DE PERE, Wis. – It's Championship Weekend for the Adrian College NCAA men's hockey team as they travel to St. Norbert College for the NCHA Harris Cup Finals. The Bulldogs, who earned the No. 4 seed for the tournament, advanced to the finals after defeating No. 5 MSOE and top-seeded Aurora University. No. 2 St. Norbert College, the tournament host, secured their spot by defeating No. 3 Trine University.
The Bulldogs will be seeking revenge on the Green Knights after being swept at home during Senior Weekend. St. Norbert claimed regular season victories over Adrian, 6-2 and 5-0. The Bulldogs enter the finals with an 18-9-1 record and are ranked No. 9 in the latest USCHO.com Coaches Poll. St. Norbert, with a 22-5-1 record, holds the No. 4 spot in the poll. In the NCAA Percentage Index (NPI) rankings—formerly known as the Pairwise Rankings—St. Norbert sits at No. 5, while Adrian holds No. 10.
This will be a tight contest between two teams with a storied championship history. St. Norbert holds the all-time series advantage with 18 wins to Adrian's 16. The two teams have faced off 12 times in March since 2009, with St. Norbert leading the series 7-5. In addition to seeking revenge for the regular season losses, the Bulldogs are also looking for redemption from last year's NCHA Harris Cup Finals, which St. Norbert won on Adrian's home ice.
Adrian averages 3.8 goals per game while allowing 2.8. St. Norbert averages 4.0 goals per game and gives up just 1.9. The Bulldogs are led by Ian Amsbaugh, who leads the team with 39 points (13 goals, 26 assists). Bradley Somers ranks second with 35 points (12 goals, 23 assists). Ryan Pitoscia and Frank Tafelski are tied for the team lead with 13 goals each. Dershahn Stewart will be in goal for Adrian after a 34-save shutout over Aurora last week. Stewart has a .914 save percentage this season, with a 2.54 goals-against average.
The Bulldogs will need to shut down NCHA Player of the Year Logan Dombrowsky, who has netted 16 goals and 31 assists for 47 total points. Liam Fraser leads St. Norbert with 20 goals and 19 assists for 39 points. The rest of St. Norbert's scoring is more evenly spread out, with everyone else in single digits for goals. Adrian will also need to get past Hunter Garvey in net, who has posted a 2.00 goals-against average, a .916 save percentage, and a 17-4-1 record.
The Bulldogs and Green Knights will face off tomorrow, March 8, at 8:00 PM ET in Wisconsin, battling for the NCHA's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament. For all event information, including live video, radio provided by 96.5 FM The Cave, live stats, and tickets, visit www.adrianbulldogs.com.
