DE PERE, Wis. – The 2025 NCHA Slaats Cup will run through St. Norbert College this year, as the Adrian College NCAA women's hockey team heads to the conference tournament finals. The Bulldogs, who earned the No. 2 seed for the Slaats Cup Playoffs, will face off against top-seeded St. Norbert.
The Bulldogs have been on fire in the playoffs, dominating their opponents. They defeated Trine University 7-0 and 12-1 in the quarterfinals before taking down No. 3 Concordia Wisconsin, 7-0, in the semifinals. Adrian aims to keep their momentum going in a road contest against St. Norbert, where they went 1-0-1 during the regular season—winning the first game in overtime before losing in a shootout on day two.
Both teams are tied for the most wins in the country this season, with 23 each. Adrian enters the finals with a 23-3-2 record, while St. Norbert is 23-4-1. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 7 in the latest USCHO.com Coaches Poll, receiving one first-place vote, while St. Norbert ranks No. 10. In the NCAA Percentage Index (formerly known as the Pairwise Rankings), St. Norbert sits at No. 10, just ahead of Adrian at No. 11. The winner of Saturday's matchup will earn the NCHA's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, while the losing team will need help from other squads to secure an at-large bid.
Adrian leads St. Norbert in both scoring and scoring defense. The Bulldogs have posted 169 goals on the season, ranking No. 2 in the country behind UW-River Falls (170). Adrian averages 6.0 goals per game, also ranking second nationally, while allowing just 0.89 goals per game, which is third. St. Norbert ranks seventh in goals per game with 4.0 and 16th in goals allowed per game at 1.39.
Adrian boasts three players with 40 or more points and six players with 30 or more. Riley Johnson leads the team with 46 points, thanks to 21 goals and 25 assists. Courtney Ben follows with 42 points (22 goals, 20 assists), and Maya Roy also has 42 points, highlighted by a program-record 35 assists in a single season, set during the Slaats Cup Semifinals. Aileena Dopheide has 38 points, Tia Lascelle has 33, and Kathryn Truban has 32. In goal, Annie Gilbert has been stellar with a 0.96 goals-against average, a .938 save percentage, a 17-3-2 record, and six shutouts.
St. Norbert has scored 112 goals this season, ranking third nationally. They have three players with 30 or more points, led by NCHA Player of the Year Courtnie Hogan, who has 19 goals and 13 assists for 32 points. Adrian was the last team to defeat St. Norbert before the Green Knights went on a seven-game win streak against Lawrence University (6-17-4, 3-11-4 NCHA) and Lake Forest College (13-12-3, 8-7-3 NCHA).
The Bulldogs and Green Knights will face off tomorrow, March 8, at 3:00 PM ET in Wisconsin for the NCHA's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. For game information, including live video, radio stream by 96.5 FM The Cave, and live stats, visit www.adrianbulldogs.com.
