2019-20 Season Recap: The Ending that Wasn't

Back in September when the 2019-20 season began, nobody could've predicted the way that they thirteenth season of Bulldog hockey would end.

For four of the seven Bulldog teams, their seasons were ended abruptly and without warning. For the seniors on the NCAA Men's and Women's teams and the men's and women's ACHA D1 teams, they would pull on the Bulldog sweater for the final time without knowing it was the last time.

And for those almost all the Bulldog teams, their group of seniors was one of the best, if not the best, their team had ever seen and while they didn't get a chance to write a storybook ending, their efforts they put forth during the 2019-20 season should not go without recognition.

Men's NCAA

The Men's NCAA team was on a 13 game winning streak when their season was abruptly ended on March 13th. The Dawgs had just reclaimed the Harris Cup in a thrilling game against arch rival St. Norbert College the week prior at Arrington Ice Arena and were set to take on Hobart College in a qualifier game for the 2020 NCAA DIII Men's National Tournament.

The team was on the ice for their final practice before gameday when they were given the news that their season was over and that they wouldn't be able to play for a national championship.

They began their winning streak in an overtime thriller against St. Norbert on the road back in January by a score of 3-2, prior to that the Bulldogs had posted an 8-5-3 at a little over the halfway point of the season and had five game winless skid when they turned things around with the victory over St. Norbert.

The Bulldogs won the regular season to reclaim the Peters Cup for the top seed in the NCHA playoff tournament. They sat at second place in the NCHA south heading into a weekend series with Lake Forest College who was in first place but swept the Foresters in the midst of their 13 game win streak.

The Harris Cup victory was definitely the game of the year for the Bulldogs, however, they also pulled off a more than impressive victory over the United States National Development U-18 team this year, a feat that D1 schools such as Holy Cross, University of Minnesota, University of Michigan and Lake Superior State University couldn't pull off this season.

Freshman Zach Heintz was named the NCHA Freshman of the Year and Head Coach Adam Krug was named a finalist for the National Coach of the Year award.

The Men's NCAA team graduates eight seniors this season, Dino Balsamo, Niko Coffman, Joey Colatarci, Dean Hewins, Bud Madej, Matt McNair, Vincent Paquette and Bryce Van Horn.

Balsamo, Coffman and Van Horn all wore A's this season as a part of the Bulldog leadership group.

Players Who Made an Impact

Dino Balsamo: The senior from Sterling Heights, Michigan posted a career high 40 points in his final season in a Bulldog sweater. He found a quick home once again on the Bulldogs' top line as he lead the team in scoring with 19 goals. Balsamo made a difference not just on the scoresheet, but with the things you can't count as statistics. His gritty style of play, fearlessness and tenacity has made him an invaluable asset for the Bulldogs in his four years at Adrian. Balsamo was awarded the Team MVP award this season by his coaches.

Andrew Bellant: Bellant had almost as good a season as Balsamo this year in his first year as a Bulldog. A transfer from Michigan Tech, Bellant found a place on Balsamo's wing as the two combined for 78 points this year. Bellant plays a very similar style as Balsamo, although, his temper found him a seat in the penalty box a number of times this season, he hasn't quite mastered the art of getting away with sneaky plays that should be penalized like Balsamo has yet though, but he definitely has time. Bellant put up 17 goals this season and 21 assists for 38 points, second best behind Balsamo.

Women's NCAA

The Women's NCAA team posted a 22-3-3 record this season and were fresh off their historic fifth straight SLAATS Cup and sixth straight regular season title when their season was cut short in March. The Women's team was on the road when Head Coach Shawn Skelly got the call, on their way to Elmira, New York to face the Eagles in the NCAA Quarterfinals. The Bulldogs were on a seven game winning streak heading into the NCAA tournament.

The Bulldogs dominated the NCHA awards this season, grabbing all three major awards with Kelly O'Sullivan being named Player of the Year, Une Bjelland Freshman of the Year and Shawn Skelly Coach of the Year. Rylee Bates, Deniska Jandova, Jessica Von Ruden, Nicole Guagliardo and Brianna Buchanan all being named All Conference.

Skelly and O'Sullivan were both finalists for the Laura Hurd Player of the Year award and Coach of the Year award at the national level as well.

