Friday: Bowdoin tops Colby in 201st meeting

Note: This was written before Saturday's Bowdoin/Colby Part II, in which Colby avenged Friday night's home loss 

by Benet Pols 

Harry Matheson (Bowdoin #12) beats Sam Parker (Colby #33)
but can't beat the post. Matheson later scored on a similar play.

Bowdoin came into the first period of Friday night’s renewal of the oldest, and most often played of small

college hockey rivalries, like they meant business.

It could have been the result of soul-searching after an 0-1-1 weekend to open the season, or an uncharacteristic 5-2 man-handling at the hands of Williams. It could have just been the intensity of the Bowdoin/Colby series. It could have been that Coach Meagher’s charges were playing possum because they really want him to earn his 500th victory at home Saturday night against Colby.

Or perhaps it was the acknowledgement that the “three-back” system takes some getting used to; with the number of freshman getting good ice time during the opening weekend a return to the conventional formation with a center seemed like just the ticket. In any event, the Polar Bears certainly appeared to use a more traditional formation in Waterville.

The line of Ollie Koo (F,’14), Colin Downey (F, ’14) and Co-Captain Harry Matheson (F,’14), netted the Polar Bears’ first goal just 43 seconds into the contest. Downey, with the puck, and Koo broke into the zone two-on-one. Downey found Koo in the mid slot and Koo redirected the puck with a backhand near the far post, above the left-handed Sam Parker (G, 15)’s catching glove.

The goal set the tone for the period as Bowdoin pressed hard with 15 shots on goal. Parker performed well, however, but got a lucky break when Matheson rung a shot high off the post to Parker’s glove side. Parker was looking behind him while the rest of the players pursued the rebound up the right side to the blue line.

A power player goal at the 14:00 mark put Bowdoin up by two. Co-Captain Jay Livermore (D ’14) sneaked down the right side just inside the face-circle and put a high shot stick-side off a pass across the middle from John McGinnis (F ’15). Kyle Lockwood (F ’14) also picked up a helper on the goal. Colby’s Nick Trepp (D ,’14) was sitting for hooking.

Colby played a much better second period and put a lot more pressure on Max Fenkell (G, ’15). First year player Geoff Sullivan (F ’17) (cousin to Bowdoin’s Matt Sullivan) earned his first collegiate goal by taking the puck deep to the corner, getting past Bowdoin’s Gabe Renaud (D ’15) on the goal line and making a power move to the short-side. