ADRIAN, Mich. -- The No. 7 Adrian College WD1 hockey team headed over to No. 3 Michigan-Dearborn Friday evening in a top-10 matchup where the Bulldogs fell 1-2 in overtime. However, the Bulldogs bounced back Saturday evening as they hosted the Wolverines with the 4-1 victory.
Adrian struck first Friday evening, but Michigan-Dearborn answered late and claimed a 2-1 overtime win Friday night in a hard-fought contest. The Bulldogs opened the scoring in the first period when senior
Genessie Williams netted a goal at the 17:09 mark. Sophomore
Brenna Ward and junior Siera Raatz picked up the assists as Adrian capitalized on sustained offensive zone pressure to take a 1-0 lead into the intermission. After a scoreless second period, Michigan-Dearborn broke through in the third. With just over four minutes to play, the Wolverines found he back of the net to even the score at 1-1 and force overtime. Just 15 seconds into overtime, the Wolverines struck again on the power play, to give Michigan-Dearborn the 2-1 victory. Adrian goaltender Riley Jessie-Gerelli turned in a strong performance despite the loss, stopping 40 of 42 shots as the Bulldogs were outshot 42-27 on the night.
Saturday evening Adrian responded in a big way, skating past Michigan-Dearborn with a convincing 4-1 victory to split the series. The Bulldogs wasted no time setting the tone in the opening period. At the 13:00 mark, Williams scored her 10th goal of the season off assists from graduate student Hailey Wiltshire and freshmen Addison Scoville, giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead after one. Just over three minutes in, Scoville found the back of the net with Wiltshire earning the helper to double the advantage. Moments later at 3:41, Williams struck again for her second of the night, extending the lead to 3-0. The Wolverines answered midway through the period as they scored at 7:50, but Adrian quickly regained control and carried a 3-1 lead into the final frame. In the third, Wiltshire capped off her strong performance with a goal of her own at 2:44, finishing a play from Williams and senior Ashlynn Stitt to seal the 4-1 win. Jessie-Grell was solid between the pipes for Adrian, stopping 29 of 30 shots to earn the victory as the Bulldogs were narrowly outshot 30-28.
The WD1 Bulldogs will be back in action Thursday and Friday as they face conference opponent Indiana Tech, Thursday at home and Friday on the road, both puck drops set for 7:30 PM.
