ADRIAN, Mich. -- The Adrian College Men's ACHA Division 1 hockey team welcomed top-ranked rival Liberty University to the Arrington Ice Arena this past weekend for a two game series. The two teams battled in close and hard-fought matchups, with both teams coming out with a one-goal win.

Friday night, the Bulldogs hosted their Military and First-Responders Appreciation Night in front of a packed crowd with a ceremonial faceoff before the game began. The Bulldogs and Flames would then go scoreless until three minutes remaining in the second period when Matthew DiCesare received a pass from Cameron Armstrong and put it in the net to give Adrian a 1-0 lead going into the final frame. The Bulldogs would hold their lead until midway through the third period when Liberty found a way to score while shorthanded to tie it at one. Just a few minutes later, Liberty scored once more to go ahead 2-1 and hold on for the road victory. Goaltender Noah Decottignies made 22 saves for the Bulldogs in the team's first loss of the season.

In sixteen games between the two teams since 2010, Adrian has come out on top with twelve wins and two ties, while Liberty has only managed four wins against their rival Bulldogs. Friday's contest marked the first time in series history that the Flames defeated the Bulldogs in regulation at the Arrington Ice Arena, which meant the Bulldogs were seeking redemption on Saturday afternoon when the two teams met again to close out the weekend series. Liberty opened the scoring in the first period but it was not long before Captain Matteo DiGiulio scored for the home team to tie it at one. The two teams would continue to claw back and forth for the remainder of the game but it was Adrian who came out in the end 4-3 thanks to two goals from Nash Hatcher and one from Blake Wideman to ultimately put the Bulldogs on top. Decottignies earned the win in goal, his sixth of the season. Adrian and Liberty will meet again for two more games in February, this time at the LaHaye Ice Center in Lynchburg, Virginia.

The MD1 Bulldogs will continue their schedule with a GLCHL conference series matchup with Roosevelt University on October 20-21. The team will travel to Chicago and face-off against the Lakers of Roosevelt at 7:15 PM CST on Friday night and 7:30 PM CST on Saturday night.