ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Adrian College ACHA Men's Division I hockey team wrapped up its run at the 2026 ACHA National Tournament on Tuesday night, finishing as the National Runner-Up after advancing to the championship game as the No. 9 seed.
Adrian opened the tournament with a dominant 8-1 victory over No. 24 West Virginia University in the first round. The Bulldogs followed with a 5-0 win over No. 8 Jamestown in the second round, highlighted by a 25-save shutout from Peyton Trzaska.
The Bulldogs continued their impressive run with a 4-1 upset over No. 1 Minot State in the quarterfinals before earning a dramatic overtime victory against No. 4 UNLV in the semifinals on a game-winning goal from Sebastian Smith.
In the championship game, Adrian faced No. 2 Ohio University. Ohio jumped out to a 2-0 lead before Nathaniel Mott cut the deficit to one with just under five minutes remaining. The Bulldogs pulled their goaltender in an effort to tie the game, but Ohio sealed the win with an empty-net goal to claim the title, 3-1. The appearance marked Adrian's fourth consecutive trip to the National Championship game.
Smith led the Bulldogs offensively with seven points on four goals and three assists. Justin Jamer added six points with one goal and five assists, while Hunter Allen and Eli Reimer each recorded five points on three goals and two assists. Dylan Gajewski also totaled five points with one goal and four assists.
Trzaska was outstanding in net throughout the tournament, logging 301 minutes of action with a 1.19 goals-against average, 157 saves, and a .963 save percentage across five games. He led all goaltenders with at least two games played in wins, saves, minutes, and save percentage.
Adrian concludes the season with a 32-7-2 overall record, including a 10-2 mark in GL6 play. The Bulldogs captured both the GL6 Regular Season and Conference Tournament titles. The season marks the eighth 30-win campaign under head coach Gary Astalos and the 12th in program history.
Adrian will return to the ice in September 2026, aiming to make another run at a national championship.
