The Dawgs Play On: Adrian's NCAA Teams Play On Amidst Global Pandemic
Photo by Meghan Abbee (graphicsbymeghan.com)
It would typically be around this time that I would write a mid season recap, summarizing the first semester of hockey played by Adrian College. However, this year has proven to be anything but typical as two out of seven teams have yet to even take the ice for a game and none of the seven teams have played the number of games they would usually play by this point in the year.
Amidst what has been repeatedly referred to as "unprecedented times", sports are one of the many things that have been a question mark as we navigate a months long pandemic.
It's been nearly nine months since we've seen normalcy, nine months since the hearts of athletes across the nation had their hearts broken and many careers were cut short in what could only be described as a heartwrenching manner.
In the past nine months, people have questioned whether or not they could make a living or ever go back to their chosen profession. They've questioned whether or not they could see their loved ones in nursing homes or in neighboring countries. Students have wondered if they were ever going to get graduation ceremonies, proms, homecomings or a proper college experience after high school had ended.
While many people have shoved the idea of sport under the rug and deemed it "non-essential", a term we have coined and used frequently since this pandemic began, and many have labeled the cries for a way to continue athletics as silly, foolish and even dangerous, the question still remained in the minds of athletes, coaches and administrators across the world.
What will the 2020-21 season look like?
The NHL took great strides this summer, creating two "bubbles" were athletes were contained in hotels and rinks and gyms while they played out the Stanley Cup Playoffs, all without a positive COVID case for nearly 90 days. The NBA did the same with the bubble format and the National Women's Hockey League recently announced that their six teams (with three Bulldog alum on two different teams) will compete for the Isobel Cup in a shortened bubble season at the hockey history rich Lake Placid.
But the question has remained for collegiate sports, especially winter sports as we saw the end of summer come and go and have gotten into the winter with no idea what is to come.
Adrian College announced their intentions to safely return to campus this summer, but the question was still left regarding athletics. The MIAA announced they would not be playing and putting on league play for the fall, moving it to spring instead. But Adrian College chose to continue playing.
The NCHA, the league of both the Men's and Women's NCAA teams, also announced a pause for fall 2020 and a plan to play conference games starting in 2021.
While the athletes of Adrian College could breathe a collective sigh of relief when their coaches would inform them that they would be playing once again this year, there was still one large looming question.
Who would we play?
Multiple leagues in the NCAA DIII have announced their intentions to either halt play entirely this year or at least take the first semester off of sports.
But the Bulldogs play on.
The Men's NCAA team had found themselves undefeated since early January and on a 13 game win streak that saw them bring the NCHA Playoff title back to Arrington Ice Arena. They were on the ice preparing for their NCAA Tournament qualifying game on March 14th when they received the news that their season was over. The ACHA had shut down their season earlier in the day, but the NCAA had come out with guidelines for the upcoming weekend of qualifying tournament games that included no fans allowed in the arena for the game.
The team was on the ice for practice when the news broke.
Photo by Gabe Schray
"We didn't really see it coming," said head coach Adam Krug, "That Monday, the NCAA hosted its standard selection show and we were excited to be hosting a game and we liked our matchup. You knew a pandemic was kind of lurking, but at that point, you just didn't consider that there may be a government shutdown or pause on sports. It's something that we've never seen in our lifetime, obviously. Ultimately, however, to get the news how we did, when on the ice 48 hours before game one of the tournament was shocking. I didn't know what to say to the guys, other than to tell them it was over. It was an extremely sobering moment. It was sad. The players were sad, the coaches, the training staff, the fans. Everyone was heart broken."
"The way things went down last year was a tough pill to swallow. And as devastating as that was, we still have to work, even with the unknowns. That was our message to the guys in the spring and that continued to be the message in the summer and fall," said Krug of how last season's ending factored into the preparation for this season, "We could either feel bad for ourselves and sit around and do nothing or we can do everything we can to be ready for whatever is next. I'm sure a lot of other teams had that messaging and some may not have. So for us, the internal competition to get better was the most important thing. We needed to make the most of an opportunity. If you didn't have access to a weight room, do body weight workouts, more sprinting, more push ups, longer cardio runs. Be curious, figure out a way to get better."
