Let the Postseason Begin!

It was a thrilling night across the NCHA, with the men’s side opening the first round of the postseason and the women now set for the final day of the campaign Saturday with the regular-season title yet to be decided!

Let’s start with the women … the Adrian/St. Norbert series was as good as advertised and now the Bulldogs have given themselves a chance to claim another league crown after posting a thrilling 1-0 victory over the Green Knights Friday night. Gia Avalone scored early in the second and Sophie Goldberg made all 14 saves she was called upon for and now the two teams head into the final game of the season just one point apart – SNC still leads with 40, while Adrian now has 39. AC does hold the tie-break advantage if they do conclude with the same total of standings points and would earn the No. 1 seed with a shared championship.

Third (Aurora), fourth (Lake Forest, courtesy of Samantha Shoebottom's OT winner), and fifth place (Concordia Wisconsin) are set, with Trine a point ahead in earning the six seed against Marian. Lawrence will be the #8 seed.

On the men’s side, the Harris Cup playoffs are underway … and just one upset took place on the opening night. The top three seeds all posted convincing wins, while #5 MSOE claimed the lone surprise, knocking off #4 Trine by a final score of 2-1 after Austin Schwab posted a 40-save performance.

Top-seeded Adrian cruised to an 11-1 win over Concordia Wisconsin, with head coach Adam Krug collecting career win No. 200 in the process. Matus Spodniak stayed hot, recording four more points on an assist and a hat trick, while Alessio Luciani finished with a game-high five points (1G/4A).

No. 2 Aurora raced out to a fast start with three goals in the first period and never looked back, claiming a 4-1 victory over Lake Forest. Nate Keeley was big with an assist and a pair of goals, while Tanner Marshall made 39 saves.

No. 3 St. Norbert handled Marian, building a 4-0 lead en route to a 5-2 decision. Colby Entz made 25 saves in the win.

NCHA WOMEN
Lake Forest 1 v. Marian 0 OT
Trine 3 v. Lawrence 0
Adrian 1 v. St. Norbert 0
Concordia Wis. 5 v. Finlandia 0

NCHA MEN
Aurora 4 v. Lake Forest 1
MSOE 2 v. Trine 1
Adrian 11 v. Concordia Wis. 1
St. Norbert 5 v. Marian 2