Adrian finished the season with the mindset of a kamikaze, and Ohio was the terminal target.
The Bulldogs failed to qualify for the American Collegiate Hockey Association National Championships, making this weekend's series against the Bobcats their last stand.
Ohio (32-9-3, 17-2-2, Central States Collegiate Hockey League) dropped both games to Adrian, allowing a season-high nine goals in two games. The series was also the last time Ohio's seniors will play at Bird Arena.
Friday night, the Bulldogs outplayed the Bobcats early en route to a 5-3 win.
Adrian's Des Cowan and Spencer Bonomo beat Ohio goaltender Paul Marshall on harmless-looking shots to open a two-goal lead. Ohio coach Dan Morris called a timeout after the second goal and pulled Marshall, replacing him with junior netminder Patrick Morse.
I think Paul was maybe caught up in a little bit of the emotion of this being his last weekend
Morris said. It's tough for the goaltender. They get a different mindset and anything that bothers it sets them off.
The Bobcats' Billy Hemann and Zach Tisdale both scored and tied the game at two, but Adrian pulled ahead for good with two more goals in the second period. Brett Molnar cut the lead to one goal in the third period, but Bonomo notched his second goal of the night on a late power play to seal the victory.
At the start I think we skated like a team that didn't want to play these games and maybe wanted to move on (to nationals)
Morris said. But you've got to play these games. Adrian came ready to play
and we didn't answer right off the bat.
Ohio played a much more physical game Saturday, but once again fell behind early, setting the tone for a hard-fought 4-2 loss.
Adrian scored three times on transitions.
Our (defense) stepped and chose to play the puck over the body
and you can't do that
Morris said.
Tom Ciaverilla scored while shorthanded to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead. Tyler Pilmore tied the game early in the second period, but Adrian scored twice to open a two-goal cushion. Josh Fodor cut the lead in half while Ohio was on a 5-on-3, but Chris Dixon delivered the knockout blow late in the third period.
I thought we did a good job of picking up the physical play and matching their intensity
Morris said. These were their last games
and they wanted to play hard
and we wanted to play hard too.
You can't let satisfaction creep in at this point. We played a grueling second-half schedule, and hopefully it gets us all ready for the tough games ahead.",",2,Sports,Michael Stainbrook,30825a.jpg,Referees break up a fight between Ohio's Ryan Tessmer and Adrian's Spencer Jordan during the game at Bird Arena Saturday. The Bobcats lost to Adrian
2-4. (Erin Corneliussen |
