the group’s other supporters, Skatehungry, Dubs Bikes and Boards, Shenanigan Boards and City Grind — the park where they hold their meets.

Arellanes formed the club because of his love for skating. He began at a young age and it played a big role in his life.

“I skated for 15 years and thought it would be cool to form it,” Arellanes said. “With skateboarding becoming an Olympic sport, the timing seemed right.”

From 9 to 11 p.m. every Wednesday, they meet at City Grind Skate Park to spend time skating, as well as discussing and planning future events, including the first annual Grizz Skate Jam, which will be held on from noon to 7 p.m. Friday, April 27.

The event will include free food, bands, music from WXOU, appearances by pro skater Matt Bennett and club sponsors, as well as participation from other campus sports teams. Competing will also be part of the event, with the Bracket best trick contest and the Dubz downhill showdown for longboarding.

“The main goal is to give skateboarding a name at the University level,” Arellanes said. “I also want students to take a break and have fun, because we are under a lot of pressure and stress, but skateboarding helps.”

Though club is limited to 12 members at this time, everyone is welcome to come to the meets and skate. Students who mention the club at City Grind get a discount on skating fee.

“(Being in the club) nurtures the skate spirit in the winter, and the extra practice makes you better,” freshman AJ Kesler said.

Students also feel that the club allows them to succeed as individuals. Self expression and independence are encouraged.

The group’s boards, being designed by SK8 Factory, show the boarders’ pride for Oakland with details like grizzly bears, while the sport itself allows them to make any statement they choose.

“Skateboarding is a great way to find yourself,” freshman Jason Newman said. “I’ve pushed myself to do things I wouldn’t normally be able to do. It’s been a lot of fun reconnecting (with skateboarding)and this is one of the few clubs I can really relate to.”

Contact Photo Intern Stephanie Sokol via email at sasokol@oakland.edu or follow her on Twitter @StephanieSokol

Oakland’s basketball season ends with loss to Utah State

The 2011-12 Oakland basketball campaign finished with a 105-81 blowout loss to the Utah State Aggies on Sunday night.

The matchup was a semifinal affair in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. Oakland had reached the Final Four of the CIT after beating Bowling Green State, Buffalo, and Rice in the tournament.

The game against Utah State was the first time that Oakland had to travel away from campus to play in the CIT, and the cold mountain air was not kind to the Golden Grizzlies.

The offensive output marked the first time Utah State posted 100 points on a Division I opponent.

Utah State shot 71 percent in the first half, taking a 60-43 lead into halftime.

Oakland was never able to trim the deficit to single digits in the second half, as the Aggies coasted to a win and a berth in the CIT Championship game.

In his last game in an OU jersey, star senior guard Reggie Hamilton led the team with 23 points and nine rebounds.

Sophomore guard Travis Bader added 22 and freshman center Corey Petros led the team with 10 rebounds.

Ecker leads women’s golf team in Florida tournament 

The Oakland women’s golf team competed in the UC Spring Invitational in Crystal River, Fla. over the weekend.

The tournament, hosted by the University of Cincinnati, featured 19 schools from across the country.

Oakland placed 16th in the event, posting a 961 team score, a +97 for the course.

Senior Liz Ecker led the way for the Golden Grizzlies, placing 25th individually. Ecker, playing in her home state of Florida, shot a 231 over three rounds, a +15 over par.

Sophomore Elizabeth Dawkins also had a solid effort for Oakland, finishing with a final score of 248 (+32). That mark was a career-best for Dawkins in a three round event.

Oakland continues their campaign with the Detroit Titans Invitational April 9 to 10 at the Western Golf and Country Club in Redford, Mich.

Michigan State sweep Grizzlies team in weekend series

The baseball team (3-16) travelled to East Lansing over the weekend to face Michigan State for a three game series.

The Spartans outscored the Golden Grizzlies by a combined 23-4 margin to sweep all three contests.

Following a close 2-1 contest on Friday, in which the game was decided in the eighth inning, the Spartans powered their way to 11-2 and 10-1 victories.

While offense was scarce for the Oakland attack, one player shined for the Golden Grizzlies. Senior outfielder Aaron Cieslak went 5 for 11 during the series with two RBIs.

Overall, Oakland has lost nine out of their last 10 games, including dropping five straight.

The season continues with two more local non-conference opponents this week.

Trolla leaves Oakland women’s basketball coaching staff

Assistant coach Katie Trolla announced on Friday that she will step down from the Oakland women’s basketball staff for personal reasons.

Trolla spent eight years on the staff, serving in player development, scouting, and camps.

During Trolla’s time on the bench, Oakland captured the 2006 Summit League Championship, advanced to one NCAA Tournament and two Women’s NIT appearances.

