ADRIAN, Mich. – The Adrian College NCAA men's hockey team hosted the NCHA Harris Cup Semifinals on Saturday afternoon at Arrington Ice Arena. The No. 1-seeded Bulldogs faced No. 4-seeded Aurora University with a trip to the Harris Cup Finals on the line. Unfortunately for Adrian, the Spartans claimed a 6-2 victory, eliminating the Bulldogs from the NCHA Harris Cup Playoffs.

Aurora struck quickly, scoring twice within the first three minutes of the opening period. Later in the frame, Bradley Somers put Adrian on the board with a power-play goal. The Spartans answered again before the break to take a 3-1 lead into the first intermission.

Aurora extended its advantage to 4-1 with a power-play goal in the second period and carried that lead into the third. The Bulldogs cut the deficit to two after Anthony Mollica scored during a 6-on-5 opportunity following a delayed penalty. Adrian pulled its goaltender late in regulation in an attempt to force overtime, but Aurora capitalized with two empty-net goals to secure the 6-2 win.

Somers, Ian Amsbaugh, Frank Tafelski, and Jack O'Hanisain each recorded assists for the Bulldogs. Ryan Piros made 21 saves in net, while Adrian outshot the Spartans 34-27.

With the conference tournament loss, the Bulldogs now await their NCAA Tournament fate. Adrian sits No. 9 in the NPI rankings, which are used to determine at-large bids and seeding for the NCAA Division III Tournament. That ranking reflects Saturday's result, with additional Division III games still to be played in the coming week.

The NCAA Division III Men's Hockey Selection Show is scheduled for Sunday, March 8 at 9:30 p.m. ET and will reveal the 14-team national tournament field. The Bulldogs hope to secure an at-large bid as they pursue another run at a national championship.