from Adrian Sports Information:
ADRIAN, MICH. - Junior Kortney Diaz (Walled Lake, Mich.) played the hero with only five minutes remaining in the first overtime when she scored her fifth goal of the season to give Adrian its third consecutive Slaats Cup Championship with a 4-3 win in overtime against Lake Forest on Saturday night in Arrington Ice Arena.
THE BASICS
Final Score: Adrian 4, Lake Forest 3 F/OT
Location: Adrian, Michigan (Arrington Ice Arena)
Records: Adrian (22-5-1, 16-1-1 NCHA), Lake Forest (20-9-0, 15-3-0 NCHA)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Amy Budde put the first score on the board in the opening five minutes to give Lake Forest the 1-0 lead. Sophomore Brianna Buchanan(Livonia, Mich.) tied things up with a goal off an assist from Kristi Zink(Canton, Mich.) just 1:33 remaining in the opening period. The Foresters earned an 11-6 advantage over the Bulldogs in shots for the first period, but the score remained tied into the first intermission.
Zink gave Adrian its first lead of the game at the 11:57 mark of the second period when she scored a power-play goal that put the score at 2-1 in favor of the Bulldogs. Kelly O'Sullivan (Inverness, Ill.) and Tory Harshman (Owen Sound, Ontario) received assists on the play. Lexi Morgan tied the score with a goal for the Foresters less than two minutes later. Adrian edged Lake Forest 10-9 in shots in the second period, however, the Foresters held a 20-16 lead after two periods.
Senior Olivia Fox (Massillon, Ohio) put the Bulldogs back on top with a power-play goal just 4:19 into the third period. Harshman and O'Sullivan tallied the assists on the goal. Kayla Griffith tied the score with just under nine minutes remaining in regulation. The Bulldogs recorded 16 shots on goal in the third while holding Lake Forest to only eight for a three period tally of 32-28.
The overtime goal for Adrian came off a two-on-one rush by the Bulldogs that allowed Diaz to score the game-winner off a blocked shot from Abbie Grias (Woodhaven, Mich.). Adrian ripped eight shots on goal in the overtime period while holding the Foresters to only two shots on goal despite the Bulldogs being assessed two penalties in the extra period.
TOP DOGS
• Zink (1,1), Harshman (0,2), and O'Sullivan (0,2) all had a team-high two points in the game.
• Buchanan (1,0), Fox (1,0), Diaz (1,0), and Abbie Grias (0,1) each tallied one point.
• Freshman Kate Turner (Houston, Texas) (W, 21-5-1) made 27 saves to tally her 21st win of the season. She is now in sole possession of the Adrian College season record for wins.
THE OPPOSITION
• Budde, Morgan, and Griffith were the goal-scorers for the Foresters.
• Boijolie, Morgan, Spellmire, Lyke, and Simone each tallied an assist.
• Jacque Rogers (L, 14-5-0) saved 36 of the 40 shots she faced in the game.
SLAATS CUP ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Four Adrian players were named to the NCHA Slaats Cup All-Tournament team that was announced at the end of the game. The complete all-tournament team is as follows:
Forward: Brianna Buchanan, Adrian
Forward: Amy Budde, Lake Forest
Forward: Olivia Spellmire, Lake Forest
Defense: Kelly O'Sullivan, Adrian
Defense: Kristi Zink, Adrian
Goalie: Kate Turner, Adrian
MVP: Olivia Spellmire, Lake Forest
UP NEXT
With the Slaats Cup Championship victory, the Bulldogs have earned the automatic qualifier to the NCAA DIII Women's Ice Hockey Championship Tournament. The bracket will be announced this Monday, March 5 at 10:00 a.m., ET, on ncaa.com.