Adrian College Hockey 2015-16 Season Preview

After five long months of “off season”, Arrington Ice Arena will soon be home to the ninth season of Bulldog hockey. The past season was a successful one, with three out of the six teams competing in their respective National Tournaments and the Men’s Varsity squad reaching the NCAA DIII Frozen Four.

The season begins when the Women’s ACHA DI team faces the Chatham Outlaws in a preseason match on September 4th. The Women’s Club team is coming off a historic finish after making it to the ACHA DI Women’s National Championship semifinals this past March. Junior forward Nichole Laflamme led the Women’s ACHA squad in both points and goals, finishing her junior season with 14 goals and 7 assists. Senior Cara Harm finished second with 8 goals and 9 assists for 17 points. Senior Morgan Poole finished her final season with 7 goals and 3 assists for 10 points. Junior Jessie Rushing finished with 4 goals and 5 assists for 9 points and freshman Lauren Hughes rounded out the top five with 2 goals and 7 assists for 9 points. The Bulldogs said goodbye to six seniors this season, Morgan Poole, Amanda Antos, Cara Harm, Becca Napoli, Emily Michelin, and captain Jenna Jubinville. The 2015-16 season will be the final year for the original recruiting class for the Women’s Club Hockey program, which began back in 2012.

Games to watch:

vs Miami (OH): Miami-Ohio has had a strong team the past few years but the Bulldogs have fared well against the RedHawks, especially last season. Miami-Ohio comes to Arrington Ice Arena for a two game series on November 17th and 18th.

vs GVSU: The series against GVSU last season was 1-0-1 at home in a game that got pretty chippy. GVSU comes to Arrington Ice Arena on Saturday November 14th.

Players to watch:

Summer Frey: Frey will be going into her senior year with the Bulldogs and continues to impress when she’s on the ice. What she lacks in size she makes up for in hard work, determination, and tenacity on the ice. Unafraid of even the largest opponents, Frey gets the job done and ever so obviously gives 110% every time she’s on the ice. I look forward to watching her in her final season with the Bulldogs.

Ellyn Stanton: Stanton has spent her first three seasons as a primary back up goaltender, backing up former Varsity starters Ashely Drop and Emily Michelin. A part of the first recruited class for the Women’s ACHA team, Stanton is now in line for the number one goalie spot on the team. She’s impressed as backup, going 4-0 this past season in the games she played. I look forward to watching her getting the chance to be a starting goalie.

The ACHA DIII Gold squad will be the next team to kick off their season on September 18th when they face the University of Michigan Wolverines. The Gold squad’s quest for the “fourpeat” was tragically ended on February 21st when the Bulldogs lost a close game to Calvin College in the regional finals. The Bulldogs will be back with a vengeance this season and the quest to bring the National Championship title back to Adrian will begin on September 18th. The Bulldogs are under new leadership behind the bench this season, former ACHA DI Bulldog Max Gavin took over as head coach this summer and is eager to take the Bulldogs back to Nationals and become the first school in ACHA DIII history to win four national titles. The Bulldogs were led in scoring by junior forward Myles Maltz, who put up 18 goals and 24 assists for 42 points. Freshman forward Jack Clary came in second, netting 18 goals and dished out 13 assists for 31 points in his rookie season. Coming in third was senior defenseman Josh Dollinger with 2 goals and 23 assists for 25 points. Senior forward Eddie Schaeffer came in fourth with 13 goals and 8 assists and freshman forward Gerin Hohl rounded out the top five with 2 goals and 17 assists. The seniors of the Gold Squad, Rick Hennard, Captain Josh Dollinger, Colin Gilead, Eddie Schaeffer, and Chris Schornack, are the last class to be a part of all three “threepeat” National Championship titles and will certainly be missed.

Games to watch:

vs Calvin College: Calvin College defeated the Bulldogs at Regionals, eliminating them from getting to the National Tournament in a heartbreaking 2-1 loss. The Bulldogs will be out for vengeance on October 23rd with the Knights make the trip to Arrington Ice Arena.

vs Hope: The 2014 National Runners-Up weren’t too happy with the 1-0 Bulldog victory in the 2014 National Championship game. Games against the Flying Dutchmen are always action packed with just the right about of intensity and even an occasional fight. The Flying Dutchmen make their way to Arrington Ice Arena on November 21st.

vs Michigan-Flint: Another National Runner Up, this time from the 2013 Championship run. UMF has never been fond of the Bulldogs and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. UMF comes to town on January 21st.

