MARLBOROUGH, Mass. – The Adrian College Men's ACHA Division 1 hockey team is headed back to the ACHA Men's Division 1 National Championship game. The Bulldogs came into the tournament as the No. 3 seed in the 20-team bracket, earning a first round bye. The Bulldogs went on to defeat No. 14 Calvin University, No. 6 University of Central Oklahoma, and No. 2 Ohio University to advance to the final game, taking place on Tuesday night.
To open the tournament, Adrian defeated GLCHL conference rivals, Calvin University 8-1 on Friday night. Sebastian Smith and Sam Spaedt each had multi-goal games for the Bulldogs, while Matteo DiGiulio, Ethan Klemen, Dylan Gajewski, and Henrik Overvall added goals in the opening win. In addition to his two goal night, Spaedt added three assists along with three from Brodie Thornton. Noah Decottignies started in goal for Adrian, recording 20 saves.
With the win, Adrian advanced to the quarterfinals on Sunday where they defeated the University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos. The opening period was scoreless before the Bulldogs scored three goals in the second period. Tyler Fyfe, Smith, and DiGiulio all netted goals in the period. Dakota Bohn added an empty net goal in the third period to secure the 4-1 win. Connor Smith added a pair of assists while Decottignies made 19 saves in goal.
Adrian then took on the Ohio University Bobcats in the semifinals on Monday afternoon. The Bulldogs grabbed an early 2-0 lead after the first period with goals from Matthew DiCesare and Klemen. Adrian then netted five goals in the second period, while Ohio grabbed two, to lead 7-2 entering the final 20 minutes of play. DiGiulio, Justin Jamer, and Sebastian Smith added goals while Brenden Stanko knocked in a pair in the period forcing an Ohio goaltender change. Ohio battled to the end, scoring three goals in the third period, but DiGiulio scored an insurance goal for the Bulldogs to lock in the win. Decottignies finished the afternoon with 25 saves.
The MD1 Bulldogs program will face No. 1 Minot State University in the ACHA Men's Division 1 National Championship game on Tuesday, March 21 at 8:00 PM. The Bulldogs will be looking to bring home another National Championship to go with their 2021 and 2018 national titles. Championship coverage will be provided on HockeyTV at a price, along with a free radio broadcast on the Adrian College TV YouTube channel and 107.9 WVAC.
