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’s 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.
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.
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’s goal made it 1-0.
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.
Luciani didn’t 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.
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.
Neither team scored in the third period. And away to OT we went.
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.
Adrian, coming off a bye last week, was ready for the challenge and got it done in the end.
For the Pointers, who hadn’t 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.
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.
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.
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.
Head coach Adam Krug cut a practice short one day because he wasn’t happy with the way his team was going through one of its drills. He told his players to go home.
Krug, of course, demands a lot of his team, and it’s clear Adrian has met those demands. If they hadn’t they wouldn’t be gearing up for another Frozen Four.
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.
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.
The Bulldogs have lost only one game since then, going 8-1 in that stretch, including rattling off five consecutive wins.
Next up for Adrian is the University of New England in a national semifinal. The Nor’easters are 10th nationally and come in riding the high of an upset win over top-ranked Utica.
It’s another challenge for the Bulldogs to attempt to hurdle as they aim to keep their eyes on the ultimate prize.
And they know what it will take to get the job done.
No team has repeated as national champions in D-III hockey since 2012 when St. Norbert won its second title in a row. Only two other programs besides the Green Knights have ever won at least two consecutive championships.
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.
We will find out soon enough if that proves to be the case.
