De Pere, Wisconsin – Doubleheader conference championship hockey was broadcast Saturday on 96.5fm The Cave as both women’s and men’s NCAA teams at Adrian College traveled to Wisconsin to battle rival St. Norbert College. The Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) sends one team to the NCAA national tournament via an automatic bid. That bid is earned by winning the NCHA tournament championship. Both Bulldog teams fell to the Green Knights.
Bulldogs Lose Lead Late, Drop Slaats Cup Championship Game in OT…
Both regular-season matchups featured overtime and a shoot-out, and the contest Saturday afternoon would not be decided in regular either. St. Norbert ultimately came out on top, scoring a 5-on-3 power-play goal in overtime to defeat the Bulldogs, 3-2.
The first period ended scoreless, but early in the second period, St. Norbert capitalized on a power play to take a 1-0 lead. Adrian responded just over five minutes later, with Karmen Anderson finding the back of the net on a power play to even the score at 1-1 heading into the third period. With under three minutes remaining in regulation, Kathryn Truban scored to give Adrian a 2-1 lead. However, St. Norbert pulled its goalie in a last-ditch effort and managed to score with the extra attacker, tying the game and forcing overtime.
In the extra period, the Green Knights were awarded a 5-on-3 power play, and with just six minutes remaining in the game, St. Norbert netted the game-winning tally.
Riley Johnson and Courtney Ben each recorded an assist in the game, while goalie Annie Gilbert made 29 saves.
Following the game, the NCHA announced the Slaats Cup All-Tournament Team. Maya Roy and Kathryn Truban earned the two defense spots, while Karmen Anderson was named as one of the forwards. Truban finished the tournament with two goals and one assist, Roy tallied seven assists, and Anderson contributed four goals and four assists. Adrian College concludes the season with a 23-4-2 record after not receiving an at-large bid Sunday night.
Bulldog Men Comeback Comes Up Short in Harris Cup Final…
There was plenty of offense to go around Saturday night in the NCHA Harris Cup Finals in what turned out to be a thrilling, back-and-forth game. Despite a strong comeback effort in the third period, time ran out for the Bulldogs, and St. Norbert emerged with a 7-4 victory.
Adrian struck first, with Bradley Somers scoring late in the first period, just under a minute before the intermission. However, St. Norbert quickly responded, tying the game early in the second period before adding two more goals in the final 30 seconds of the frame, including one at the buzzer, to take a 3-1 lead into the third.
In the third period, St. Norbert continued to dominate, scoring two more goals to extend their lead. The Bulldogs, however, ignited a comeback. Patrick Saini scored to cut the lead to 5-2, and Somers added his second goal of the game before Saini netted another, bringing Adrian within one at 5-4. As time wound down, the Bulldogs were forced to pull their goalie, but St. Norbert capitalized with two empty-net goals to seal the win.
Saini and Somers each recorded two goals, while Ben Loreto tallied two assists. Dershahn Stewart made 19 saves in goal for Adrian. Somers and Julien Jacob were named to the NCHA Harris Cup All-Tournament Team for their strong performances. With the loss, Adrian’s season comes to a close with an 18-10-1 record after not receiving an at-large bid Monday morning.