Before her time as a coach, Trolla was a star player at OU, scoring 2,065 points to rank third all-time in school history.

Contact Timothy Pontzer via email at trpontze@oakland.edu and follow him on Twitter @timothy_pontzer

Oakland University men’s and women’s outdoor track teams were both slated to finish 8th in the Summit League preseason polls released on March 15.

The polls were voted on by the 10 head coaches in the Summit League. In 2011, both teams finished 7th in the league.

“The 8th place ranking is justified,” said Head Coach Paul Rice. “We showed absolutely nothing at the indoor championships to make anyone think we are better than that ranking going into the outdoor season.”

The preseason poll has North Dakota State in first place, Southern Utah in second and South Dakota in third for the women and men, only replacing South Dakota with Oral Roberts. Oakland, IUPUI, IPFW and Western Illinois round out the bottom of both polls.

“I do believe Oakland should be placed higher because I see how hard the teams work every day, but they will have to prove it on the track,” Brittni Hutton, junior distance runner, said. “The guys and girls teams are getting faster, stronger and mentally tougher by the day.”

The indoor track championships were held  Feb. 24 and 25 in Ft. Wayne, Ind. The first day, the men received two points and the women received eight.

On the second day, the men received nine points and the women  got 14.

“At the indoor championships, we were missing quite a few athletes on both sides due to a combination of injuries and redshirts,” Rice said.

Oakland’s first meet is on Saturday, March 31 at 10 a.m. in Toledo, Ohio. It marks the opening of the outdoor season for both men’s and women’s track and field teams.

Other prominent competitions the teams are looking forward to are the University of Detroit-Mercy Dual meet and the Eastern Michigan University Twilight meet.

“The UDM Dual is always an exciting and fun meet for us,” Rice said. “We are taking our top distance athletes out to Bucknell with a chance to really race fast and the EMU Twilight meet always produces fast times.”

“Competition looks promising this year,” Hutton said. “I am looking forward to running next week at Toledo, Ohio for our first meet and finally getting to wear an Oakland uniform again.”

Oakland has a total of 12 returning athletes who placed in the top eight of the Summit League Championships last season.

“I would anticipate that our returners will perform very well outdoors, especially the athletes that scored last year for us,”  Rice said. “We do have a few new athletes this year that have a chance to contribute and also a few athletes that were redshirted last outdoor season.”

Rice said that if his teams are healthy, Oakland will rank no lower than 6th place at the end of the season.

The Summit League Championships will be held in Fargo, N.D. May 10 and May 12.

Contact Staff Reporter Damien Dennis via email at djdennis@oakland.edu or follow him on Twitter @djdennisOU

Even with the early season stumbles, the Golden Grizzlies softball team isn’t short of any confidence.

The team’s 2011 season record of 17-29 and conference record of 8-15 aided in their fall to eighth place in the Summit League preseason poll.

Playing to their strengths

Despite the low projection, the team believes the areas that need improvement are attainable.

“Our defense was rocky at times last year but this year it is our strength,” Erika Polidori, sophomore captain, said. “This year, a big focus for us is our communication and leadership in various aspects of the game. We play best when we are aggressive at the plate and we need to work on that as well.”

According to Polidori, a combination of these improvements is imperative for the team’s success this year.

“(Our goals this year are) staying healthy, eliminating errors, communicating, working as a team and most importantly, having fun,” Colleen Zimmerman, senior corner infielder, said. “When we do all of those things, we take care of business.”

Keeping focus

It’s no secret that Oakland has had a rough start to the 2012 season. The team was swept in the three-game series against Summit League fourth ranked Southern Utah University. It was their first Summit League series.

Their first win of the season came Feb. 25, when they defeated St. Peters 2-0.

Last weekend, the team won their first league game 7-3 against IPFW.

“Our games so far have exposed areas we need to improve on, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We now know what to focus on for the rest of the season,” Polidori said. “We need to play as consistently in all seven innings of games as we do at practice every day. We need to let our passion for the game be the driving force behind everything we do.”

Staying positive

A challenging first few games have not stopped the team from making lofty goals for the rest of the season.

“We hope to place (in the) top-four (of) the Summit League, which enables us to compete in the conference tournament in May,” Polidori said. “Once we get there, we think we have a good shot to win some games and hopefully win the conference.”

The team says they are working on getting “one percent better everyday.”

The strengths of the team this year have a lot to do with its overall character and companionship.

“Our team chemistry, ability to stay positive, talent and work ethic are the strengths of the team this year,” Zimmerman said.

The bond the team shares this season is a key part of their strength.

“It makes it easier and a lot more fun to play for your teammates, especially knowing that they have your back no matter what,” Zimmerman said.