O’Sullivan was tabbed first team All-American for the fourth time in her career, making her the first athlete in Adrian College history to pull off the feat. Guagliardo and Jandova were named second team All American as well.

The Women’s NCAA team graduated eight seniors this year, Rylee Bates, Brianna Buchanan, Lexi Grunden, Nicole Guagliardo, Maggie Mitter, Kelly O’Sullivan, Anna Shepherd and Jacqueline White.

O’Sullivan and Guagliardo made history one last time this year on April 29th as they were both drafted into the National Women’s Hockey League. O’Sullivan becomes the fifth Bulldog to be affiliated with the Buffalo Beauts while Guagliardo becomes the first to be affiliated with the Connecticut Whale.

Adrian College had the second most players drafted by a single college team with two, with only the Division I school University of New Hampshire having more players selected in the draft.

Players Who Made an Impact

Kelly O’Sullivan: O’Sullivan rightfully finished her career with her fourth All American nod and drafted into the NWHL as a professional hockey player, the only fitting end for a career such as hers. O’Sullivan cemented her place into the history of the women’s team this season as she lead the Bulldogs as captain. A steady, strong defenseman, O’Sullivan is hands down one of the best players in program history and one could certainly make the case to say she is the best defender in program history as well. O’Sullivan will become the fifth Adrian College player to hit the ice for the Beauts this season in the NWHL, following in the footsteps of Hannah McGowan (’15) who played in the inaugural NWHL season, Sarah Shureb, Kristin Lewicki and assistant coach Kaylyn Schroka as a Buffalo Beaut.

Deniska Jandova: Sophomore slump? Jandova doesn’t know the meaning of it. Jumping into her first full season as the Bulldogs’ starting goalie, she picked up where she left off last season, posting a 1.07 GAA and .954 SV%. She posted 14 wins and 2 losses, including a team record of four consecutive shutouts. She now holds the record for most consecutive shutout minutes by a goaltender in team history.

Nicole Guagliardo: Had Nicole Guagliardo been with the Bulldogs for more than her senior season, she would hands down be considered one of the best, if not the best, forward in team history. Guagliardo is fast and strong (good luck knocking her off the puck), her shot is lethal and she works hard from the time she hits the ice until she’s back on the bench. Her combination of speed and strength and her shot are a dangerous combination that’s rare in women’s hockey. It’s a shame that we only got to see her in a Bulldog sweater for one season, but I know we all look forward to seeing her in the NWHL next season.

Men’s ACHA D1

The MD1 team was heading into the National Tournament as the #1 seed in the nation for the first time in program history when their season was cut short in March 12th, 2020 with the cancellation of the national tournament.

Every team in the country will say that “this was their year” when they look back on the year that had no ending and we’ll be left to wonder what really would’ve happened, but, make no this was the year for the MD1 team.

They’d posted a record of 32-2 a the end of the season, only dropping two games to the #2 ranked Liberty Flames, both by a single goal. They went on a 29 game win streak leading into the series with Liberty, running over everyone in the GLCHL and ACHA along the way. The Bulldogs put up a higher goal differential than any other team did in total goals and nobody in the ACHA lost fewer games than they did.

It was their year.

The MD1 team graduates their winningest class in team history this year, Mike Barrett, Mark Fratarcangeli, Rainer Glimpel, Marcel Kottek, Domenic Moore and Steven Szekesy.

Barrett, the winningest goalie in team history, and Moore will both return next season to pursue their masters degree.

Players Who Made an Impact:

The Class of 2020: Remember when I said in my season preview to keep an eye out for this year’s senior class? Well, I wasn’t wrong. Dominic Moore was on fire, scoring first in the. Majority of the contests this season. Rainer Glimpel scored huge goals for the Dawgs, including the first goal of the game less than a minute into a huge tilt against Davenport. Marcel Kottek set a record for points as a defenseman in the entire program’s history. Steven Szekesy appeared in every game for the second season in a row. Mark Fratarcangeli put up a career high in points and goals and took over as the backbone of the Bulldog penalty kill after the departure of Justin Fisher last season. Oh yeah, then there’s Mike Barrett, the now winningest goaltender in team history who put up yet another phenomenal season. The loss that the Class of 2020 poses is huge, but I know that the underclassmen, who were all taught by this year’s seniors, will fill those shoes well. You can find a detailed recap of their careers that I wrote for the athletics website here.

