ADRIAN, Mich. - After a tough and heartbreaking loss last night to the University of Michigan-Dearborn Wolves, 4-3, the Bulldogs came out firing…literally, scoring six goals in just the first period en route to a 13-1 win on Saturday night at Arrington Ice Arena. Adrian let loose early and kept the pressure on early and often.
UM-Dearborn was caught with too many men on the ice and it cost them as the Bulldogs scored on the power play. Freshmen Alex Dobrzeniecki turned a play into an odd-man rush two-on-one opportunity. Dobrzeniecki centered the pass to fellow freshmen Matt Zaremba who put it past the goaltender for the Wolves. It was the first of many power play goals for the Bulldogs.
The Wolves looked to equalize, but starting goalie for the Bulldogs Matt Anderson would not have any of it. The Bulldogs made an errant pass in their own zone and it was intercepted by the Wolves taking a slap shot, but Anderson stepped up and made a huge glove save.
Adrian's second goal came at the 8:31 mark and it was also on the power play as sophomore Ryan Bachman brought it up the left side centered it and it deflected off a Wolves player and into the net. Two minutes later, sophomore Tristan Musser made a pass up ice to Bachman making another odd man rush 2v1 opportunity. Bachman centered the pass once again and this time found Dobrzeniecki in front of the goal. This goal gave the Bulldogs a 3-0 advantage but it wasn't enough because a minute later sophomore Max Gavin and junior Chris Dixon moved the puck around the boards and it found the stick of senior Alex Norman who made a low angle shot that snuck behind the goalie and in the net.
Penalties began to take their toll on the Wolves as they could not stay out of the box. The power play would be the way the Bulldogs got their fifth and sixth goals. Senior Jack Goodell sent the puck over to Norman who took a shot and put it stick side high top corner giving him his second goal of the game. Later on Bachman found Zaremba, who then hooked up with Goodell taking the shot and scoring giving the Bulldogs a 6-0 advantage. The penalty kill would be asked to keep the Wolves off the scoreboard before the end the first and Bulldogs kept the Wolves disoriented and unable to set up their power play. The Bulldogs would take 6-0 lead into the locker room.
Continued high pressure was the story for the Bulldogs in the second period helping them get their seventh goal. Gavin forced a turnover and gave it up to Dobrzeniecki who skated in, dangled the puck in front of the Wolves goalie, pulled it back from right to left and found the open net. The second period was faster paced and back and forth hockey. The penalty kill was asked to step up again and keep the shut out going and they did keeping the Wolves from getting set up on their power play. The Bulldogs scored their eighth goal at the 15:31 mark and Gavin would get his third assist at the same time as he passed to freshmen Darrell Bolden. Bolden curled around behind the cage and beat the goalie going five-hole.
With just a minute left in the second period, the Bulldogs would get their ninth goal as Norman hit Bachman who then centered the puck and found a cutting Zaremba for the goal. Bachman earned his third assist of the game. Just 10 seconds later high pressure hit the Wolves where it hurts the most, on the scoreboard. Freshman Erik Wentzel battled for the puck deep in the Wolves zone and shoveled the puck in front of the cage and Bolden pushed it in the net for his second goal. At the end of the second period, the Bulldogs held a 10-0 advantage.
The Bulldogs started the third period on the power play and put Louis Ronayne in the net to finish out the game. Penalties on the Bulldogs would put them at 5v3 disadvantage, but the penalty kill would still not concede a goal. Later in the period UM-Dearborn senior Bobby Steele found the penalty box for the second time and upon his release immediately came out and leveled Bulldog junior center Jordan Spear with contact to the head. Steele would find himself with a game misconduct and a five-minute major penalty. He was soon ejected and set into motion a series of events that couldn't be taken back.
The Wolves soon got themselves on the scoreboard because of a 2v1 opportunity. Sophomore Anthony Olson centered a pass to senior Michael Macari who hit the net. But the penalties hurt the Wolves as Tristan Musser got his name on the score sheet getting a power play goal.
The Bulldogs would respond again with Spear finding Norman who took a shot from the point and it rocketed past the Wolves goalie. This gave Alex Norman a hat trick on the night. At the 17:01 mark of the period Zaremba would too complete his hat trick after Dobrzeniecki gave it up to Bachman who earned his fourth assist giving it up to a centering Zaremba.
The game would end with the Bulldogs racking up thirteen goals with five coming on the power play and they were perfect on the penalty kill. Anderson racked up 17 saves and Ronayne had three.
An interview with Bulldogs head coach Dan Phelps after the game was conducted and asked about the fantastic special team play. Coach Phelps said they made a number of changes to the power play and penalty kill. This included some line alterations and the fact they had to fix what was broken. Even with the game well in hand after the Wolves scored coach Phelps called a timeout and continued to coach telling his boys to "stay focused on the basics and do the simple things." When asked about last night's loss to the Wolves he mentioned that "when you're at the top of a the league everyone wants to take a bite out of you and they got it."
The #11 Bulldogs are back in action November 10, 2011 against #2 Lindenwood at 7:00 pm in the Arrington Ice Arena.
