The men’s NCAA hockey team picked up a pair of important wins this weekend as they traveled to Marian, winning by scores of 4-1 and 4-2. With the wins, the Bulldogs extended their lead in the MCHA over conference rival MSOE to four points, and put themselves five points ahead of Marian.
On Sunday night, the Bulldogs used a strong first period to put the game out of reach for the Sabres. The Bulldogs got the scoring started quickly as sophomore forward Josh Cousineau scored 4:23 into the first period to give Adrian a 1-0 lead.
“We knew if we came out hard early, we would have momentum allowing us to roll for the rest of the game,” said Cousineau.
The Sabres answered back, however, just over a minute and a half late, as they tied the game at 1-1. The Bulldogs once again found offense, as junior forward Zach Graham registered his 10th goal of the season with Cousineau picking up an assist to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead. The Bulldogs would get one more goal before the period wrapped up as senior defenseman Chris Stansik picked up a power play goal with :07 remaining in the period.
Special teams, especially the power play, have been a strong point for the Bulldogs this year as they have utilized the shots of Stansik and freshman forward Shelby Gray on the backside of the power play.
“We used the big ice surface to our advantage. We really utilized our speed and skill on that surface,” Gray said. “We just moved the puck around and put it on net whenever we got the chance.”
Gray would pick up the lone tally for the rest of the game as he scored at the 7:48 point in the second period to push the Bulldog lead to 4-1. In net Sunday night, freshman goalie Scott Shackell stood tall making 33 saves on 34 shots.
On Monday, the Bulldogs played a rare weekday matinee game as the puck dropped at 3 p.m. in what would end up as a 4-2 Bulldog win. The first period saw lots of back and forth action as both teams recorded 10 shots, but no one was able to draw first blood in the first 20 minutes.
The second period, however, saw each team netting two goals apiece, leaving them right where they started as they went into the second intermission tied 2-2. Gray got his second of the weekend at 3:09 in the second period to put the Bulldogs up 1-0. The line of Cousineau, Graham, and Watts got back on the board as Watts scored to put Adrian up 2-0 with assists going to both Cousineau and Graham. Marian would answer Adrian’s goals with two of their own to put the score at 2-2 at the end of forty minutes of play.
In the third period, all of the offense belonged to Adrian as a pair of unanswered goals and strong defensive play helped the Bulldogs skate away with a 4-2 lead. The ever strong Bulldog power play made their presence felt again Monday as junior forward Dan Barczuk scored just under three minutes into the period to give Adrian a 3-2 lead.
“I think one of the keys to our success this weekend was our power play,” said Gray.
Cousineau scored at 10:50 to round out the scoring at 4-2. Defensively, the Bulldogs shut down the Sabres in the third, allowing only three shots. In net, freshman goalie James Hamby picked up the win, stopping 23 of 25 shots.
Picking up two wins allowed the team to inch closer to a fifth consecutive MCHA regular season title as they gained a four-point lead over MSOE.
“It was huge,” Graham said of getting two wins. “Anytime that a team can put a gap between them and the team that is behind them in the standings, it’s always important.”
The big test for the Bulldogs comes this weekend, as conference foe MSOE travels to Adrian for a pair of games this weekend. One could say that this weekend is the biggest challenge this young program has ever faced. However, from the outside it appears that the team is confident and it’s business as usual for now.
“Our game plan for MSOE will remain the same [as Marian] with a couple of tweeks, likely on special teams. Both opponents are good teams and the same things will have to be in place for us to be successful on any night: hard work, and the will to win,” said Graham.
The teams will face-off at Arrington Ice Arena Friday night at 7 p.m. and again Saturday at 3 p.m.