DE PERE, Wis. — Adrian struck first and then it was all St. Norbert during the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) Harris Cup Championship. The Green Knights netted five-consecutive goals en route to a commanding 7-4 victory inside the Cornerstone Community Center.

It is the second-straight season the Green Knights captured the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and seventh since the 2013-14 season.



Carter Hottmann started the scoring run for the hosts with a power-play marker three minutes into the 2nd period. Calvin Hanson found the back of the net with 48 seconds to play in the same frame prior to Byron Hartley scoring a difficult goal off the faceoff with 1.7 seconds to play in the period.

The Green Knights pushed the lead to 5-1 after Gustav Portillo and Curtis Hammond tallied scores. Adrian found its energy midway through the final period by scoring three in a row to cut the deficit back to a goal at 5-4. Patrick Saini scored twice and Bradley Somers had a marker in the scoring spurt.

Hottman helped separate St. Norbert with an empty net unassisted goal with two minutes to play. Liam Fraser closed the door shut on any upset with an empty netter of his own with 43 seconds remaining in the game.

Across the board, team statistics were fairly even. Adrian held a 32-30 advantage, while St. Norbert had a 26-22 lead in shots on goal.

NCHA Harris Cup All-Tournament Team
Forward: Braden Lindstrom, St. Norbert
Forward: Logan Dombrowsky, St. Norbert
Forward: Bradley Somers, Adrian
Defense: Adam Szubert, St. Norbert
Defense: Julien Jacob, Adrian
Goalie: Hunter Garvey, St. Norbert
MVP: Curtis Hammond, St. Norbert