LYNCHBURG, Va. -- The No. 6 Adrian College Men's ACHA Division 1 hockey team hit the road to Virginia this weekend for a highly-anticipated top-ten match-up with No. 4 Liberty University. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they suffered a sweep at the hands of the Flames, losing 3-1 and 4-2.

Adrian and Liberty met earlier this season at the Arrington Ice Arena, splitting that series back in October. Over 15 years of previous action, the Bulldogs held an all-time record of 16-7-3 against the Flames going into this weekend's battle. 

Liberty came out hot in game one on Friday evening at the LaHaye Ice Center in front of a packed crowd, beating Adrian goalie Noah Decottignies three times in the first 13 minutes of the contest, chasing him from the goal and forcing Peyton Trzaska into the crease. Adrian struggled to fend off Liberty early in the game and couldn't find a consistent way to get past the Flames' defense or goaltending. Matthew DiCesare notched a goal late in the second period off a rush chance from Justin Jamer and Matteo Turrin but that was it as Liberty held on to hand the Bulldogs only their second regulation loss of the year. Trzaska stood tall in relief stopping all 24 shots he faced. Total shot count in the game ended 35-31 in Liberty's favor.

Adrian and Liberty continued their rivalry on Saturday afternoon to close the series in their 28th meeting since 2010. After a scoreless opening frame, the Flames tallied twice in less than a minute to take a 2-0 lead midway through the middle stanza. A few minutes later, Dylan Gajewski responded for the Bulldogs with his 12th of the season, bringing the score to 2-1 after two periods. Liberty tacked on another early in period three, before Keegan DeCaluwe converted for Adrian on the powerplay late, setting up for a thrilling finish. The comeback fell just short though, as the Flames threw one into an empty net with 37 seconds remaining to seal the 4-2 victory. The Bulldogs out-shot the Flames 45-30 in the contest, giving Trzaska 26 saves in the loss.

The sweep marks only the second time the Bulldogs have been swept by the Flames and the first since February 2020 in Virginia.

The MD1 Bulldogs move to 21-3-2 on the year with six games remaining in the regular season before the GL6 Conference Playoffs. The team will host Oakland University this Thursday night (February 6) at the Arrington Ice Arena. Before the game, Adrian will honor its Senior Class of 2025 in a pre-game ceremony, beginning at 7:20 PM.