Hockey prepares for home series against Dayton

The IU hockey team faces the University of Dayton in a two-game home series tonight and Saturday.\nThe Hoosiers (9-4, 6-0 Midwest Collegiate Hockey League) remain undefeated in conference play entering the weekend. The team has not lost a conference game since its Feb. 19 defeat at the hands of Miami (Ohio) University in the finals of the MCHL tournament.\nBut the coaching staff said they're not taking the Dayton series lightly.\n"They're one of the top teams in our league," coach Rich Holdeman said. "We know they're tough -- we had two pretty close games with them last year."\nThe Nov. 19 and Nov. 20, 1999, contests at Dayton, which the Hoosiers escaped from with respective 6-4 and 3-1 victories, were marred with bad blood. Junior forward and assistant captain Bryan Grant and defenseman Brad Lutsch, who graduated last season, were disqualified during the Dayton series last year.\nBut the Hoosiers said improving their MCHL record is the foremost priority this weekend.\n"Right now, Dayton is in that fifth or sixth in the rankings," assistant coach and general manager Alex Kyrias said. "These are two league games, and to be high in the league standings is important.\n"If you have a league loss, you want it to be against Michigan or Miami, not Dayton," Kyrias said.\nThe Hoosiers are planning to start senior goalie Chad Whitlock in the net Friday. Whitlock is coming off a four-goal, 126 1/2-minute weekend against two top-ranked Division I schools at the Chicago College Classic Thanksgiving Tournament.\n"I'm pretty confident playing against Dayton," Whitlock said. "We've never loss to Dayton since I've been here."\nWhitlock is 4-1 this season, allowing just 15 goals in 183 attempted shots for a 91.8 save percentage. In contrast, the combined efforts of Dayton goalies Paul Duchoslav and Kevin Szulwach have only yielded an 85.6 save percentage.\nAfter 13 season games, the Hoosiers have outscored opponents 72-40, including 24-5 in their three home conference games.\nKyrias said the key to conference games is their high impact on the rankings, which directly affect which teams are selected for the playoffs.\n"Last weekend was more of a statement for us," Kyrias said. "This weekend, the rankings are on the line"