From Purdue University Northwest Athletics
The #16 Purdue Northwest ACHA DI Hockey team delivered a statement weekend, sweeping a home-and-home series against #17 Grand Valley State with a 4-1 victory at The Kube on Friday night followed by a dominant 4-0 shutout on the road Saturday.
The Basics
Records: #16 Purdue Northwest, #17 Grand Valley State
Location: The Kube – Hammond, Indiana (Game 1) and Griff’s Georgetown – Michigan (Game 2)
Attendance: 600 (Game 1), 100 (Game 2)
Game 1
Inside The Numbers
PNW outshot Grand Valley State 49–35, controlling play for long stretches, especially at even strength.
The Pride went 2-for-5 on the power play, accounting for the game’s first two goals.
Junior Bryce Jacobsen (DeForest, Wis./) opened the scoring late in the first period on the man advantage.
Junior Dylan Dekoe (Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada), junior Cooper Knott (Glenwood Springs, Colo./), and freshman Lucas Whitehead (Barrie, Ontario, Canada) all found the back of the net during a three-goal second period.
Freshman Caleb Kril (Whitmore Lake, Mich.) earned the win in goal, stopping 34 of 35 shots in a steady performance.
PNW killed off 3 of 4 GVSU power-play chances and limited second-chance opportunities.
The Breakdown
PNW struck first at 12:50 of the opening period when Jacobsen converted on the power play to give the Pride an early lead.
Grand Valley State responded with a power-play goal late in the first to tie the game 1-1 heading into intermission.
The second period belonged to PNW, as Dekoe scored on the power play before Knott and Whitehead added even-strength goals in a 3:24 span.
With a 4-1 lead entering the third, the Pride locked things down defensively, allowing no goals and limiting quality looks.
Physical play escalated late, but PNW maintained composure to close out the ranked home win.
Game 2
Inside The Numbers
PNW scored all four goals across the second and third periods after a scoreless opening frame.
The Pride were outshot 33–19 but capitalized on key chances and strong goaltending.
Senior Cooper Olson (Maple Grove, Minn./) recorded a 33-save shutout, turning aside all Grand Valley State opportunities.
Sophomore Kolin Leduc (Macomb, Mich./), junior Brodie McIntyre, senior Michael Clough (Andover, Minn./), and junior Chase Solberg (Anchorage, Alaska/) each scored.
PNW finished 1-for-6 on the power play while killing off all six GVSU advantages.
Discipline and structure held firm despite 44 combined penalty minutes.
The Breakdown
After weathering early pressure in the first period, PNW broke through just 37 seconds into the second when Leduc opened the scoring.
McIntyre doubled the lead late in the second with a power-play goal, followed quickly by Clough to make it 3-0 before intermission.
Grand Valley State pushed in the third, but Olson remained sharp, denying multiple point-blank chances.
Solberg sealed the win midway through the final period, finishing off a strong two-way performance by the Pride.
PNW closed the game with disciplined defensive play to secure the shutout and complete the weekend sweep.
Up Next
Purdue Northwest now heads into a home-and-home series against #11 Calvin next weekend. The Pride travel to Grand Rapids, Michigan on Friday, January 16 with start-time at 7:00 PM CT and then host the Knights on Saturday, January 17 at 7:30 PM CT hosted at The Kube in Hammond, Indiana.
(Originally published at https://pnwathletics.com/news/2026/1/12/mens-ice-hockey-acha-d1–16-purdue-northwest-earns-big-weekend-sweep-of-17-grand-valley-state.aspx)