Players to watch:

Myles Maltz: Maltz led the team in points and tied for first in goals the previous season. Maltz and his Datsyukian stickhandling abilities make him a force to be reckoned with no matter what zone he’s playing in. A member of the Gold Squad since his freshman year, Maltz has been a part of two of the three National titles and has impressed every season he’s been a part of the team, especially this past season. I look forward to watching him in his senior season.

Jack Clary: Clary was tied for first in goals (18) with Maltz this past season, his rookie year. Clary had a knack for playing well on any line he was on whether he was playing with upperclassmen or with fellow freshman. If his freshman season was any indicator of what his career as a Bulldog is going to be, he has nowhere to go but up. I look forward to watching him develop as a collegiate player, especially after his success as a rookie.

The next team to hit the ice at Arrington Ice Arena is the DIII Black team, who will be facing off against Central Michigan on September 24th. Although they went 4-21 last season, there’s nowhere to go but up. The team comprised of mostly freshman will now have the majority of their team with collegiate experience this season. Freshman Pat Campbell led the team and both points and goals with 19 goals and 5 assists for 24 goals. Freshman Andy Petersmark came in second with 5 goals and 13 assists for 18 points. Lone senior Cam McKee came in third with 4 goals and 14 assists for 18 points. Freshman Nic Manns came in fourth with 3 goals and 11 assists for 14 points and freshman Quinton Vitek rounded out the top five with 3 goals and 10 assists.

Games to watch:

vs CMU: The last time CMU came to town, there were three fights in the same game and the Black Squad nearly pulled off a come from behind victory. CMU is a physical team and there will be no shortage of hits during this game. The Black Squad opens their season against CMU on September 24th.

vs Indiana Tech: Another physical team, Indiana Tech was the first team the Black Squad played last season in another close game. IT came out on top the first game but the Bulldogs pulled off a win on IT’s home ice a few nights later. IT comes to Adrian on October 15th.

Players to watch:

Tyler Todd: Todd took the role of starting goaltender as a freshman this season, playing in 13 of the 25 games this season, a difficult task as a freshman on a team full of freshman. I look forward to watching Todd’s sophomore season as he backstops a team that now has a year of experience under their belts.

Pat Campbell: Campbell led the team in points and goals as a freshman, outscoring the lone senior on the team and every other player by 14 goals. As he and the rest of the team develops, his skills and scoring ability will only improve.

The men’s ACHA DI squad will take to the ice on October 3rd when they take on Niagara University. The D1 team had a fantastic 2014-15 season, remaining undefeated at Arrington Ice Arena and only dropping 5 games the entire season. Their run at the National Title, however, was cut short in the first game of ACHA Nationals against Central Oklahoma. Freshman Brad Kobryn led the league and the team in points and goals with 55 goals and 22 assists for a whopping 77 points. Sophomore Chris Derochie came in second with 15 goals and 32 assists for 47 points. Freshman Justin Fisher came in third with 5 goals and 29 assists for 34 points. Junior Bobby Bodette came in fourth with 18 goals and 15 assists for 33 points and senior Alex Dobrzeniecki rounded out the top five with 11 goals and 22 assists for 33 points.

Games to watch:

vs Western Michigan: WMU doesn’t typically fare too well against the D1 team, but that doesn’t make it a boring game, especially after four or five Bulldog goals and players begin to get a little agitated. The Bulldogs outscored WMU 25-6 last season but the physicality is usually pretty well matched. Western Michigan comes to Adrian twice, October 16th and January 30th.

vs Davenport University: Davenport has always been a good rival and games are typically close and intense. The Bulldogs pulled off an exciting Tuesday before Thanksgiving win last year against DU in a shootout. The tradition of the Tuesday before Thanksgiving match against Davenport will continue this season as Panthers travel to Adrian on November 24th then return on February 11th.

Players to watch:

Brad Kobryn: Kobryn tore up the ACHA his rookie campaign, becoming the first player in Adrian Hockey history to post 50

goals in a single season and amassing a whopping 77 points his rookie year. Kobryn has a unique knack for putting the puck past any goaltender in the league from anywhere on the ice that made him the most worthy recipient for the ACHA Rookie of the Year Award and the ACHA DI Player of the Year Award. If his rookie season is any indication of what he’ll do at Adrian, he’ll be right on track to break former ACHA DI standout Spencer Bonomo’s record of 196 career points in no time.

Justin Fisher: Fisher, another freshman, may not be as flashy as he fellow rookie Kobryn, but his ability to make plays in invaluable, his 29 assists bested everyone on the team. Although he only posted 5 goals, his 29 assists are what make him a standout player. Throw in his work ethic and his ability to play a physical game and you have an invaluable asset in him.

