In a season where multiple injuries plagued the defending national champions from Adrian, senior Matus Spodniak stood tall as a reliable and productive player that helped the Bulldogs reach the national championship game for a second consecutive season. The senior from Slovakia produced thirty goals and twenty-eight assists for 58 points in leading Adrian through the NCHA tournament and NCAA tournament where his final goal of the season tied Hobart and sent the game to overtime.
Spodniak was prolific scoring goals for Adrian this season as evidenced by his four, yes four hat tricks during the campaign. He also produced five game-winning goals and 12 power play goals while receiving just seven minor penalties throughout the course of the season despite being heavily defended by opposing teams.
A transfer from American International College in 2021, Spodniak was productive in his very first season with Adrian recording seventeen goals and adding twenty assists for 37 points as a junior. Combined in his two seasons with the Bulldogs, Spodniak finished with forty-seven goals and forty-eight assists for 95 points.
“I am incredibly grateful to this group that got us to our first national championship and back to the title game this season,” said Adrian head coach Adam Krug. “Matus was obviously a very big part of that this season producing numbers that we haven’t seen here since 2008. Matus needed to find his confidence when he came here after his D-I experience. It took him about six weeks for him to come out of his shell last year. He had great confidence this season from the very start and a strong impact on the group to compete every game. He has great awareness on the ice and a strong knack for goal scoring that I expect will help him in his next hockey chapter playing in the ECHL for the Indianapolis Fuel.”
Spodniak, who also was named the Sid Watson Award winner by the American Hockey Coaches Association, will play his former teammate, Ty Enns in a game against the Toledo Walleye this weekend to begin his professional hockey career.
This is the last of the All-USCHO awards for the 2022-2023 season and with it brings a close to our season long coverage of the D-II/III action across the country. Of course, there may be some off-season information that will continue to be shared as well as some summer features that may be coming your way to keep you in the Hockey spirit.
Special thanks to Brian Lester for his outstanding work covering the west and to all the players, SIDs, coaches and photo contributors and others who have supported our coverage of the games and players and teams, a profound level of thanks for letting us be part of your world and sharing it with fans, friends, and family in the D-III hockey community.
See you all next season when we “drop the puck” in just about 210 days!