Tyler Fyfe: Another player who doesn’t know what a sophomore slump is. Fyfe bested his numbers from last season in the first half of this year, pretty much the opposite of the sophomore slump. Fyfe not only put up nearly twice the numbers this season as his freshman year, but also found a home on the powerplay for the Bulldogs, scoring eight power play goals.

WACHA

The Women’s ACHA D1 team was headed to the National Tournament for the seventh time in their eight seasons as a program prior to the abrupt ending of the 2019-20 season. The Bulldogs had somewhat of a turnaround at the end of their season, winning out in the CCWHA and capturing both the regular season and playoff title to earn a bid to the tournament.

The Bulldogs, however, did not fare well against the top ranked teams, slipping into the #4 spot for most of the ranking periods after dropping all four contests to #1ranked Liberty, splitting with #2 Lindenwood-Bellevile and dropping a game to #3 Minot State in overtime.

The Class of 2020 finishes their careers as Bulldogs without losing a single game in CCWHA play and appearing at Nationals technically four times and appearing in the semifinals two out of the three times they appeared in the tournament and finished second in the nation their sophomore year.

WACHA graduates seven seniors this year, Maddy Arnold, Meagan Coleman, Dana Columbo, Britt Levasseur, Taylor Murcek, Kyle Wilson and Alexa Wyczynski.

Arnold wore the C for the Bulldogs this season while fellow senior Coleman wore and A alongside sophomore Hunter Bosher.

Britt Levasseur finishes her career third all time in point with 107 and Murcek finishes right behind her in fourth with 79 points. Levasseur also finishes second all time in goals with 67 goals in her career and Murcek finishes fifth with 43.

Players Who Made an Impact

Taylor Murcek: Murcek is the kind of player whose contributions aren’t flashy goals or fancy looking plays but what she contributes is so much more. Murcek has played a gritty, hard working game her entire four years at Adrian and you’ll be hard pressed to find a player who works harder or works more than she does every time she touches the ice. Murcek scored five shorthanded goals this season, more than anyone else in the ACHA this season and played a vital part in the Bulldog penalty kill this year.

Dana Columbo: It’s a shame Columbo won’t be back at Adrian for a fifth year next season, the senior goaltender announced a few weeks ago that she’ll be attending Arizona State University for graduate school and will be playing hockey for the Sun Devils next season. Columbo had big shoes to fill when she came into the starting position last year and filled those shoes well. Columbo was the reason the Bulldogs were in many of the close games they won and her loss is perhaps the biggest for the Bulldogs as they head into next season.

MD2

The Men’s D2 team’s season ended prior to the pandemic outbreak, they didn’t receive a spot in the regional tournament at the end of the regular season and their season ended in February with two wins over the Northern Michigan University Wildcats, sending their three seniors off with a win.

This season was different for the MD2 team, the first year that they wouldn’t qualify for regionals or nationals, and it marked a rebuilding year for the MD2 team that will have their first recruiting class graduate next spring and a large incoming freshman class as the roster was small this season with only 20 skaters.

The MD2 team graduates three seniors this year, Rob Bathory, Kyle Boerner and Trevor Kalinowski. Kalinowski and Bathory make up two of the final three players left in the program to play for the D3 Gold team their freshman year.

Boerner once again wore the C for the MD2 team this year while juniors Grant Kiepper, Alex Sode and Justin Session all wore A’s for the Bulldogs.

Players Who Made an Impact

Devin Whitaker: Whitaker, a sophomore, only appeared in seven games last season during his freshman year but was a mainstay in the Bulldog lineup this year, appearing in every game this past season. Whitaker finished tied for third in points with 15 this season and played well in every situation he was put in whether it was even strength, penalty kill or powerplay. Whitaker is quick and strong and seems to be finding his groove under the direction of new head coach Tyler Prater.

Brett Siewertsen: Siewertsen, a junior, only played in 13 games last year found himself starting a good portion of games this season as the top d-pairing alongside fellow junior Stefan Boskovic. Siewertsen is a dependable defenseman and had ice time on the powerplay and penalty kill this year and proved that he belonged on the top d-pairing from the get go this year.

WACHA D2

For the first time in team history, the WACHA D2 team did not qualify for nationals this season and fell in the CCWHA playoffs.

