Posted: Mar 05, 2023
ADRIAN, Mich. -- The run to glory for Adrian College began three weeks ago during the final weekend of the regular season. The Bulldogs trailed St. Norbert in the standings by four points, would go on to sweep the series, and position themselves to host the Slaats Cup Championship game on Sunday.
The regained focus and momentum by Adrian culminated in a 4-1 victory over St. Norbert to capture the Slaats Cup title, its 8th in program history and 7th in the past eight seasons.
"It's honestly an incredible feeling to have the ability to hoist the Slaats Cup once again," said Adrian head coach Shawn Skelly. "We have put so much blood, sweat, and tears into this season and to win this afternoon is something our players will never forget!"
It was a journey this 2022-23 season for the Bulldogs, who boast one of the top offensive and defensive units in the country. Their three losses came by a combined six goals, while the flip side of the coin saw them lead the nation with a 4.48 scoring margin.
It's no secret that Adrian is one of the prominent teams in the country, currently ranked fifth nationally, however, St. Norbert is nipping at the heels to etch its name on the trophy. The Green Knights finished second in the league standings and tied the school record for wins in a season with 20.
"St. Norbert is one of the best teams in our league and they showed it all year," Skelly said. "We had a very tough matchup today, especially after beating them twice in their barn a few weeks ago to secure the Kronschnabel Cup. It's a tall task to beat a good team three times in a row. Our team came to play today and executed our game plan to a T. Congrats to their team on an amazing season and it was great to have the opportunity to play St. Norbert in the final."
The matchup between the Bulldogs and Green Knights was the second time in Slaats Cup playoff history (2023 and 2016). In this most recent version of the battle for supremacy, Adrian lit the lamp first at 8:12 when Jocelin Hudanish found the back of the net, with Kaleigh Cadorette and Une Bjelland assisting.
The hosts began to pull away in the second period with a pair of goals to go in front 3-0 after 40 minutes of action. Bjelland scored herself at 1:23 from Kathryn Truban and Hundash. They added another, a power-play goal at 6:54, to extend the lead to 3-0. The power-play score came from Reaghan Pietrowski and assisted by Truban and Jessica VonRuden.
St. Norbert tallied its lone goal of the game at 4:59 in the 3rd period when Callie Wollschlager found the back of the net on the power play. Kaleigh Cadorette and Maya Roy were credited with assists. Adrian responded less than a minute later at 5:39 when Jordan Moore notched a goal, with Gabby Holtz and Bailey Brunnhoelzl assisting.
In the end, the Bulldogs scored a pair of power-play goals, outshot the Green Knights 35-17, and were led by tournament MVP Sophie Golderg between the pipes. The senior netminder made 16 saves in the title game. On the opposite side of the ice, St. Norbert goalkeeper Brynn Walsman made 31 saves of her own in an outstanding effort.
"I believe our team has the ability to go all the way," Skelly added. "We have depth, speed, skill, and goaltending! We are peaking at the right time of the year and are excited about the opportunity to play more meaningful games in March!"
Following the Slaats Cup celebration and presentation of the trophy, the all-tournament team was announced and featured six players from three different teams.
2022-23 NCHA Women's All-Tournament Team
F - Jocelin Hudanish, Adrian College
F - Daric Matson, Aurora University
F - Une Bjelland, Adrian College
D - Kathryn Truban, Adrian College
D - Gabby Holtz, St. Norbert College
G - Sophie Goldberg, Adrian College
MVP - Sophie Goldberg, Adrian College