{"id":140129,"date":"2023-03-19T12:41:36","date_gmt":"2023-03-19T17:41:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/?p=140129"},"modified":"2023-03-19T12:44:15","modified_gmt":"2023-03-19T17:44:15","slug":"adrian-in-position-to-join-elite-company-in-d-iii-hockey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp-admin.uscho.com\/2023\/03\/19\/adrian-in-position-to-join-elite-company-in-d-iii-hockey\/","title":{"rendered":"Adrian in position to join elite company in D-III hockey"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
The Adrian Bulldogs are headed back to the NCAA Division III Frozen Four. (Photo Credit: Adrian Athletics)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Saturday night hockey in the spotlight. Two national powers headed to overtime in a leave-it-all-on-the-ice battle to decide who goes on to play in the NCAA Division III Frozen Four and who heads for the exit door of the 2022-23 hockey season.<\/span><\/p>\n

And maybe, only fittingly, it was the nation\u2019s leading scorer who delivered in crunch time for No. 3 Adrian, Matus Spodniak scoring the game winner at the 10:22 mark of the first OT.<\/span><\/p>\n

That goal gave the reigning national champs a 3-2 victory over sixth-ranked UW-Stevens Point, which was hoping to win its first national title since 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was a crazy game. A tight game. An intense game. It took less than five five minutes for Adrian to get on the scoreboard. Alessio Luciani\u2019s goal made it 1-0.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Pointers answered with less than four minutes to play in the opening period. Andrew Poulias scored on the power play to even the score.<\/span><\/p>\n

Luciani didn\u2019t let the tie last long. He cashed in on a power play opportunity just over two minutes into the second period to give the Bulldogs the lead back at 2-1.<\/span><\/p>\n

But again, the Pointers answered. UW-Stevens Point evened the score one more time thanks to a goal by Dawson Sciarrino at the 6:42 mark of the second.<\/span><\/p>\n

Neither team scored in the third period. And away to OT we went.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For UW-Stevens Point, it was the second time it played in an OT game. The Pointers outlasted Augsburg in four OT thriller a week earlier to advance to this showdown with the Bulldogs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adrian, coming off a bye last week, was ready for the challenge and got it done in the end.<\/span><\/p>\n

For the Pointers, who hadn\u2019t been to the NCAA tourney since winning it all in 2019, there is no reason to hang their heads. They won a WIAC title this year, won 20 games and nearly won Saturday night in a tough environment. They finish the year at 20-6-4.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adrian, which is 24-4-2, moves on to continue its quest to repeat as the champs in a season where nothing has come easy. Then again, maintaining a championship reign has never been easy. History tells us as much when it comes to hockey or any other sport.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nic Tallarico helped ensure the Bulldogs moved on, tallying 37 saves, including three in OT. His counterpart in goal, Ryan Wagner, stopped 33 shots, including 14 in the third period.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s an impressive feat for Adrian to still be playing hockey. There was a time in November when its fate this season was in question.<\/p>\n

Head coach Adam Krug cut a practice short one day because he wasn\u2019t happy with the way his team was going through one of its drills. He told his players to go home.<\/span><\/p>\n

Krug, of course, demands a lot of his team, and it\u2019s clear Adrian has met those demands. If they hadn\u2019t they wouldn\u2019t be gearing up for another Frozen Four.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Bulldogs have survived the ups and downs of the season up to this point. Yes, they lost a game to Trine and to Lake Forest. They also lost a game to St. Norbert.<\/p>\n

But in a big series against nationally ranked Aurora in early February, the Bulldogs came through with a sweep of the Spartans. It was a big deal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Bulldogs have lost only one game since then, going 8-1 in that stretch, including rattling off five consecutive wins.<\/span><\/p>\n

Next up for Adrian is the University of New England in a national semifinal. The Nor\u2019easters are 10th nationally and come in riding the high of an upset win over top-ranked Utica.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s another challenge for the Bulldogs to attempt to hurdle as they aim to keep their eyes on the ultimate prize.<\/span><\/p>\n

And they know what it will take to get the job done.<\/span><\/p>\n

No team has repeated as national champions in D-III hockey since 2012 when St. Norbert won its second title in a row. <\/span>Only two other programs besides the Green Knights have ever won at least two consecutive championships.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, the Bulldogs are on the brink of joining select company. A team once told to go home early because of a bad practice now might end up going home at the end of next weekend with a championship in its possession.<\/span><\/p>\n

We will find out soon enough if that proves to be the case.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Saturday night hockey in the spotlight. Two national powers headed to overtime in a leave-it-all-on-the-ice battle to decide who goes on to play in the NCAA Division III Frozen Four and who heads for the exit door of the 2022-23 hockey season. And maybe, only fittingly, it was the nation\u2019s leading scorer who delivered in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":85,"featured_media":140133,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[820],"coauthors":[821],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAdrian in position to join elite company in D-III hockey - College Hockey | USCHO.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Saturday night hockey in the spotlight. 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