The Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) Slaats Cup semifinals feature a clash of conference titans and a rising program as the championship game is just over a week away. This weekend, top-seeded Adrian hosts No. 4 Lake Forest, while No. 2 Concordia Wisconsin welcomes No. 3 St. Norbert in a high-stakes battle for a spot in the Slaats Cup Championship.

Team Highlights

No. 1 Adrian Bulldogs (22-5-0, 17-1-0 NCHA)
The Bulldogs enter the postseason as the Kronschnabel Cup champions (regular season), reclaiming their spot at the top of the NCHA. Led by Riley Johnson, the NCHA Co-Player of the Year who tallied a staggering 50 points (22G, 28A) this season, Adrian boasts the most powerful offense in the conference. Senior forward Courtney Ben (24 goals) and defenseman Paige Pomerleau (39 points) provide a balanced attack that led an Adrian attack that averaged nearly five goals per game. Defensively, Parker Beyer and All-NCHA goaltender Kiera Stack (1.25 GAA) have been nearly impenetrable. Adrian’s only conference loss came against Concordia Wisconsin, and they enter the weekend with a perfect 2-0-0 head-to-head record against their semifinal opponent, Lake Forest. During the regular season, they outscored the Foresters, 11-2, on the road which included a 6-0 shutout.

No. 2 Concordia Wisconsin Falcons (24-2-1, 16-1-1 NCHA)
The Falcons are in the midst of a historic season that saw them reach a No. 12 national ranking in the USCHO poll. Head coach Steve Fabiilli was named NCHA Coach of the Year after leading the team to 24 wins. The Falcons second-place finish in the NCHA is their highest in program history. Mackaylan McGown shared Co-Player of the Year honors with Adrian's Johnson, serving as the engine of the Falcons' offense. She recorded 37 points and 20 goals, both of which were fourth in the league for all games played. NCHA Freshman of the Year Abby Hansberger made an immediate impact with 46 points and 27 assists (both ranked second), while veteran Makayla Spejcher and defender Brenna-Grace Dittmer anchored a team that conceded very few scoring chances. Concordia Wisconsin allowed just 1.44 goals per game this season. The Falcons’ home-ice advantage (12-2-0 this season) at the Ozaukee Ice Center will be vital as they look to reach their first-ever Slaats Cup Championship.

No. 3 St. Norbert Green Knights (17-8-2, 12-4-2 NCHA)
The defending Slaats Cup champions are primed to make another run, despite being the No. 3 seed. St. Norbert features a roster led by Tristan Wicklund, who netted the overtime game-winner in last year’s Slaats Cup title game. The Green Knights are built for playoff hockey, relying on a physical defensive unit headlined by All-NCHA selection Claire Healy. In net, Keira Markell and Tanith Plachetka have split time to hold down the net. The duo has a combined .935 save percentage. Though St. Norbert split their regular-season series with Concordia Wisconsin (a 3-3 tie and shootout loss and a 4-0 loss at home), the Green Knights know exactly what it takes to win on the road in February.

No. 4 Lake Forest Foresters (13-15-0, 9-9-0 NCHA)
The Foresters enter with a vision to put upset in the headlines after a resilient regular season. While they finished at .500 (9-9-0) record in conference play, Lake Forest has shown they can skate with the elite. Sophomore Jasmine Kohl (19 points) and Gracia Muñoz (7 goals) lead the offensive charge, but the team's heartbeat is in goal. Junior Chelsea Denniss and freshman goaltender Lily Peterfeso, an All-Freshman Team selection, anchor the back end. Peterfeso gave up 1.99 goals per contest and posted the second-best save percentage (.938) in the league this season. Lake Forest will need to overcome a regular-season sweep by Adrian (losses of 5-2 and 6-0) to pull off the upset. They will need to rely on their discipline and shot-blocking to weather the Bulldogs' offensive attack.
  Previous Slaats Cup Matchups

The history between these four programs is rich. Adrian and Lake Forest met in the 2024 semifinals, where the Bulldogs cruised to a 6-1 victory. Historically, Adrian has held the upper hand in postseason play against the Foresters, but Lake Forest has a reputation for being a difficult opponent in the early rounds. Adrian is the most decorated program in history with nine titles (8 of the last 10).

On the other side of the bracket, St. Norbert and Concordia Wisconsin represent a new postseason rivalry. While St. Norbert has more Slaats Cup hardware in their trophy case, Concordia Wisconsin's rise has shifted the balance of power. The Green Knights and Falcons have never met in the Slaats Cup playoffs. Last season, St. Norbert defeated Lake Forest 3-1 in the semifinals before upsetting Adrian in a thrilling overtime final to claim the 2025 title
Keys to Victory

No. 1 Adrian Bulldogs

• Win the Special Teams Battle: Adrian enters the weekend with the NCHA’s top-ranked power play unit, converting 31.6 percent. Given that Lake Forest led the league with over 10 penalty minutes per game, the Bulldogs must capitalize on the power-play to prevent an upset.
• Sustain High-Volume Shooting: The Bulldogs average a league-best 38.52 shots on goal per game. Statistically, if they maintain this volume against Lake Forest’s Chelsea Denniss or Lily Peterfeso, the law of averages will favor Adrian’s 13 percent team shooting percentage, eventually breaking through a tough goaltender.
• Protect the "Stack" House: Goaltender Kiera Stack leads the league with a 1.25 goals-against average. Adrian’s defense needs to show up and limit Lake Forest’s offense. This season they led the league allowing 1.33 goals per game.

No. 2 Concordia Wisconsin Falcons

• Control the Faceoff Circle: Mackaylan McGown and the Falcons’ top two lines have a combined conference-lead faceoff win percentage of 58.1 percent. Controlling the draws against St. Norbert will allow Concordia Wisconsin to dictate the pace and prevent the Green Knights from taking advantage. McGown led all players with 381 faceoff wins and was second with a 64.9 faceoff win percentage.
• Keep the Puck Moving: Concordia Wisconsin must keep the puck moving to make it difficult on the St. Norbert defense. Of the 107 goals scored this season, 70 came from the combination of McGown, Hansberger, Spejcher and Naomi Black. That balance could be problematic for the Green Knights.

No. 3 St. Norbert Green Knights

• The "Plus-One" Special Teams Margin: St. Norbert’s path to victory relies on a power-play unit that scored on 25.3 percent of its opportunities. They have scored a power-play marker in four-consecutive games. Applying pressure early by taking advantage of a Falcons penalty will be crucial.
• Block the Lanes: St. Norbert will need to step up and black more shots in this matchup. During the regular season they averaged 7.44 block shots per game, was ranked 9th out of 10 in the league. The only team that ranked below them was Concordia Wisconsin with 7.04 block shots per game.

No. 4 Lake Forest Foresters

• Veteran Leadership or Rookie Momentum: Lake Forest will have to decide if they will rely on the veteran leadership of Chelsea Denniss or the rookie momentum of Lily Peterfeso. During the regular season, Peterfeso edged Denniss statistically in all four major goalie statistical categories. Last weekend in the quarterfinals, both each played a full game.
• Score on the Counter: Lake Forest averages 29.6 shots per game. To win, they must maximize their efficiency and increase that rate. In 10 of their 12 victories this season, they finished with 30 or more shots. Every game they fired off 29 or fewer shots ended in defeat.