Ashwaubenon, WI – Wins don’t happen often on St. Norbert’s (No. 5) home ice for the Adrian College NCAA men’s hockey team (No. 6), as the Bulldogs were 5-11 all-time on the road against the Green Knights heading into the weekend series.
Adrian struck early, and never trailed, in a 4-1 victory on Friday night at the Cornerstone Community Center. The scoring started with Bulldog captain Jake Suede finding the back of the net 6:45 into the game, with an assist by Nick O’Hanisain. Fellow senior Brad Somers made it 2-0 with 5 minutes left in the period…with helpers from Lucas Deeb and Jack O’Hanisain.
The Green Knights scored their lone goal on a 5-on-3 power play in the early stages of the second period.
It was a two-on-one opportunity in the middle of the third for Adrian that restored their 2-goal cushion on a nice pass by Nick O’Hanisain and buried by Alec Lovisek. Tecumseh native David Clarke scored on an unassisted empty net goal to conclude the scoring.
Ryan Piros was solid in goal for the black and gold, stopping 35 of 36 SNC shots. With the victory, the Bulldogs stay atop the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association standings, with 34 points.
Trine University moved into second place with 30 points following a regulation win over Aurora University, while St. Norbert and Aurora are tied for third with 28 points.
The Bulldogs (15-5-0, 11-2-0 NCHA) will return to action Saturday afternoon to conclude the series against St. Norbert (13-6-1, 9-3-1 NCHA), with puck drop scheduled for 5 p.m. ET, and will again be aired on 96.5fm The Cave.
Planet Fitness in Adrian 3 Stars of the Game
1 – Ryan Piros (35 Saves)
2 – Nick O’Hanisain (2 Assists)
3 – Brad Somers (1G, Game-winning-goal)