ADRIAN, Mich. — A brilliant four-year career ended in heartbreak fashion for Kristin Lewicki.

The Moundsville native has skated her way to becoming the face of the Adrian College hockey team. Her final game last weekend, however, delivered a tough pill to swallow. Very tough.

Lewicki’s Bulldogs fell to Plattsburgh State, 4-3, in overtime in the NCAA Division III national championship game. It marked the fourth straight title for the No. 1 ranked Cardinals.

Adrian, meanwhile, ended the season with a brilliant 28-3 record. The Bulldogs entered the tourney as the nation’s No. 2 ranked team.

Adrian defeated Gustavus Adolphus in the semifinals. Lewicki delivered two goals in that semi, including the game-winner in overtime.

“The championship game was a tough one, especially knowing we had the lead with a minute or so remaining. We then got a power play with a little under a minute left and they scored to tie the game with 20 seconds remaining. It’s just hard knowing we had the game in our hands. But overall it was a great game. I think it was the best game we have ever played against them,” Lewicki said. “We never gave up or thought we were going to lose. The feeling of the game is still haunting me. It’s going to hurt for awhile.”

Despite the bitter setback, Lewicki has heated up the ice like few D-III hockey players ever have. The two-time All-American is the sixth all-time leading scorer in NCAA D-III history.

The John Marshall product scripted a sensational senior season with 32 goals and 34 assists in 31 games. Those numbers pushed her career totals to 179 points in 113 games — 90 goals and 89 assists.

The multi-talented forward received the ultimate honor Tuesday. She was named the U.S. College Hockey Online Division III Women’s Player of the Year for the 2016-17 season.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better senior year, except the final game. But at the same time, we accomplished a goal that many teams dream of, which is making it to that championship game. We still had a great season and had so many other great accomplishments that we should be proud of and not be hanging our heads,” Lewicki offered. “It was the best group of girls I could have asked to end my career with. We all get along so well and I’ve never been more proud to be part of this group. For my senior classmates, they’ve made my four years the most memorable. We all wanted to end our senior year with rings on our fingers. Even though that did not happen, our senior class built this Bulldog program and we made history for Adrian College and the city of Adrian this year, and that’s such an honor.

“But overall, for myself, I thought I had a great senior year. I reached records and points I never thought would happen, but it did and I can’t thank my coaches and teammates enough for helping me become the player I am,” she added. “It was an awesome senior year. I got to play my last game on my home ice in front of family, friends, the people of Adrian and more. So that was a great experience and a pretty neat way to end the year at home.”

Her stellar senior season and player of the year award are the exclamation point on a remarkable collegiate career. It is one she takes great pride in.

“It’s been an honor to get every award that I have received or even been nominated for. Breaking school records, being the leader in points, being runnerup for the Laura Hurd Award (another national player of the year award) and so much more. All of it is something special,” Lewicki said. “I’m proud that I’ve gotten the recognition and been able to show off Adrian College hockey, but I couldn’t have done it without my teammates and coaches. I set new records each year and all my points went up each year, and I wouldn’t have been able to do that if it wasn’t for my coaches pushing me and giving the best teammates.

“I’ve had a great career at Adrian. I did things I never thought I would do. I never thought I would come here and be one of the top faces of our hockey program. I’m so honored to be one of those players,” she continued. “It’s been an incredible four years and our program grew each year and accomplished so much. There’s so many things I could talk about it. It’s just been something special to play here and I wouldn’t have wanted my hockey career to be anywhere else.”

Now with her Adrian hockey days at and end, Lewicki prepares for the next period in her life. More ice time remains a possibility.

“I have a few options to look it. I am a criminal justice major and have always wanted to join the FBI. But recently I’ve been in contact with the ATF (alcohol, tobacco, firearms) and I’m supposed to contact them again after graduation and go from there,” Lewicki said. “Hockey-wise, one of my teammates and myself are looking at going overseas to continue playing hockey. My dad would like me to try out in the states first for the National Women’s Hockey League. So I have a couple of options. I just need to decide which one I want to pursue first, go from there and see what happens.”

BUBBA’S BITS

WVU has no one to blame but itself for letting victory slip away against Gonzaga. The Mountaineers were up three with about a minute to play and committed a senseless foul miles from the hoop, giving the Zags two free throws. WVU followed that with inept half-court offense on its final possession. The Mountaineers also missed some late free throws that proved costly, not to mention their ice-cold three-point shooting. No need to whine about the officiating.

FORMER BELLAIRE High hoop star Amy Taylor-Sheldon was honored last week at the Ohio girls’ state basketball tournament in Columbus. Taylor-Sheldon received the Bob Arnzen Award for 20 consecutive years or more at the same school. She has recorded 300 career basketball wins as head coach at Bucyrus Wynford High School.

DANNY ACKERMAN is a great fit as the new general manager for Oglebay and Wheeling Park golf. The Wheeling native has been around the sport since he was a pup, groomed by his dad, Tom. Dan has a long and distinguished resume to the golf industry. He will oversee all golf activities at Oglebay, which includes three 18-hole courses, a nine-hole, par 3 course and driving range, as well as nine-hole Bloch Memorial Golf Course at Wheeling Park.

A NEW student club at Wheeling Jesuit University will host a 5K race in April to raise funds for two service projects it is sponsoring in Peru. The WJU MEDLIFE Club is a local chapter of MEDLIFE, which stands for Medicine, Education and Development for Low Income Families Everywhere. The WJU club is hosting MEDLIFE’s Race to Peru 5K on campus Sunday, April 2. The race will begin on Donahue Lawn at 1:30 p.m. Registration will begin at noon. The cost is $25 in advance and $35 the day of the race. To register for WJU’s MEDLIFE Race to Peru 5K go to https://www.raceentry.com/races/medlife-race-to-peru/2017/register. For more information about the race or the service projects, contact Devyn Nickerson at 304-312-5793.

THE DAVE Bruney Football Complex in Martins Ferry will play host to a satellite football camp on Friday, June 30. The camp is being conducted by Ohio Dominican, an NCAA D-II school based in Columbus. Former Martins Ferry and Mount Union star quarterback Zac Bruney is Dominican’s offensive coordinator.

SHERYL WEBER has stepped down as Cambridge High boys’ basketball coach. She guided the Bobcats since 2013. Weber also retired a teacher, ending 38 years of service with the district.

SHOULD OHIO State head men’s hoops coach Thad Matta go up in flames after next season, the Buckeyes won’t need to look far to hire a top-flight successor. Both Xavier’s Chris Mack and Dayton’s Archie Miller would work quite nicely in Columbus.