When the number eight and nine seeds in any tournament match up with each other, it usually turns out to be close. That was definitely the case Saturday afternoon as men's ice hockey survived an epic 2-1 battle with Adrian in the round of 16 at the 2015 American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Men's Division I National Championship at the OBM Arena in Strongsville, Ohio.
The Bulldogs drew first blood early in the contest when they scored on just their third shot of the game at the 5:35 mark in the first period. The Lions had chances to even things on the power play as they drew two penalties on Adrian, but Lindenwood was denied on both opportunities and trailed 1-0 at the first intermission.
Both offenses opened up in the second as the Bulldogs and Lions combined for 36 shots. Adrian had more scoring chances in the first half of the period, taking advantage of an early tripping penalty against Lindenwood, but the Lions turned the tables, getting the puck on goal multiple times down the stretch. They were slowed temporarily during their second penalty kill, but as the clock ticked below three minutes, Lindenwood broke through with a goal from Stephen Bopp, set up by Kevin Walters and Jake Fairchild at 17:11. As the final period of regulation began, the game was knotted at one.
Things didn't start well for the Lions as they had to kill off an early tripping minor and the Bulldogs were the more aggressive team, holding an eight to three shot advantage through the first 12 minutes of the third, but it only takes one shot to turn the tide, or in the case of Lindenwood, two shots. With 5:49 left, Luke Daniels passed to Graham Zagrodney who fired the puck on goal. The Adrian net-minder made the save, but couldn't control it, leaving a nice rebound for Rock Einersen to bury for the score and give Lindenwood a 2-1 advantage.
With the lead, it was now up to the Lions to defend it, and for the next five minutes, they did just that, holding the Bulldogs to only one shot, but with just under a minute, Adrian pulled its goalie and the final 55 seconds was a mad scramble of six-on-five hockey. The Bulldogs managed four shots in that stretch, with the last coming with four seconds remaining, but none of them split the pipes, and Lindenwood emerged with the victory.
Adrian outshot the Lions 43-33, but goalie Michael Hails had 42 saves to earn the win, only letting one shot get by him early in the game.
Lindenwood advances into the quarterfinals of the ACHA Men's Division I National Championship against number one seed Arizona State. The Sun Devils easily upended number 16 seed Colorado 6-1 Friday night, meaning they have an extra day of rest before facing the Lions Sunday afternoon. The puck drops at 4 p.m. at the OBM Arena in Strongsville, Ohio.
