Make it 22 wins in a row now for the Adrian Bulldogs, the No. 1 team in the DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll.
Adrian won a huge series against fellow nationally ranked opponent Aurora over the weekend, completing the sweep with a 7-2 win Saturday. Adrian won the opener 4-2.
Zach Goberis came through with a pair of goals to pace the Bulldogs, who jumped on top 3-0 after one period of play in Saturday’s showdown and never looked back.
Ty Ens came through with a goal and an assist while Sam Ruffin recorded a pair of assists.
The Bulldogs took 70 shots, with 32 on goal, and Cameron Gray made 29 saves.
Gray stayed busy on Friday as he stopped 43 shots in Adrian’s first game against a ranked opponent since Dec. 30. The Spartans came into the weekend ranked 12th.
Gray made 24 of his saves in the third period alone. Rex Moe tallied a goal and an assist.
Adrian is 22-1 overall and 16-0 in the conference and face a huge battle with second-place St. Norbert this coming weekend. Home ice throughout the NCHA playoffs will be on the line.
Green Knights still in contention for regular-season crown
Two more wins are in the books for St. Norbert, which has now won 19 consecutive games and remains in the hunt for home ice throughout the NCHA playoffs.
The Green Knights completed a sweep of MSOE with a 5-2 win Saturday and are now 20-3 overall and 16-0 in the conference.
Ranked fifth in the DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll, St. Norbert has now won 20 games 22 times in 25 seasons. It’s win streak of 19 games is a school record.
Peter Bates scored his 24th goal of the year, putting him in second all-time on the single-season goal list. His goal also gave him 146 points in his career, which is good enough for third all time.
The Green Knights held a decisive 58-23 advantage in shots, including a 21-3 edge in the third and Johnny Roberts made 21 saves while also getting credit for an assist on an empty-net goal by Adam Stacho.
Bates and Stacho also each tallied an assist.
On Friday, the Green Knights skated to a 6-1 win behind a hat trick from Liam Fraser. They scored four goals in the third period to put the game away.
Thunder split with Forresters
Trine ended a four-game losing streak with a 3-1 win over Lake Forest Saturday.
After falling by the same score on Friday to the Foresters, the Thunder used a pair of goals from Frank Trazzera to propel it to a much-needed victory.
Trazzera scored both of his goals in the second period. Shane Brancato made 18 saves.
Trine, which owns a 15-7-1 overall mark and 9-6-1 record in the conference, is now assured of a spot in the NCHA tournament and could still finish in the top four in the standings.
Lake Forest will also get an opportunity to play in the conference tourney thanks to its win over Trine on Friday.
Goals by Josh Giacomin and Ben Perkins in the final five minutes of the game lifted the Foresters to the win. Giacomin also tallied two assists and Nick Wiencek made 21 saves.
Lake Forest is 7-14-2 overall and 5-9-2 in the NCHA.
Saints sweep Royals
Saint Scholastica earned two big wins a it swept Bethel to keep itself in the mix for a MIAC playoff berth.
The Saints completed the sweep with a 2-0 win Saturday and are now 9-9-2 overall and 5-6-1 in the conference, putting them in a three-way tie for fifth.
Saint Scholastica has won its last five against Bethel.
In Saturday’s win, the Saints nearly notched their third consecutive shutout. They held a 33-20 advantage in shots, marking the first time in six games they’ve outshot their opponent.
Arkhip Ledenkov and Michael Talbot both scored while Jack Bostedt recorded 19 saves for his third consecutive win.
On Friday, the Saints scored twice in the third to secure the victory. The shutout was the second in a row for Bostedt while Ledenkov scored in his first game back after being out three games. Fillimon Ledenkov also scored in the win.
Auggies stay atop standings
Augsburg strengthened its hold on first place in the MIAC with a sweep of Gustavus, which is still searching for its first league win of the year.
The Auggies beat the Guties 2-1 Friday and then wrapped up the series with a 6-0 win Saturday.
Samuel Vyletelka stopped 21 shots for his fourth shutout of the season while helping the fourth-ranked team in the DCU/UCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll to its 10th consecutive win.
Six players scored for Augsburg, including Austin Martinsen, who also dished out an assist. Jarod Blackowiak came through with two assists.
The Auggies have now outscored the opposition 76-30 and feature one of the best defenses in the nation.
In Friday’s win, Martinsen and Gavin Holland boht scored to pace the Auggies, who are 19-2 overall and 11-1 in the MIAC. Brandon McNamara punched in the lone goal for Augsburg.
Oles hold off Pipers
A pair of close wins carried St. Olaf to a sweep of Hamline. The Oles opened the series with a 2-1 win and finished things off Saturday with a 6-5 victory.
The wins pull them into a three-way tie for fifth place in the MIAC.
The Oles, who are 8-12-3 overall and 5-6-1 in the conference, led 6-3 early in the third before the Pipers put together a rally attempt.
But St. Olaf was ale to hold after the Pipers closed the gap to one with 33 seconds to play. The sweep is its first since beating Bethel in February of 2016.
Troy Bowditch struck for two goals, the first multi-goal effort of his college career, and Parker Casey tallied a goal and two assists.
Brendan Darby and Eric Brown both scored a goal and dished out an assist.
Erik Dahl scored a goal in the final minute to pull Hamline within one. Tyler Nyman came through with three assists for the Pipers.
Pointers complete another sweep
UW-Stevens Point stretched its win streak to four games with a 3-0 win over UW-Stout Saturday. That win completes a series sweep. The Pointers won Friday’s game 5-2.
Wilson Northey scored twice for UW-Stevens Point, the 11th-ranked team in the DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll, while Eli Billing stepped up with 28 saves for the shutout win.
Brandon McReynolds and Sam Ayd tallied two assists apiece.
The Pointers scored twice in the second period and added a final goal in the third as they improved to 15-5-1 overall and 10-2 in the WIAC.
Jordan Fader was the star in Friday’s win, scoring four times to help the Pointers overcome an early 2-0 deficit. Ryan Wagner stopped 22 shots.
Falcons take down Yellowjackets
Four players scored for UW-River Falls in its 4-3 win over UW-Superior Saturday. The Falcons won 4-3 on Friday as well and are now 13-9-1 overall and 9-4 in the WIAC. They now have as many points (26) in the standings as UW-Stevens Point.
Vilho Saariluoma scored a power play goal for the Falcons, who won despite being outshot 28-17. Dysen Skinner made 25 saves to secure his 10th win of the year. Saariluoma also tallied an assist in the victory.
A hat trick by Noah Ganske propelled the Falcons to a comeback win over the Yellowjackets Friday night.
UW-River Falls trailed 2-0 after one period of play and 2-1 heading into the third. Saariluoma dished out thee assists and Cayden Cahill tallied two assists. Skinner racked up 12 saves.
Blugolds continue late-season surge
UW-Eau Claire pushed its win streak to five games over the weekend with a WIAC sweep of Northland.
The Blugolds won both games by a 2-0 score and are now 11-11 overall and 7-6 in the conference, good enough for third place.
Ryan Oullette made 16 saves for his 10th win of the year. UW-Eau Claire has allowed just three goals during its win streak.
Sammy Martel and Connor Szmul both scored for UW-Eau Claire.
Ty Readman and Quinn Green scored for the Blugolds on Friday while Oullette came through with 18 saves.
