ADRIAN, Mich. – It was a huge night for the Adrian College women's hockey team as they handily defeated Finlandia University 9-1 and set several school records in the process. With the victory the Bulldogs (10-5-2) moved within three points of second place in the NCHA with an 8-2-2 mark.

The scoring got started early as junior Kelly Salis (St. Clair Shores, Mich./Lakeview) netted her third goal of the season and second in as many days 2:49 into the opening period as the freshman tandem of Morgan Poole(Ottawa, Ont./ St. Mark) and Rebecca Hampton (Sherwood Park, Alta/Salisbury Composite) assisted on the goal. Salis took the puck from deep in the Adrian zone and skated coast-to-coast for the goal. Another junior, Brooke Zaleski (Toledo, Ohio/Whitmer), scored her second goal of the season 1:29 later as senior Jessica Grubbs (Woodbridge, Va./Osbourn Park) made the assist. Finlandia finished off the scoring with a goal from Alisha Ellertson as the Bulldogs led 2-1 at the end of the first period.

It took the Bulldogs a little longer in the second period, but junior Olivia Rork (Wayne, Mich. /Westland) got the team going with a power play goal at 7:59 of the second assisted by Salis and sophomore Ashley Gniewek (Southgate, Mich./Anderson). Six minutes later Hampton netted her own goal, her second of the season, on an assist from senior Stacey Kempson (Windsor, Ont. /Riverside). Senior Nicky Futers (Sarnia, Ont./ St. Patrick) rounded out the second period scoring with just over one minute left as she slipped one past the Finlandia goalie off with assists going to Grubbs and Zaleski.  Adrian out-shot the Lions in the second period 20-8.

The flood gates opened in the third period as Rork netted a short-handed goal 7:52 into the period from sophomore Kendra Uliana (Guelph, Ont./St. James Catholic). Nina Laurie (Palatine, Ill./Palatine), a freshman, netted her eighth goal of the season and the Bulldogs second power play goal of the night which resulted in the Lions replacing their starting goaltender. Kempson and Rork made assists on Laurie's goal. After that is was all Rork as she would finish off her night with two more goals, making four on the night. The first came again as a short-handed goal at 12:03 of the period on assists from Gniewek and Salis. Rork's final goal, her ninth of the season, was a rocket slap shot from the far right wing as she buried it over the Finlandia goalies left shoulder. Assisting on the final goal was sophomore Ashley Chinn (Fort Bragg, N.C./Terry Sanford) and making her third assist of the night Gniewek.

Making her third consecutive start in goal, sophomore Ashley Drop (Erie, Pa./Mercyhurst Prep) made 14 saves before giving way to junior Meghan Smerecki (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich./Regina H.S.) with 4:19 left in the game. Smerecki did not face a shot during the period. On the night the Bulldogs out-shot the Lions 41-15 and 88-25 for the two-game series. Adrian was 2-6 on the power play while Finlandia was 0-8.

Rork is the first player in team history with four goal and five points in a game. It is also the first time ever that a player has scored more than one short-handed goal in a game. Rork is also the first to accomplish scoring power play, short-handed and even strength goals in the same game. Earlier in the season Rork had a four point game (2g, 2a) against Marian (Nov. 12). The nine team goals ties a school record set against Concordia-Wis. (Feb. 17, 2008). The 15 assists and 24 points in the game sets a school record, the previous marks were 13 and 22 against Concordia. Gniewek's three assists is the second time this season an Adrian player has recorded that many in a game as Nina Laurie accomplished it in the Marian game.

The Bulldogs will look to carry the momentum into their weekend series with #2 Wisconsin-River Falls as the series begins on Saturday, January 26 at 6:05 p.m.