It doesn’t get any better than the top two teams in the nation going at it, and top-ranked Adrian’s showdown with No. 2 St. Norbert lived up to the hype and then some Friday night.
The Bulldogs defeated the Green Knights in thrilling fashion, rallying for a 3-2 overtime win.
Cory Dunn struck for the game-winner with just under three minutes to play in the extra period to lift Adrian to the crucial victory.
Adrian trailed 2-0 in the second period before the Bulldogs began their comeback. Trevor Boyd cut the lead to 2-1, and Chase Matson tied the game in the third period to force overtime. He also tallied an assist in the win.
Kevin Entmaa came up big in goal, stopping 29 shots, including the four he faced in overtime to earn his 10th win of the year.
T.J. Black made 40 saves on a busy night. He lost for only the third time this year. He has 15 wins. Dominick Sacco and Brad Pung scored the goals for the Green Knights, who fell to 7-7 in games featuring the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the nation.
The Bulldogs have won nine in a row when you throw in the 7-1 win over Finlandia Saturday and own the second longest unbeaten streak in NCAA Division III hockey. They have given up only 11 goals during the streak.
Adrian is 17-4 overall and 13-1 in the NCHA, while St. Norbert stands at 16-4-1 overall and 11-3 in conference play.
Saints stunned twice
It was a tough weekend for St. Scholastica. On Friday night, Lawrence pulled off the upset of the 15th-ranked Saints, prevailing 4-3. It was the Vikings’ second win of the year over a ranked opponent.
Jordan Boehlke, Matt Beranek, Mike Joehnk, and Luke McDiarmid all scored goals to push the Vikings in front, 4-0.
Greg Procopio got the job done in goal, stopping 39 shots for his first win of the year. The Vikings improved to 9-10 overall and 7-6 in the NCHA.
Marian prevailed over the Saints on Saturday night, earning an impressive 6-2 win. The Sabres scored three times in the opening period. Derek Thorogood scored twice to pace Marian, which improved to 13-6-1 overall and to 8-6 in the conference. Thorogood has 14 goals on the season and also dished out an assist in the win. He has 101 career points.
Tommies sweep the weekend
St. Thomas capped off its weekend with a 2-1 win over Concordia. The Tommies won the opener of the series, 3-2. The Tommies have now won five consecutive games and are 12-6-1 overall. They are 7-2-1 in the MIAC.
Bret Gravelle scored the go-ahead goal against the Cobbers, and Benjamin Myers made 37 saves. He stopped a total of 62 shots in the two games. Johnny Panvica also scored a goal for St. Thomas, which won its fourth road game during its current win streak.
The Tommies are now just two points out of first place in the MIAC with 22 points.
Cardinals continue to roll
Saint Mary’s came out of the weekend riding a wave of momentum after sweeping Gustavus Adolphus. The Cardinals won the opener, 1-0, and then capped the weekend with a 4-3 victory over the Gusties. Their win streak stands at four.
Andrew Cummings scored the only goal of the game on Friday, and Aaron Davis was flat-out sensational, as he stopped 31 shots. Cummings’ goal was his third of the season. He had missed the first half of the year because of an injury. Friday’s game was only the fourth one he has played in this season.
The shutout by Davis was the second of his career.
On Saturday, the Cardinals were playing their first home game since Dec. 6, and they made it a memorable one. Kyle Meeh helped lead the way, as he scored the Cardinals’ first goal of the game. He has tallied a point in five consecutive games.
Jude Warner came through with a goal and an assist and Kevin Walz dished out two assists. Chad Cesarz and Jack Stang also scored goals. Davis made 23 saves in goal as the Cardinals swept a weekend series for the first time this season.
Saint Mary’s is now 6-10-2 overall and 3-5-1 in the MIAC, putting it in a tie for the sixth in the conference standings.
Blugolds hold off Yellowjackets
Wisconsin-Eau Claire squared off against Wisconsin-Superior in a WIAC showdown Friday and the Blugolds prevailed, 5-2. Wis.-Eau Claire scored twice in the second period to overcome a 1-0 deficit and punched in three more goals in the third period.
The Blugolds have won two consecutive conference games and are 4-2 in league play, good enough for first place in the standings. They improved to 14-8 overall with the win.
Nathan Dingmann led the offensive attack with two goals. Kyle Lee and Todd Koritzinsky also scored goals for Wis.-Eau Claire. Lee also dished out an assist.
Zach Dyment made his ninth consecutive start and stopped 13 shots. He is 6-3 on the year.