The Men’s Varsity team will be back in action on November 6th when the face Northland College. The Varsity Bulldogs made it all the way to the NCAA National Semifinal game last season, only to be bested by Trinity College, who would go on to win it all. They also recaptured the Harris Cup for the sixth time in eight seasons, beating St. Norbert College 4-2 in the Harris Cup Finals under the new leadership of former Bulldog captain Adam Krug. Freshman forward Kyle Brothers led the team in points and goals this season, collecting 24 goals and 25 assists for a grand total of 49 points this season. Senior Josh Ranalli came in second with 17 goals and 28 assists for 45 points. Freshman Mathew Thompson came in third with 23 goals and 20 assists for 43 points. Sophomore Jeremy Olinyk came in fourth with 11 goals and 17 assists for 28 points and senior captain Duston Hebebrand rounded out the top five with 13 goals and 15 assists for 28 points.

Games to watch:

vs St. Norbert College: The rivalry between the Green Knights and the Bulldogs goes back to the 2011 NCAA DIII National Championships. The saga continued this past season when the Bulldogs became the first team in 17 years to sweep SNC on the road and take first place in the league then defeated the Green Knights in the Harris Cup Final. I see another SNC

vs Adrian Harris Cup Final this season. The Bulldogs will travel to take on SNC on January 22nd and 23rd.

vs USNTDP: An exhibition opponent, the Bulldogs have lost the last three games against the NTDP but this season seems to promise a victory for the Bulldogs against the National Under -18 team. The Bulldogs travel to USA Hockey Arena (formerly Compuware Arena) on November 25th.

Players to watch:

Kyle Brothers: Brothers was a force to be reckoned with this past season, posting 49 points his freshman season. Brothers not only led the team in points, but the entire NCAA DIII as well. He was named to the NCHA All Rookie team as well as First Team All American West and broke the Adrian College record for game winning goals in a single season.

Mathew Thompson: Thompson was another 40+ points producer for the Bulldogs his freshman year. He also seemed to put the puck in the net at crucial times in crucial games. Thompson scored the game winning goal that sent the Bulldogs to the Harris Cup semifinal then scored the game tying goal in the Harris Cup semifinal, forcing overtime then assisting on the game winning goal that sent the Bulldogs to the Harris Cup final.

The Women’s Varsity team will be the final team to play their first game on November 7th against St. Norbert. The Women’s Varsity squad had a fantastic 2014-15 season, only dropping two games the entire year and winning the NCHA regular season title for the first time in Bulldog Hockey history. Senior Kelsey Kusch was the story of the season, breaking former Bulldog Stacy Kempson’s points record in January to take sole possession of the scoring record with 122 (60 goals-62 assists) points in three seasons. Sophomore Krisin Lewicki narrowly beat Kusch for the season leading points with 12 goals and 25 assists for 37 points. Kusch came in second with 20 goals and 16 assists for 36 points. Sophomore Kaylyn Schroka came in third with 14 goals and 14 assists for 28 points. Junior Devyn Fitzhenry came in fourth with 8 goals and 13 assists for 21 points and senior Hannah McGowan rounded out the top five.

Games to watch:

vs Concordia University(Wisc): It was a major upset when CU beat the Bulldogs in the SLAATS Cup semifinals last season. The Bulldogs had defeated them a few weeks earlier but fell in the SLAATS Cup playoffs by a single goal. The Bulldogs look to pull out a win when the Falcons come to town on November 8th.

vs Lake Forest College: Another foe who knocked the Bulldogs out of the SLAATS Cup playoffs, this time back in 2014. The Bulldogs defeated the Foresters last season 5-1 and 3-2. The Foresters will be the final regular season home series for the Bulldogs on February 19th and 20th.

Players to watch:

Kristin Lewicki: Lewicki had a stellar freshman year in the 2013-14 season and an even more impressive sophomore campaign, narrowly edging out Kusch to lead the team in points. Not only does Lewicki have a knack for creating plays and putting up points, but quick feet and impressive speed that makes her one heck of a player.

Kaylyn Schroka: Newly appointed captain Kaylyn Schroka came in third in points as a sophomore. Her skating abilities, eye for the game, and ability to play a physical game make her a valuable asset to have on any team, especially a women's team.

The countdown is on to the high anticipated 2015-16 season and there are many questions to be answered. Will the Women’s ACHA squad pull of a successful National Championship run and become the first AC women’s sports team to win a National Title? Will the DIII Gold Squad become the first ACHA DIII team to win four National Titles? Will the Black team make a regional playoff appearance? Will the ACHA DI squad go undefeated? Will the Men’s Varsity team win that elusive National Championship title? Will the Women’s NCAA team win the SLAATS Cup? Only time will tell, but I for one am hoping to the answer to all of the above is a yes.