The Class of 2020 was a special class across the board for the Adrian College Hockey program, the Men's NCAA team's group of seniors had just won their first Harris Cup on home ice and were heading into their final weeks as Bulldogs with high hopes when their careers were ended. Krug says that watching a special class like the one that they lost this past spring taught his returners a valuable lesson.
"It was difficult to see our seniors lose their final shot at an NCAA tournament," said Krug, "Those were tough days, saying goodbye to them. I think the returners, on the other hand, learned some valuable lessons. There is such an appreciation from many of them that we're even playing games this year. So, I think they're doing everything they can to live in the moment and just play whatever game or opponent is in front of them."
Recruiting, Krug said, took a bit of TLC in the off season, but what he said to his prospective athletes didn't change much.
"Recruiting took a lot of TLC back in the spring and summer. All I could do is give facts on Adrian College and discuss our intentions," explained Krug, "When I recruit, I don't promise anything in regards to team specifics and success. I can't promise playing time, special teams, or what line a player is going to be on. As soon as I do that, I could set myself up to be a liar. I can give projections and try to forecast a prospective student-athlete's progression, but you have to be on the up and up with them.The only true promise a coach should make is that you're going to do everything in your power to help a student-athlete develop on and off the ice, to help them become an adult off the ice. I think the Adrian College administration has made it really easy for us to live up to those types of promises."
Come Fall 2020, they seemed to have the most robust schedule of the seven teams at Arrington Ice Arena when the season began. They opened the season against the USNTDP U18 team and were also scheduled to meet Team USA in Plymouth as well. The Trine Thunder were also given the green light to play games in the fall semester, so the Bulldogs and Thunder were set for two games while the Concordia Falcons were also going to meet the Dawgs twice. The Bulldogs were even going to travel for a road series against Utica College. The semester was set to be capped off against D1 Bowling Green State University.
Photo by Meghan Abbee (graphicsbymeghan.com)
"There wasn't much scheduling in the summer. We had our conference schedule in place, as well as our non-conference. Back in May and June, we all hoped that things would be back to normal, come hockey season," said Krug of how scheduling went down this off season, "We have a modified conference and playoff schedule but we're currently waiting on schools to make decisions, so that's on hold for now. So really, at this point, the scheduling has become more of a grind as we try to pick up games wherever we can. I've even approached pro teams about some exhibition contests as they get thinking about training camps and the unknowns that they're facing."
The schedule changed nearly weekly for the Bulldogs after Concordia cancelled their series. Their series was replaced with a home game against the Trine Thunder and moving up the road game against the DI BGSU Falcons. The game against Trine was cancelled on November 14th and so was their away game against the NTDP on the 21st.
Photo by Meghan Abbee (graphicsbymeghan.com)
Bowling Green understood that the Bulldogs wanted to stay on the ice as consistently as possible, so they came to town on November 21st instead of this past weekend, the first weekend of December. The Bulldogs then added two games against Div. I Lake Superior State University. Prior to the 2020-21 season, the Bulldogs had only played a Div. I team twice in their team's history.
"Last summer I had several conversations with several DI programs, not just Bowling Green and Lake State, about playing games if we had circumstances which exist," said Krug of their somewhat unconventional schedule, "Some of those calls were made to me and sometimes I was the aggressor. I'm thrilled that those opportunities existed and continue to remain an option as the calendar year changes. The NCHA landscape isn't looking great, for the time being, so we have a secondary schedule that we're piecing together currently and that includes several more DI opponents."
No matter, the schedule, our team has improved immensely already. Our 11 freshmen are battle tested and have had a bit of an eye opening to what it takes to play and win at this level. The only certain thing, at this point, is that we are better for what we've done in the first half of the season."
Photo by Meghan Abbee (graphicsbymeghan.com)
While the Bulldogs played on past the shutdown of restaurants and youth sports, they didn't allow fans at their final two games against BGSU and Lake Superior State. It was a strange sight to see at Arrington Ice Arena as no fans crowded the typically full stands, the arena was empty, save for team and media personnel for the past two contests.
"Things are most bizarre during starting lineups and the national anthem. When the puck drops, things seem relatively normal," said Krug of how it feels to play a game with an empty arena, "The odd time you get a sight line and it catches you off guard but ultimately once it becomes game time, things don't seem too weird. I must say though, we miss our fans a lot. The cheers after goals or a big save could certainly be used."
