ADRIAN, Mich. - In tonight's match up the Bulldogs dropped the puck against the Michigan Warriors. The Warriors would come out hard and physical early on in the game, but the Bulldogs would not back down from what was a very physical game.
The Bulldogs were showing great pressure on the net and were keeping the Warriors back in their own zone early on in the opening period. The Warriors would score that all important first goal of the game coming off a shot from Kyle Streve to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead midway through the first period.
The Warriors would continue to play physical but senior captain Kevin Sunde and freshman Mike Moroso could dish it out just as much as they could take it. Starting goalie for the Bulldogs, Frank Crupi, made a beautiful save going pipe-to-pipe twice after the original shot. The Warriors would strike again as Sean Reynolds found himself wide open in front of the net to receive a pass and an easy one-timer making it 2-0 in favor of the Warriors. After getting their second goal the Warriors would continue to pressure the Bulldogs' zone never letting the Bulldogs set up any type of offense. With just under a minute the Warriors would draw a penalty giving the Bulldogs a power play opportunity, unable to score the Bulldogs would go into the locker room down 2-0.
Coming back in the second period before the expiration of the Warriors penalty, junior
Jordan Spear would draw an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty meaning the Bulldogs and Warriors would skate even 4v4 to start the second period. Off of a lucky bounce, the Warriors would strike again just forty-eight seconds in with a goal from Jake Strzalkowski. The Warriors now led 3-0 early in the second period.
Fired up after the goal, senior captain
Chris Dixon would pick up his physical play knocking a Warrior off his skates and onto the ice. The Bulldogs had three straight chances off the original shot, but the Warriors starting goalie Trevor Gursuch stood tall in net making each save. A short time later, junior
Tristan Musser would win the puck and shoot up the pass to senior
Spencer Bonomo who would skate in to the zone alone and would beat Gursuch stick side for his first goal of the season and give Musser his first assist. This goal brought the Bulldogs back within two and a renewed fighting spirit as the Bulldogs were all over the net putting the Warriors back on their heels.
Dixon would make another stellar defensive diving play to keep the Warriors from getting a shot off in a two-on-two break. Midway between the period, junior goalie
Matt Anderson would take over in net for Crupi and end up finishing out the game much like Crupi did last night coming in for Ronayne. Late in the period the Warriors would draw a penalty for elbowing putting the Bulldogs on another power play. The Warriors would give the Bulldogs nothing as they were unable to get any power play offense set up. With just under ten seconds left in the second period, Luke Rendino of the Warriors would find himself all alone in a one-on-one with Anderson, but he stood tall in net and kept it a two-goal game to end the second period.
With the Bulldogs down 3-1 to start the third period they have some serious work to do to get back into this game in the final period. To start the period, it was a lot of back and forth hockey with the Bulldogs getting the best of it but they could not put one past replacement goalie Mike Pessendorfer. Dixon had a golden opportunity to bring the Bulldogs within one as he was alone in the slot after receiving a beautiful backhand pass, but Pessendorfer was equal to the task making the glove save.
Dixon found himself in the same spot with the same opportunity but again was unable to beat Pessendorfer. The Bulldogs were getting chances, but were unable to pull back within one. Late in the third period a vicious hit has put on by the Warriors resulting in Jim Peplinski of the Warriors being sent off with an ejection. This penalty gave the Bulldogs another power play and they would play man-up for the remainder of the game. The Bulldogs would pull within one as they scored with 2:43 left in the period off a beautiful cross crease pass from Musser who picked up his second assist of the game and he found freshman
Robert Bodette who scored his first goal as a Bulldog. However, the game would end with the Bulldogs falling short with a final score of 3-2.
written by Erick Meyer
