Adrian College hands St. Norbert first road sweep since ’97; Bulldogs go on to claim Peters Cup
By Carly Costello –
The No. 9 nationally-ranked Adrian College Bulldogs swept the No. 2 reigning NCAA Division III National Champion St. Norbert Green Knights the weekend of January 30th. With the sweep – one that would prevail Adrian College to a regular-season league title – the Bulldogs became the first team to sweep the Green Knights since Alaska-Fairbanks in 1997.
“It certainly makes you a bit proud,” said Adrian head coach Adam Krug. “St. Norbert is a pretty prestigious Division 3 program and to be the coach of the first team to pull that feat off in 18 years makes you feel good about the way our guys competed and the direction we are going.”
The weekend match-up was one of the most anticipated of the season, as the winner of the series would gain sole possession of first place in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA). Both powerhouse teams, however, were coming off less-than-stellar series the weekend before. The Bulldogs and Green Knights both split their previous series with Finlandia University and the Milwaukee School of Engineering, respectively, the previous weekend.
As soon as the puck dropped in front of more than 700 fans in the sold-out crowd, the game was one of high intensity, an evident battle for first place.
“I thought that both games were fantastic,” Krug said. “Maybe two of the best games I’ve ever seen at the Division 3 level. It looked like a couple of D-1 teams going at it in the way that both teams skated, moved the puck and played physical. Either team could have come out on top, and fortunately for us, we scored more goals than they did.”
The Bulldogs edged the Green Knights by two goals both nights, winning 4-2 and 6-4 in the series. It was the seniors who led the pack, according to Krug. Senior goaltender Scott Shackell was phenomenal in net over both games, stopping 53 of the 59 shots he faced over a two-game span.
“For us, our seniors were fantastic, especially on Saturday afternoon in the second game of the series. Freshmen Kyle Brothers and Matt Thompson played huge parts in both games, but our seniors led the way, as they need to if we’re going to continue to make noise heading into tournament play.”
The Bulldogs went on to secure their first Peters Cup as NCHA regular-season champions in the following weeks, after recording four straight wins against Lawrence and Lake Forest. Adrian College is currently ranked No. 4 in Division III.
“I think that [it did] more than send a message to the rest of the league, it sent a message to our players,” said Krug of the St. Norbert upset. “It showed our guys that when we are focused and prepared, we can be the best team in the country. We did get a lot of national attention due to the wins, but we need to remain focused and keep improving.”