While the Bulldogs have played on, many leagues in DIII have shut down their seasons and schools across the country have stopped their winter sports entirely.
"The only worry I've had, about not playing, is whether or not the government would shut sports down," said Krug when I asked if he worried about the fate of the season, "I know the Adrian College administration wants us to compete and is willing to do what it takes to get games on the schedule. With what we've learned, I think we're confident in playing now through March. We've proven we are willing and able. That doesn't mean there won't be a hiccup or two but I feel really good about having hockey in the new year."
And as teams continue to shut down their seasons and leagues halt play, Krug says his players are learning a new meaning of the saying "play every game like it's your last".
Photo by Meghan Abbee (graphicsbymeghan.com)
"The saying, "play every game like it's your last" certainly means more to our athletes now than it ever had in the past," added Krug, "It meant more to me, as a retired player turning coach, so I preached that at times, but now, it means a lot to so many of our guys."
When I asked if he wanted to add anything about the wild ride that has been this season and how he's had to prepare for it, Krug had this to say:
"I'm just really proud to be a Bulldog. I'm so happy with the way our school has handled these times. I'm as happy with how our players have handled things, the maturity they've shown to make the show go on. With all things considered, I couldn't be happier with how we've handled things."
Photo by Meghan Abbee (graphicsbymeghan.com)
The Women's NCAA team had just won their own NCHA Playoff title themselves, their fifth straight title amidst a seven game win streak. They were on their way to Elmira, New York to play in the NCAA Quarterfinals when head coach Shawn Skelly received the news while the team was at dinner.
"We had just ordered dinner at Texas Roadhouse when I got the call, I went outside to chat with President Docking & Athletic Director Mike Duffy and received the news that the game was cancelled and we needed to come home," said Skelly, "This was one of the worst feelings in my coaching career. All the girls could see me getting upset while on the phone and I think they knew what was going on before I even had the opportunity to tell them. I walked back into a fully packed restaurant in Erie, PA and let each of our tables with players know our season was officially done now and it felt like someone died in the restaurant, players bawling their eyes out since it was now the end of their college career, or just the shock and disbelief that this really just happened and we are done. I cannot tell you in words how awful the scene and how terrible I felt having to give our 8 seniors that news."
Photo by Meghan Abbee (graphicsbymeghan.com)
The Women's NCAA team lost 8 seniors, two of which were drafted into the NWHL. To say they left a mark on the program and had made a huge impact on their team would be an understatement.
"We had an amazing senior class that graduated and didn't get to close the book on their careers because of the COVID pandemic which is an awful thing," said Skelly of the Class of 2020, "With that being said, our returning players all know that exact feeling of having their season get shut down and now have a little extra fire inside them coming back this year trying to make amends with last year's fate. It's also tough when 98% of the country wasn't playing this semester and not knowing the future of college hockey to be so fired up ready to go."
Scheduling was harder for Skelly and the women's team than it may have been for the men's team and Krug after the NCHA announced they would push conference play to 2021.
Photo by Meghan Abbee (graphicsbymeghan.com)
"Once the NCHA came out and said our conference schedule was not going to begin until January 2021, it became a struggle finding hockey games," said Skelly, "Our exhibition games scheduled already were against 2 Canadian teams who now could not cross the border to play because of Canadian restrictions and the border being closed."
Recruiting wasn't an issue for Skelly, who says all of his freshmen were committed before everything hit the fan. However, the issue of bringing his two international students back into the country proved to be a challenge.
"Fortunately, it [COVID] did not affect any recruiting for our program. We had all our players committed before the pandemic hit this year," said Skelly, "The only challenge was to make sure we were all set with our players coming back to campus. We have 2 European players on our team and that was the biggest hurdle to get across since flights were few and far between travelling from Europe to the US because of the pandemic. We slowly navigated those waters and got both players here and it ended up being a success."
Recruiting this coming year, however, is a whole different game.
"It [the uncertainties with everything from school to hockey being played] definitely plays a factor in its own way," said Skelly, "Players are skeptical about coming to school not knowing what the season looks like. Right now, as we recruit for the next class it brings a whole new challenge since every student-athlete across the country got this year eligibility back, so finding out what seniors are going to come back for a 5th year is another task at hand that we have never had to deal with while trying to fill spots for the next recruiting class."