They started the season out strong, save for a bump in the road and a 7-1 loss to University of Michigan-Dearborn, their worst loss in team history, but came out strong at the start of the year, sweeping the first weekend series against Sault College. After that first loss to Dearborn and the two that followed, followed then by a loss to Northern Michigan, things seemed to go downhill for the WACHA D2 Bulldogs as they technically won four games after four forfeits, however, they only won three of their final eight games to end their season before the national tournament for the first time in team history.

The Bulldogs look to turn things around next season as their inaugural recruiting class will become their first graduating senior class.

Hannah Chase wore the C for the Bulldogs for the third straight year and Kenzi Heisner and Avery Huxter wore A’s for the Bulldogs.

Players who Made an Impact

Katie Hayward: Hayward once again led the Bulldogs in points this season with 21 points and 14 goals. Hayward continues to be a clutch player for the Bulldogs and even more so this season as she was reunited with former teammate Hannah Roegner when Roegner joined the team this season. Hayward already holds the title of top point getter and goal scorer in team history with 74 career points and 51 career goals. She has one more season left to pull ahead even further to hold her place as the top scoring player in team history and maybe even the most clutch one too.

Kathleen Droba: Sophomore Droba doubled her total goals from last season, coming in second on the team with ten goals after only scoring five last year. Droba scores some of the craziest goals and in the craziest situations that I’ve ever seen and, more importantly, she doesn’t take herself too seriously. Not to mention, her cellies are some of the best on the team too.

MD3

Rookie head coach Justin Fisher did a phenomenal job this season in turning his team around.For the first time in over three seasons, the MD3 team finished the season with a winning record. Somehow, they did not receive a bid to the regional tournament and their season ended in the MCHC playoffs, however, they certainly would’ve had a shot at making the national tournament had they received a bid to regionals.

The Bulldogs finished 13-9-1 this season, dropping their last game of the year in the playoffs to Lawrence Tech, who they split their regular season series with.

The Bulldogs graduate three seniors this year, Brandon Benaglio, Mike Butler and Wade Herbert. Butler and Benaglio are two of the final handful of players who had played for the D3 Gold team their freshman year before they became the MD2 team.

Butler wore the C for the Bulldogs this season and Herbert, Cameron Mercer and newcomer Hayden Winch all wore A’s.

Players Who Made an Impact

Mike Butler: Butler has continuously been the most consistently best player for the MD3 team in his four years as a Bulldog. Butler lead his team in points and as captain for the past season and has lead by example even when he didn’t wear a C. Butler has always been a consistently good and calm presence on the young Bulldog team that can sometimes let their tempers get the best of them. His final two goals at Arrington Ice Arena are some of the best goals I saw this season and his presence will definitely be missed on the D3 team.

Hayden Winch: Winch came to the D3 team from the D2 team this year and came in third in points and was by far first in penalty minutes. Winch definitely has a short fuse and gets caught more often than not, however, when he can keep his head on straight, he’s a force to be reckoned with and has the potential too be the best player and best point producer on the team. He has one last season with the Bulldogs this upcoming year and it could be his best year yet if he can stay out of the box.

...

While the 2019-20 season did not end the way that any of the teams wanted it to or even expected it to, it was one of the best years yet for the Bulldog Hockey Program and I know without a doubt that the season would’ve ended with at least one or two national titles and deep runs into the post season by all four teams who were heading to their own national tournaments when the season was abruptly ended.

This season marks my senior year and as of right now, 12:01 am on May 3rd, 2020, I am a graduate of Adrian College. While I don’t know what the future holds for me next season, I know I’ll do everything I can to be involved in Bulldog hockey in one way or another, after all, my brother will be a Bulldog next season and there’s no way I would miss that.

Thank you to everyone who has supported my writing and photography in the last six years, especially the parents who have stuck around years after their sons and daughters have graduated and continue to support my blog. I began this blog five years ago this April to bring attention to our hockey program, the club teams especially, and I think I’ve done well with that if I do say so myself. I started this all on my own five years ago and have had the pleasure of writing a few game recaps for the school website and got to finish out my career as a student with a recap of the MD1 team’s season and their senior class’ careers at the end of March and I couldn’t think of a more fitting way to go out.

Today and always, it’s #GDTBAB.

-Carly