Adrian Advances to Title Game

(From UWS Sports Information)
For a second straight season, the Yellowjackets and Adrian have met in the O'Brien Cup Semifinals in River Falls, Wis.  And for the second straight season, it is the Bulldogs advancing to the championship game by way of a shutout win.

A single goal in the closing minutes of the second period was all the offense the Bulldogs needed, as they skated by the Yellowjackets 1-0 at W.H. Hunt Arena on Friday afternoon.

The loss likely puts an end to the season for the Yellowjackets, who still have an outside chance at an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament.  However, they need a lot of things to go right in order for that scenario to become a reality.

Offense was slow to come for each team, as the Yellowjackets outshot Adrian 8-4 in the scoreless first period.  Both teams found more rhythm offensively in the second period, as the shots on goal nearly doubled what was produced in the opener.  The scoreless tie changed as well, as the Bulldogs broke through late in the frame.  Just over a minute after their most recent power play expired, Katie Tong fired a shot that just snuck between the pads of  Shanley Peters (Gnadenthal, Manitoba/Garden Valley Collegiate) make it 1-0.  Tong's first goal of the season came at 16:40 of the second.

The Yellowjackets opened the third period with pressure early but were unable to convert.  They continued to pressure the Bulldogs as the period wore on and time became a factor.  In the final 74 seconds of regulation, the Yellowjackets pulled Peters for an extra attacker, but the additional skater didn't make a difference and the Bulldogs pulled off the upset win.
 
Emily Michelin was a brick wall for the Bulldogs, making 28 saves to get the win to improve to 5-5-1 on the year.  The shutout was her third of 2011-12.  Peters made her third consecutive start for the Yellowjackets, the first time this season that either goaltender started three games in a row.  She made 19 saves in the loss, her record falling to 10-4-2.

The Yellowjackets (17-8-3) must now play the waiting game to see if things will fall in place for an NCAA at-large bid.  NCAA tournament selections will take place on Sunday, March 4.