After five games in 24 hours, Drexel walked away from the Nike Quest Tournament with a second place finish in the Men's Lower Division. The Dragons were beaten in the championship game by another ECRHA member and a top four national finalist last year in Towson University.

Game Recaps: Friday 11:10pm vs. Usual Suspects: Win 2-0
Drexel's first game began slowly with Drexel dominating play for most of the first half. Dragons forward Bryan Humphreys scored a goal late in the first period to give the team a 1-0 lead entering the half. The pace slowed in the second period as physical play picked up. The Usual Suspects were unable to capitalize on a powerplay chance when fresh out of the box defenseman Patrick Cummins scored the Dragons second goal with minutes left to play. The game would end in a 2-0 win as goaltender Eric Simons netted his first shutout of the weekend.

Saturday 2:35pm vs. Jersey Rage: Tie 2-2
The Dragons second game, and all remaining games, would take place on the considerably smaller East rink of Marple Sports Arena. This effectively eliminated any speed advantage either team would have. Drexel again opened up a 1-0 lead on a rebound goal scored by Humphreys. The Rage would strike back for two goals and a 2-1 halftime lead. With the majority of play taking place in neutral territory, any small mistake would turn into a scoring opportunity for either team. Both teams remained unable to capitalize on their chances while both goalies face numerous shots. Brian Parrucci, Drexel's goaltender, was a stone wall in net against a solid Rage team. With time winding down, Bill Sherwood tied the match up with a top shelf rocket from the right face off circle. It would be Sherwood's first and only goal of the tournament, as he would suffer two cuts to the face while playing for the ECRHA Selects in the Men's Upper Division of the tournament. Despite numerous late chances, the Dragons remained unable to bury the puck again as the game finished in a stalemate.

Saturday 9:10pm vs. Storm: Win 8-0
Going into the final game of the round robin format, Drexel faced the last ranked team in their bracket. The Storm were already defeated by the Rage 11-3, which meant the Dragons needed to win the game by eight goals to clinch the number one seed, decided by goal differential. Drexel controlled play for the entirety of the game and capitalized on several powerplay opportunities, with forward Nick Nudy notching three goals, two of which came on the powerplay. With five minutes remaining in the second half Drexel mercied the Storm and Simons would skate away with his second shutout in two games. Humphreys, Cummins, Jason Cassidy, Matt Stern, and Anthony Kluth all scored goals in the win.

Saturday 10:35pm vs. Wings: Win 3-2
After finishing with the top seed in Pool A, Drexel had a semifinal date with the second seeded Wings from Pool B. In a closely contested game, Drexel was faced with a one goal deficit with less than 6 minutes to play in the second half. The Dragons took a poorly timed penalty and we're facing a penalty kill late in the game. With 30 seconds left on the penalty kill, Drexel's Cummins scored on a shorthanded breakaway to knot the game at 2-2. Sean Ripley completed the come-from-behind victory, scoring a goal with 30 seconds remaining on the clock. The Wings pulled their goalie, but it was not enough as goaltender Brian Parrucci and the Dragons skated into the championship game for a matchup against last season's national collegiate semifinalist Towson University.

Saturday 11:30pm vs. Towson: Loss 1-4
Fellow ECRHA and NCRHA member Towson University defeated the Jersey Rage 4-2 en route to the championship game versus Drexel. Down 1-0 early in the game, Drexel evened up the score with a goal from Nudy. However, the Tigers would respond immediately with two goals of their own. Both teams would have many more opportunities in the first but Drexel goaltender Eric Simons and Towson's Mike Crist would keep the scoring at bay. Play heated up in the second period which saw a number of face washings and post-whistle exchanges. Amidst the fisticuffs, Towson was able to rack on another goal against the Dragons and take home the gold medal with a 4-1 win. Even with the championship game loss, Drexel netminder Eric Simons took home the Most Valuable Goalie of the tournament.

Regardless of the second place finish, the tournament was a complete success for Drexel and all other participating teams. Special thanks go out to Topcat Hockey, Nike Hockey, and Towson University for a great weekend.