Duluth, Minn.- Junior Jessica VonRuden scored what proved to be the game-winning goal with 3 minutes left in the second period to help lift visiting Adrian to a 3-2 victory over St. Scholastica to sweep the two-game series and capture the sixth-straight Northern Collegiate Hockey Association Slaats Cup championship trophy in program history.
Adrian grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by freshmen Callie Wollschlager with 10 minutes and 13 seconds left and Jocelin Hudanish on the power play with 14 seconds remaining.
Mariah Haedrich cut the Bulldogs’ lead in half with a goal 13:36 into the second period. VonRuden scored an insurance goal 3:24 later to seal the win. Adrian went 1-for-2 on the power play and the penalty-kill unit killed off all three Saints’ advantages. The Bulldogs outshot CSS 39 to 31, including a 12-8 margin during the opening period to get off to a solid start.
Junior goalie Denisa Jandova, who was named the Slaats Cup MVP, made 29 saves to preserve the victory.
Adrian has earned seven conference postseason titles in program history, including Slaats Cup wins in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and now 2021.
Sophomore Reaghan Pietrowski and freshman Kathryn Truban joined Jandova and VonRuden on the NCHA Slaats Cup All-Tournament Team.
The Bulldogs took Game 1 of the championship series on Friday night by a 3-0 score. The Saints played their last game as a member of the NCHA as the women’s hockey program will transition to the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) in 2021-22.
VonRuden led Adrian this season in goals (20) and total points (34).
Adrian completed its first undefeated season in program history at 20-0-1 and the Bulldogs extended their school-record unbeaten streak to 28 games (27-0-1) dating back to the 2019-20 season.
The Bulldogs also defeated the Saints, 4-0, in last year’s conference championship game.
The Saints end their season with a 14-2-0 overall record, having won its first 14 games of the season, a new program record.
Records: Adrian Bulldogs, 20-0-1 overall (No. 2 seed); St. Scholastica Saints, 14-2 overall (No. 1 seed)
*Photo from Adrian College Athletics via Dave Harwig*