ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- The Adrian College Women's ACHA Division 1 hockey team collided with No. 2 Maryville University in the ACHA National Semifinal round on Thursday in St. Louis, falling short, 5-3, to put an end to their national championship run.
Adrian had earned its way to the national semifinals for third straight season, having defeated No. 10 Arizona State and No. 6 McKendree to clinch their pool earlier in the week and advance. The Bulldogs were set up with a familiar match-up against top-ranked Maryville, a team they split a series with earlier in the season.
On Thursday, the Bulldogs looked to get the best of the Saints and make their way back to the national championship game, in hopes of defending their 2024 national crown. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, the Saints had other plans as they came out with a determination to knock off the defending champions.
The Saints opened the contest with three unanswered first period tallies to take a commanding lead after one frame. As the Bulldogs always do, they found a way to claw back in the second period as
Genessie Williams and
Keira Eagleson potted back-to-back tallies to make it 3-2. Late in the period, Maryville sent a wrister past
Rieley Jessie-Gerelli for insurance, sending the game into the final twenty minutes with Maryville up 4-2 on Adrian.
Third period action resulted in additional push-back from the Bulldogs as they continued to pour on the desperation to try and tie the contest. With just under five to play,
Allison Shaw fired one home to make it a one-goal game. The Bulldogs continued to push but their comeback effort was shy of what they had strove for as the Saints sent one last goal into a yawning empty cage to seal the 5-3 victory and eliminate the Bulldogs, who actually out-shot the Saints by a large and dominant margin of 51-26.
As the 2024-25 season comes to a close, the WD1 Bulldogs reflect on a season that ended with a 31-6-3 overall record, an unbeaten 14-0 conference record, a CCWHA Regular Season Championship, and a 7th straight CCWHA Playoff title. The Bulldogs appeared at the ACHA National Tournament for the 12th straight season, and clinched a birth in the Final Four for the 3rd straight year.
The Adrian College Women's ACHA Division 1 hockey team will now look ahead to the 2025-26 season, beginning in September.
