Adrian, Mich. – The D1 Hockey Team earned their way to the GLCHL Championship Game for the fifth time in the program's history after defeating Rochester College Friday night. The team they would have to beat to win their second conference championship was the Adrian Bulldogs. This would be the fifth time the two teams have met in the conference playoffs, and fourth time in the championship game. Davenport won the title back in 2013 over the Bulldogs, with Adrian returning the favor in 2014 and 2015.
 
Saturday, March 9
Final Score: Davenport 1 – Adrian 7
Location: Arrington Ice Arena (Adrian, Mich.)
 
A BAD BREAK
The game started just like the two meetings between the clubs in the regular season, fast and physical. Just before the halfway mark of the first period, Davenport killed off a penalty, but was trapped in the defensive zone. Adrian's Mason Vaughan tried to take a slap shot from the point, but his stick broke. However, the puck slid over to Mark Fratarcangeli, who was able to beat DU's Jason Rhynold to give the Bulldogs the 1-0 lead. The teams traded chances the rest of the first, but neither Rhynold nor Michael Barrett would fret, and Adrian would take a one-goal lead into the break.
 
Davenport would have a power play to start the second period, and Vaughan took a penalty towards the very end of the first. Adrian was able to kill off the penalty, and when Vaughan stepped back onto the ice, he was hit with a breakaway pass, and made no mistake as he beat Rhynold with a backhander to put the Bulldogs up by a pair.
 
DON'T BLINK
With just under four to play in the middle stanza, the Bulldogs would stay on the attack. After a nice little chip play from Manny Silverio, Marcus Rose picked up the loose puck, drove around Rhynold and slid the puck into the empty cage to put Adrian by a score of 3-0.
 
On the ensuing faceoff, Joe Costello would take the puck right back into the Davenport zone, and looked to pass it to Brenden Stanko, but the puck took a bounce off a DU defender and in. Two goals just over 10 seconds apart put Adrian up by four.
 
While 4-on-4, Davenport would take advantage of the open ice, as Nathan Nickelson made a beautiful move to the net, and snuck the puck by Barrett to put the Panthers on the board, still trailing 4-1.
 
TOO MUCH TO HANDLE
The third period started with Adrian on the man advantage, and the impressive Bulldog power play went to work. After a nice save by Rhynold, Rainer Glimpel found the loose puck and buried it into the back of the net to extend the Adrian lead to four.
 
Another power play goal, this time from Silverio, and a tally from Tyler Fyfe would be all she wrote for the Panthers, as Adrian would win their fifth GLCHL title by a final score of 7-1.
 
WHO'S NEXT?
 
Davenport now gets set for the National Tournament. The Panthers will have a first-round bye, and take on Central Oklahoma in the second round of the tournament. The Broncos finished the regular season with a 24-10-4 record and ranked #10 in the country. Central Oklahoma was also the only team to defeat the #1 Lindenwood Lions back in January. The matchup will take place on March 22 at the Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas, with a 5:00 p.m. CT puck drop.
 
Story by: Tyler Kuehl
 
Picture credit: Alexis Hoffman