When the season began, the Bulldogs ended up playing three games against the Trine Thunder, two games against Meijer U19 AAA and two games against the Women's ACHA D1 team this semester.
"Then we worked to find any college teams who were still interested in playing this semester," explained Skelly, "That number grew smaller and smaller by the day! We got lucky that our shortest trip our of any college team was playing this semester as well and we were able to secure 3 games against Trine University. We also got lucky that Meijer was able to play as well, and then both us and our ACHA D1 team had games cancelled so we said the best thing for our athletes was to play against each other and not just have a weekend off for both teams and it was huge success no matter the outcome of the games."
Despite only getting three games in against NCAA opponents, Skelly says he and his team are still thankful and lucky to have had the chance to take the ice at all this semester.
"We have been very lucky to have the chance to play games this semester. It's been a blessing that our players have had the opportunity to compete in 6 games this semester unlike most players in the country," said Skelly, "We literally were just going day by day hoping that games stayed on the schedule and we were able to play. So to really answer that completely is that our team was always on our toes ready for whoever was in front of us and we will continue that all year long no matter who we are able to play."
While they were only able to play three sets of games, Skelly says keeping players on their toes in practice was easy, but the six week winter break is something new and unknown for the team.
Photo by Meghan Abbee (graphicsbymeghan.com)
"Well luckily we didn't have any weeks completely off without games during the first semester so it was pretty easy to keep them engaged during practices," said Skelly, "Now the challenge is after they finished finals, everyone went home for the holiday break. We typically have a winter break of around 2 weeks, this year it's currently 6 weeks long. This poses a few issues such as getting out of shape very easily, not having the ability to get on the ice based on restrictions where you live. More time to see other people and potentially be exposed to COVID-19. So hopefully our kids are being accountable and training during this long break so we are ready to go when we get back in January!"
Just like many other coaches, Skelly says the worry that the plug will be pulled on their season still lingers after how last year ended.
"Absolutely! That worry is inside me everyday. I think all our players have that worry as well, especially before getting back to school and just constantly asking if we were going to play or not," explained Skelly, "Once we got here and were able to get through the semester successfully while having the chance to play 6 games was something our players know is something to cherish. Now, we are onto the next hurdle of getting the NCHA and it's member schools all on the same page to play a conference schedule in January. It's a tough road to navigate when our conference is played in 5 different states, all with different restrictions, and all the schools at different spots as well. Some were all online 1st semester, others were hybrid and practicing, and others were like Adrian (full-go) practicing and playing games. So it's going to be a struggle over the next few weeks getting it finalized."
Photo by Meghan Abbee (graphicsbymeghan.com)
"Totally believe they are more grateful or more appreciative at the fact we are skating and playing some games this semester with everything that happened and is constantly happening around us on a daily basis," said Skelly when I asked if his players seemed more grateful for the time they are spending on the ice, "I do believe you have to think that way at this point during this current situation we are in, who knows when your next game is going to be."
While the season has been a sort of success so far, especially when you consider that many teams aren't able to skate at all, Skelly, who is in his third season as head coach and in his fifth year of coaching with the Bulldogs, says that the work that has gone into making it so for his players has been more work behind the scenes than any other year.
"This year has just been a lot more work behind the scenes than years past. So much contact with teams trying to schedule on a day to day basis and looking to add games since others were cancelled or postponed," explained Skelly, "Keeping tabs on your athletes all the time making sure we don't go out and party and risk getting exposed to the virus. It was a very trying semester. I want to thank our athletic training staff, administration, professors, and everyone else involved that helped pave the way to have an in-person semester and have the chance to play games and practice. This will go down as a semester to remember and we did it right at Adrian!"
Photo by Meghan Abbee (graphicsbymeghan.com)
While every other aspect of our lives has been changed, I know that many people beyond just the athletes in the Adrian College Hockey program have been thankful for the sense of normalcy that hockey has brought in the past few months. I know we all share Coach Krug's sentiment, that we are all proud to be Bulldogs as coaches and administrators find ways to continue on as normal as they can.
And while we may not know what 2021 may bring, I share the same hope as our coaches that it will bring may more Bulldog victories as the Dawgs play on.
Special thank you to Adam Krug and Shawn Skelly for their insights and quotes. Another thank you to Meghan Abbee for her photos of the Men's and Women's Varsity teams, you can find her work at her website graphicsbymeghan.com
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