From Adrian College Athletics
By Tyler Fyfe
ADRIAN, Mich. — The No. 6 Adrian College Men’s ACHA Division 1 hockey team grabbed a pair of wins over GL6 conference foe and top-ten nationally ranked Calvin University this week, defeating the No. 8 Knights 5-4 on the road and 5-2 at home.
The Bulldogs opened their week on the road this past Saturday for the first of two highly-anticipated and crucial conference match-ups. In the inaugural season of the GL6 Hockey Conference, Adrian and Calvin sit among the top as two teams battling for the inaugural crown.
The duo of top-ten nationally ranked clubs always come together for a spirited battle, and they did just that again this time around. On Saturday in Grand Rapids, the Bulldogs jumped out to a 3-0 lead off goals from Justin Jamer (PPG), Matthew DiCesare, and Sebastian Smith (PPG). After holding the lead until mid-way through the third and final frame, Calvin exploded for 4 unanswered goals to take the lead with under five minutes to play in regulation. A desperation attempt from the Bulldogs saw a successful comeback as Adrian managed to put Calvin on their heels with a few minutes to go and draw a penalty shot, which resulted in Captain Smith capitalizing to tie the game at 4-4. Just a few moments later, Smith then set up Andreas Fleutot who sniped the eventual game-winner off a 2-on-1 rush chance. The Bulldogs would hold down the fort in the dying seconds and squeeze out the 5-4 victory. Goaltender, Noah Decottignies, made 30 saves in the opening win.
After a day’s rest, Calvin made the trek to the Arrington Ice Arena for a rare Monday night contest. After coming out with the win on Saturday, Adrian made sure to hold off their opponent for good, establishing an eventual five-goal lead late in the game. Cash Regan tallied twice, while Jamer (PPG), Smith, and Cameron Armstrong (SHG) rounded out the offense. Calvin would add two goals late to make it 5-2 but that was it as Decottignies stood tall again, making 22 saves in the series clincher.
With the sweep, Adrian collects some important conference points and improves to 6-0 in GL6 play. The two victories also move the Bulldogs to 21-1-2 on the season.
The MD1 Bulldogs will travel to Lynchburg, Virginia for their annual match-up against rival Liberty University this week. The Bulldogs will go toe-to-toe with the No. 3 Flames in a critical two-game series on Friday, January 31 (7:00 PM) and Saturday, February 1 (1:00 PM). Both games can be streamed live on ESPN+.
(Originally published at https://adrianbulldogs.com/news/2025/1/27/mens-acha-division-1-ice-hockey-md1-hockey-earn-pair-of-conference-wins-over-calvin-university.aspx)
