#8 Hamilton Continentals (6-16-3) 3 #1 Bowdoin Polar Bears (20-3-2) 5
by Benet Pols
Something wasn't going right for the Bowdoin Polar Bears during the first two periods of their 5-3 NESCAC quarterfinal win against the Hamilton Continentals. Late in the second period, Hamilton's aggressive back-check and clutch-and-grab-play led no less a hockey observer than Bowdoin's President Barry Mills to note that the Cont's physical play was preventing Polar Bears swirling offense from hitting its stride. Down 3-2 after two periods Coach Meagher needed a change. Junior Ollie Koo (D/F, Jr.), who has been the Polar Bears' hottest hand around the net this year (14-15-29), but had been playing defense for the last three games, was reunited up front with Harry Matheson (F, Jr.) and Colin Downey (F, Jr.). The Polar Bear's leading goal scorer for the regular season with 16, Senior Co-Capt. Daniel Weiniger (F, Sr.) joined smooth play maker John McGinnis (F, So) and speedster Connor Quinn (F, So). for the third period.
For the first time all season, classmates and Pomfret teammates Danny Palumbo (F, So.) and Quinn played on different lines. The only line that remained unchanged for the third period was the grinding line of seniors Rob Tocyzlowski (F, Sr.), Rob MacGregor (F, Sr.) and Kyle Lockwood (D/F, Jr.). Lockwood had accounted for both the Polar Bear's goals to this point.
The changed lineup led Bowdoin to play just two defensive pairings for the third period.
Hamilton started the scoring in the first when freshman blue-liner Marko Brelih (D, Fr.) let a shot go from the point that Bowdoin's screened goaltender, Steve Messina (G, Jr.), never saw. Anthony Ruberto (F, Sr.) picked up the assist. Lockwood, who has been finding the net a lot recently, evened the score just two minutes later. Just past the midway mark of the first period, McGinnis found himself deep in the zone with no angle; he put a back-hand pass across the crease and behind Hamilton's goalie Joe Quattrocchi (G, Jr.). Lockwood slammed it home. With 2:41 remaining in the period, Lockwood notched his second goal of the night after recovering a mishandled puck and whirling on the net from the between the circles. Toczylowski and MacGregor got helpers. The Polar Bears had another quality chance when Matheson circled the net for a wrap around but instead slid the puck across the crease. This time no one was home. The Conts were out-shot 16-9 for the period.
The second period was ugly for Bowdoin. Just 29 seconds into the period Hamilton's Pat Curtis (F, So.) crossed the blue line leading a partial break. With no help and a defender closing, he let a slap shot go; it knuckled and floated high on Messina's glove side before settling in the upper far corner of the net. Messina, who had come out to challenge the streaking Curtis, was looking for a crisper shot.
With nearly 13 minutes to go Hamilton's freshman forward Kenny Matheson (F, Fr.) beat Messina again high on the glove side, but this shot was ripped and well placed. Matheson, beaten as Bowdoin cleared the zone on a power play, recovered a bad pass and found himself alone at the blue line holding the puck while the nearest Bowdoin defender continued charging hard the other way. Matheson bore down on Messina dropped his head as if to deke but put the puck top-shelf over the glove. Bowdoin had been on the power play for about three and a half minutes due to consecutive minors called on the Conts. The second was a delay of game call on Dom Jancaterino (F/D, Jr). From his knees, Jancaterino closed his hand on the puck and threw it toward the boards in a scramble in the high slot. The shorthanded tally put the exclamation point on a scrappy period for the Conts.
Ironically, consecutive minors against Bowdoin late in the period helped the Polar Bears get their heads back in the game. With Gabe Renaud in the box, fellow bue-liner Jay Livermore (Jr.) was called for boarding, giving Hamilton a two man advantage for 47 seconds. Playing the triangle, the Polar Bears cleared the zone a couple times and Messina made a few crucial saves rousing a crowd that had been stunned silent by Matheson's go ahead goal early in the period. As Livermore's penalty wound down, Hamilton's freshman defender Scott Vasquez picked up a tripping call, allowing the Polar Bears to escape the period and regroup. At the end of two, Hamilton's Quattrocchi was credited with 29 saves, while Messina had 16 for Bowdoin.
Even after the line reshuffing, the Polar Bears best chances in the third still came from the intact line of Toczylowski, MacGregor and Lockwood. Midway through the period, Toczylowksi fanned on a beautiful set up from the corner that left him toe-to-toe with Quattrocchi. Not much later, from just a little higher in the slot, Lockwood, bidding for the hat trick, found the cross bar with a wrist shot that Quattrocchi never saw. Finally, twelve minutes into the period, MacGragor, off a face off, took a stride into the high slot and ripped a nearly identical wrist shot that kissed the bottom of the cross bar before finding the back of the net. Toczylowski and Lockwood picked up assists and the score was knotted at 3.
The box score shows Hamilton's goaltender saving just two shots during the third period, but he was far busier than that as the Polar Bears put the pressure on for a go ahead goal. With 3:49 to play Senior Co-Capt. Tim McGarry (D, Sr.) took a pass from Toczylowski at center ice. McGarry took a stride or two and let rip a screaming seeing-eye slap-shot that found the five hole. Quattrocchi got a piece of it, slowing it down just enough so that fans behind the net could savor the moment before the puck found twine, but he clearly wasn't expecting the shot of that caliber from that distance. The go ahead goal stunned McGarry's teammates as much as it stunned the Conts.
It was not over, though, until Lockwood finished his hat trick on an empty netter with 38 seconds to go. This was the second time in three weeks that the Continentals have been in Brunswick just to see a Polar Bear complete a hat trick on an empty net. Daniel Weinger did it back on February 2nd.
With the win, Bowdoin hosts the semifinals and finals of the NESCAC playoffs next Friday and Saturday March 2nd and 3rd. Bowdoin plays fifth seed Middlebury at 4 PM in the semifinals on Saturday.
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