APPLETON, Wis. -- The Lawrence University men's hockey team dropped a 4-1 decision to third-ranked Adrian College on Saturday in a Northern Collegiate Hockey Association game at the Appleton Ice Center.
    The Bulldogs held a slim 2-1 edge headed to the third period when a power play goal gave them some cushion, and an empty-net goal sealed the victory.
    After a scoreless opening period that saw Lawrence goaltender Owen Carlson stop all 14 Adrian shots, the Bulldogs finally broke through at the 4:24 mark of the second to take a 1-0 lead. Adrian added a second goal and led 2-0 9:16 into the period.
    Lawrence (2-12-1, 1-7-0 NCHA) then sliced the lead in half when Oliver DeCroock scored his second goal in as many nights when he took a feed from Will Crull. DeCroock jammed the puck past the Adrian defenders and goaltender Dershahn Stewart at the 14:09 mark to trim the advantage to 2-1.
    The score stayed that way entering the third period, but Adrian struck on the power play at the 7:00 mark to push the lead to 3-1. 
    Lawrence had a chance to pull closer when Adrian's Sam Ruffin was whistled for cross-checking at the 14:15 mark. It would be Lawrence's only power-play opportunity of the game.
    The Bulldogs did a nice job of slowing the Lawrence attack, but the Vikings had one final opportunity on the man-advantage. With 20 seconds left on the power play and a faceoff in the Adrian zone, the Vikings pulled Carlson in favor of an extra attacker. The puck was soon cleared to neutral ice, but the Vikings turned it over, and Ryan Pitoscia got a gift of a short-handed, empty-net goal to make it 4-1.
    Carlson made 42 saves for the Vikings, and Stewart stopped 18 shots for Adrian (12-2-1, 6-2-0).