ADRIAN, Mich. - At the Arrington Ice Arena, a two-goal third period and late-game heroics from
Sophie Goldberg propelled the Bulldog women's hockey team past Aurora for its fifth-straight victory and eighth win in its last nine outings.
Kaleigh Cadorette scored Adrian's first and last goal of the evening, marking her third multi-goal effort of the 2021-22 season.
Jocelin Hudanish and
Jessica VonRuden each added tallies over the second and third periods to bring the score to its 4-0 final.
In goal, Goldberg stood tall in the third frame after a quiet first 40 minutes, stopping 10 Spartan shots en route to her game-total 13.
The 'Dogs did not shy away from the challenge of facing the conference's leader in goaltender wins, firing 39 rounds at Chiara Pfosi, including a game-high 15 in the game's opening period. And it was in that first frame that the home side broke the ice.
With the two sides battling for a loose puck in front of the Adrian goal, it was Cadorette who eventually came away with clear possession. The junior turned the corner behind her own net and kicked into high-gear, skating coast-to-coast before stifling the Spartans' netminder five-hole.
Then, in the middle period, it was the captain, VonRuden, finishing off a keened-eye pass from
Sydney Daversa over the glove-hand of Pfosi to double the host's advantage.
In need of some insurance, Adrian went on to rack up two more goals over the final 20 minutes. The first of which came off the stick of Hudanish, whose backhanded shot towards the net was redirected in off of an Aurora skate.
Cadorette put the final touches on the victory less than two minutes later, driving a wrister from the slot.
Saturday evening's win puts the Bulldogs on the cusp of clinching the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association's regular-season championship. One more win will do the trick.
They will have the opportunity on Sunday afternoon against the same Spartan team. Puck-drop is set for 2 p.m. at the Arrington Ice Arena.