Polidori says the team’s bond will help the Grizzlies sacrifice themselves in order for overall success.

“Being close with your teammates helps because you are no longer an individual player on the team, but rather a team player — a piece of the puzzle,” Polidori said. “We need everyone to win games, not one or two players.”

OU continued league play with their home opener last weekend against last year’s Summit League champion, North Dakota State University.

Unfortunately, they were swept in the three-game series, losing 6-0, 5-1 and 6-0.

The Grizzlies will host Eastern Michigan on Wednesday March 28. for a double-header starting at  2 and 4 p.m.

Contact Staff Reporter Emma Claucherty via email at emclauch@oakland.edu

Late rally leads OU softball to first league victory 

The Oakland softball team (2-14, 1-5 Summit League) scored six runs in the final inning to notch their first league win, beating IPFW 7-3 in Fort Wayne, Ind. on Saturday March 17.

The Golden Grizzlies entered the seventh inning trailing IPFW 3-1.

With one out, Oakland loaded the bases to start the rally.

Freshman Morgan Muron began the comeback with an RBI single. Junior Erin Galloway followed with a double that pushed two more runs across the plate.

Galloway’s hit proved to be the game-winner, but the Grizzlies added insurance with three more runs.

Galloway had two hits and three RBIs on the day to lead the Oakland campaign.

Fellow junior Abbie Richardson picked up her first victory of the season, pitching 2.2 innings in relief while giving up only hit and recording a strikeout.

Oakland hopes to carry its momentum with a matchup with rival Detroit on March 21.

The Golden Grizzlies face the Titans in a doubleheader at Buysee Ballpark starting at 2 p.m.

Baseball team out hits Dayton but loses second straight game

The Oakland baseball team (3-12) fell just short to the Dayton Flyers on Sunday, 8-7.  The Golden Grizzlies managed to rally from a 5-1 deficit at one point, but ultimately fell in the late innings.

OU out hit Dayton 11-10 being led by the performance of senior Aaron Cieslak, who went 3-3 with a home run.

Despite the barrage of hits, Oakland stranded nine base runners.

Sophomore Jason Hager took the loss for the Golden Grizzlies in relief. Hager notched four strikeouts in 3.1 innings. Oakland went 1-3 for the weekend, splitting two games against Canisius and dropping both matches against Dayton.

Oakland continues their season with a game at Toledo on March 21 at 3 p.m.

Coriasso leads men’s golf in Louisiana competition

The Oakland men’s golf team is currently competing in the Carter Plantation Intercollegiate Invitational, being hosted by Southeastern Louisiana.

Senior Michael Coriasso shot a 151 (+7 for the course) through two rounds to place 16th in the competition.

Coriasso shot an impressive second round 73 (+1) to finish out the first day of play.

Junior Nick Cunningham matched Coriasso’s second round performance with an identical 73.

After concluding this event on the morning of March 21, the men continue their season with an event in Bloomington, Ind. on April 4.

Conference and local teams earn first team honors

On March 14, senior guard Reggie Hamilton was named to the 2012 National Association of Basketball Coaches Division I All-District 12 first team.

Hamilton broke numerous school and conference offensive records this season. The senior went over 2,000 career points this season while running the point for Oakland’s high octane offense.

Three other Summit League players made the NABC All-District 12 first team, including Dominique Morrison from Oral Roberts, Alex Young of IUPUI and South Dakota State’s Nate Wolters.

Detroit’s Ray McCallum, although not a Summit League member, was also named to the first team. McCallum led the Titans to their first NCAA tournament since 1999. They lost to the No.1 seed Kansas on Saturday, 60-55.

Contact Timothy Pontzer via email at trpontze@oakland.edu and follow him on Twitter @timothy_pontzer

Hamilton passes 2,000 career points, sets league record

In the final game of the season on Saturday, the Oakland men’s basketball team defeated South Dakota 84-77 to finish the regular season 17-14.

Star senior guard Reggie Hamilton led all players with 31 points in the victory, and finished the regular season with 790 total points. That scoring total is currently first in Division I and set the Summit League single-season scoring record. The captain of the Golden Grizzlies also set school records in successful free-throws (216) and 30-point games (14).

For his accomplishments, Hamilton was named the Summit League Player of the Week. This is the seventh time that he has earned this honor in his career and fifth time this season.

Hamilton is currently on a streak of six consecutive 30-point games, and has amassed 2,033 career points. The team is sharing in their star’s success, having won five straight conference games heading into the Summit League tournament.

Oakland secured the third seed in the tournament and will face Southern Utah on March 4 at 9:30 p.m. in Sioux Falls, S.D. While the Grizzlies swept the Thunderbirds from Southern Utah this season, both games were decided by single digits. The game will be carried on Fox Sports Detroit Plus and can be heard on 1130 WDFN-AM.

