ADRIAN, Mich. – The Adrian College NCAA men's hockey team is set to host the Aurora University Spartans on Saturday afternoon in the Harris Cup Semifinals. The No. 1 Bulldogs advanced to the semifinals after a sweep over Concordia Wisconsin by scores of 10-2 and 10-1 while the No. 4 Spartans advanced after sweep over MSOE, 2-1 (OT) and 5-1.
 
Saturday will mark a rematch of the 2023 Harris Cup Finals where the Bulldogs hosted Aurora. Adrian went on to win that game 8-1 to earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs and the Spartans have squared off three times this season with two on the road at Aurora and one at the Huntington Center in Toledo. Adrian sits 2-1 on the year against Aurora winning the series opener 3-2 and the neutral site game 1-0 while losing the second game of the series, 4-3. Adrian leads the all-time series 21-1 since the first matchup in 2016.
 
The Bulldogs are led by their All-Conference selection, Mathew Rehding who leads the team in goals (16), assists (27), and points (43). Also leading the team are the 2023-24 NCHA Co-Players of the Year, Zach Heintz, and Jaden Shields. Shields has totaled 35 points on the season at defense on nine goals and 26 assists. Heintz totaled 34 points with 15 goals and 19 assists on the year. The Bulldogs will continue to rely on Dershahn Stewart in goal who holds a 17-5-1 record on the season with four shutouts and a 1.83 goals against average. Stewart earned All-Conference honors while Julien Jacob was named to the All-Freshman Team and head coach, Adam Krug, was named NCHA Coach of the Year for the sixth time in his career and fourth consecutive season.
 
Aurora sits a 15-11-1 on the season and finished the NCHA regular season with a 12-6-0 record. The Spartans landed one player on the All-Conference Team in defenseman Tyler Pang, and one player on the All-Freshman Team in forward Chase Broda. Broda leads the team with 27 points on the season on 12 goals and 15 assists. Also leading the way for Aurora is Hassan Akl (5G, 18A), Jakson Kirk (15G, 7A), and Chayce Schmidt (7G, 14A). The Spartans will most likely start JaCob Mucitelli in net as he holds a 9-9-1 record on the year with a 2.70 goals against average.
 
A win for the Bulldogs will force another home game in the Harris Cup Finals, and take on the winner of No. 2 St. Norbert College and No. 3 Trine University. The win will also continue to help Adrian in the USCHO.com Poll where they currently rank No. 3, and the Pairwise Rankings for the NCAA Tournament where they sit at No. 2.
 
The Bulldogs and the Spartans will face off on Saturday, February 24 at the Arrington Ice Arena at 2:00 PM EST. Tickets can be purchased by clicking HERE.