Oct. 4, 2009

WOOSTER, Ohio - The rights to the Buckeye state changed hands this past weekend, at least as far as the ACHA Division I program is concerned.

As week two of the 2009-10 campaign moved forward, the DI team traveled to Wooster, Ohio for a pair of games in the Battle of Ohio Tournament at the Alice Noble Ice Arena. On Friday, the Bulldogs squared off with the John Carroll Bluestreaks for the first game of the evening at 4:30 p.m. while Kent State and Youngstown State faced off at 7:30 p.m. for the nightcap. The matinee matchup proved to be all Adrian.

With five different players lighting the lamp for Adrian and multiple players earning single point honors, the Bulldogs took charge early and often as they routed the Bluestreaks by a 9-2 score. Freshman Quebec native Joey Coffin continued his scoring ways as he led the way with a four-goal, one-assist night that included a natural hat trick in the first period. Spencer Bonomo also kept pace with his touch around the net as he netted two goals while Kevin Sunde, Jared Semple and Tom Ciaverilla all chipped in one each to put Adrian at 2-1 for the season. Ciaverilla also had a helper and Semple assisted on all three of Coffin's goals to increase his season point total. Mike Yakamovich (3), Jack Goodell (2) and six other icers got their names into the scoring column with assists (Cowan, Lopez, Rizzo, Norman, Bonmon and Carlson). Adrian outshot John Carroll 39-12 as Ryan Krichiver posted the win in the pipes.

In the second game, Kent State routed Youngstown State 6-1 to set up a rematch with Adrian in the championship game Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Kent State had Adrian's numbers with two wins, including one in overtime, last season. The Bulldogs were eager to exact revenge with a new season in place.

Things proved to be all Great Lakes as the Bulldogs came out barking and biting and took a 3-1 decision from the Golden Flashes in a game that saw Adrian kill 28 minutes in minor penalties.

The first period saw a tight defensive battle as both teams had opportunities to take the lead. At the 4:19 mark of the first, Spencer Bonomo slapped home a rebound from Tom Ciaverilla to tally a power play goal as the `Dogs took the lead into the dressing room at the end of one. Although being outshot 9-5 in the period, the Bulldogs played a diligent penalty kill to ward off KSU on five minor penalties in the period. The second produced no scoring on either side and at the end of 40 minutes, Adrian continued to command the lead to set up an exciting final 20 minutes.

Midway through the third, 16 seconds proved to be the curse for Kent State as Adrian tallied two short-handed goals in that time frame to take a commanding 3-0 lead. Jared Semple buried the first at 17:51 on a two-on-one play that saw him handcuff Kent goalie Ryan Gregory on the short side. Joey Coffin assisted on the goal. 16 seconds later, Tom Ciaverilla stripped a Kent State defenseman on the Adrian blueline, went coast-to-coast, and beat Gregory for Adrian's third and final goal. Kent State scored a power play goal of their own at 10:42 of the third, but it did not prove to be enough for the Flashes as Adrian went on to capture the Battle of Ohio Tournament with a 3-1 victory. Adrian native Jeff Bernyk posted a standout performance in the net for Adrian as he started and won his first ever collegiate game.

The team is progressing at a much better pace than last year at this time, but head coach Dan Phelps still feels that the club is still not near their potential. "Our performance this past weekend gave more to chew on as a unit and with the sweep, it leaves a much better taste in our mouth as we head into next week. I am extremely proud of the boys and their efforts. We have to learn to stay out of the box. I preach that special teams can win and lose a hockey game, we just don't want to end up on the losing end because we lack certain discipline with our play. Although our penalty kill operated at over 80% for the weekend, those numbers will be tough to keep every weekend as the season pits us against some very potent opponents on the power play", stated Phelps following the win.

Adrian opens their home season this upcoming Thursday at the Arrington Arena as the Beavers from Minot State travel to Lenawee County for a single-game tilt. Face off is at 7:30 p.m. Adrian leaves Friday morning for Youngstown, Ohio as they play three games in the ACHA Showcase Friday. The Bulldogs will be up against Pittsburgh at 3:30 p.m. while Saturday morning (9:30 a.m.) they battle with Arizona State and close out the Showcase on Sunday morning (8:00 a.m.) with the Sooners from the University of Oklahoma.