Oakland tennis team notches first victory of the season

The Oakland women’s tennis team (1-8) picked up its first win of the season, beating Youngstown State on Sunday with a final score of 4-3.

In a match, one point is awarded to a team for each singles victory and one point is awarded for the overall doubles team victory.

Oakland garnered the doubles point by winning 2-1. While the Oakland No. 1 doubles team of senior Caitlin Young and freshman Brittany Baxter fell in the first doubles match, the rest of the team rallied for the point. The No. 2 team of sophomore Grace Keating and senior Demi Georgakopoulos won their match and the No. 3 team won by default.

Baxter was the only player who managed to win her singles match, but it was just enough to secure the victory.

Oakland continues its season on March 17 with a home match against the University of Detroit-Mercy. The time and location of this event has yet to be determined.

Oakland baseball comes close against No. 24 Louisville

The Oakland baseball team (0-4) had a strong showing on Sunday, falling 6-3 to No. 24 Louisville.

While the game marked the fourth straight loss for the Grizzlies, it showed Oakland’s ability to compete with some of the top competition in the country.

The Grizzlies fell early, allowing the Cardinals six runs on eight hits, in only the first two innings.

However, after the shaky start, sophomore starter Hayden Fox settled down and struck out five batters, allowing just two hits and no runs after the second inning.

Junior reliever Russell Luxton worked the rest of the game, only giving up one hit in a scoreless 3.1 innings.

On the offensive side, the Grizzlies were led by junior Mike Carson. Carson went 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

Senior Tim Ryan also went 2-4 with a double and a run scored. Senior Aaron Cieslak hit a home run in the eighth inning, marking the first time an Oakland player has hit one over the fence this season.

The matchup was the finale of a three game weekend series in the Bluegrass State. In all of the games, Oakland rallied to within three runs, an impressive feat against a Top 25 team.

The Grizzlies continue their season by heading to the Queen City this weekend for a four-game series with the University of Cincinnati.

—-Contact Timothy Pontzer via email at trpontze@oakland.edu and follow him on Twitter @timothy_pontzer

The Oakland University hockey team defeated rival Davenport Panthers 3-2, in the Onyx Ice Arena on Friday, to claim the coveted Good Luck Duck trophy for the first time since the 2007 season.

The 3-2 victory was the Grizzlies’ fifth and final game before the American Collegiate Hockey Association National Tournament later in the week.

Heading into the game, Head Coach Jeremy Bachusz said that the Grizzlies needed to play their systems and not get rattled by pressure.

“I think it’s real big,” Nick Tomczyk, assistant head coach, said. “Davenport has had the Duck the last four years and have won nationals each year. It is great to have the Duck heading into nationals with it.”

Jordan MacDonald scored the second goal of the game late in the first period, with assists by defenseman Cody Farber and forward Anthony Colizza.

“It felt great to win the duck for our team and a lot of our alumni who come to our games,” senior forward Jordan MacDonald said.

An earlier goal by Brian Baker contributed to a 2-0 lead heading into the second period.

Davenport’s Jeff Slusser scored their first of the night, placing the puck behind Grizzlies goalie, freshman Corey Hrischuk.

Tomczyk said that momentum changed in Davenport’s favor in the second period.

During an Oakland power play, Davenport defenseman Brock Carlston scored a shorthanded goal putting the puck past Hrischuk, to tie the game at 2.

Directly following the goal, Davenport managed a breakaway which almost saw the Panthers score again until Hrischuk made the stop.

“I think it’s a tough situation (for Hrischuk) to come in as a freshman,” MacDonald said. “He’s really improved.”

Davenport defenseman Brock Carlston scored the team’s second shorthanded goal of the night, evening the score 2-2 heading into the third period.

Midway through the third, junior forward Alex Hoffman got an unassisted goal, allowing the Grizzlies to once again take the lead. This marked Hoffman’s 15th goal of the season and the Grizzlies game-winning play.

Friday night was also senior night for the team. After the game, instead of celebrating with the Duck right away, the Grizzlies honored their seniors, who won not only their final home game for Oakland, but also the Good Luck Duck after four years.

Oakland’s next game is Friday, March 2 at 11:30 a.m. in Strongville, Ohio. They will play Mercyhurst in the first round of the ACHA Tournament.

The team believes they have momentum and luck on their side heading into the national tournament.

“We’re definitely helped with momentum,” Tomczyk said. “We’ve got three practices before the game Friday, and we have to go in there and play our style of hockey.”

—-Contact staff reporter Damien Dennis via email at djdennis@oakland.edu or follow him on Twitter @djdennisOU