ADRIAN, Mich. — Lawrence University skated to a 2-2 overtime tie with second-ranked Adrian College in a Northern Collegiate Hockey Association game on Friday at Arrington Arena.
Lawrence (5-15-2, 4-10-1 NCHA) built a 2-0 lead on a pair of power-play goals, but Adrian (17-1-4, 11-1-3) scored two goals in the final 2:51 of regulation to force the overtime.
After a scoreless opening period, the Vikings took advantage of a power-play opportunity. After Adrian’s Justin Basso was whistled for hooking at 3:43, Saunders scored on the man-advantage at the 4:26 mark for a 1-0 lead.
Lawrence, which has tied Adrian in three consecutive games, then picked up another power-play goal later in the second period. After Brett Pinkerton was called for tripping, William Thoren cashed in for the Vikings with a goal at the 13:13 mark to put Lawrence up 2-0.
Lawrence finished 2-for-4 on the power play, and the Bulldogs went 0-for-5. Adrian entered the game ranked sixth in the nation on the power play at 26.7 percent.
Adrian finally got on the board with just 2:51 remaining in the third period when Dustin Hebebrand scored an even-strength goal. The Bulldogs then tied it when Hebebrand scored again with just 1:38 left.
Lawrence got a final power-play chance when Basso was whistled for cross-checking with 1:01 left in regulation. The power play carried over to the overtime, but Lawrence was unable to cash in.
The Vikings had just one shot on goal in the five-minute overtime, and Adrian had the better chances in the extra period. The Bulldogs had four shots on goal and Josh Cousineau had a shot ring off the pipe.
Lawrence goaltender Mattias Soderqvist stopped 40 shots for the Vikings. James Hamby made 20 saves for Adrian.
The teams wrap up the series on Saturday afternoon.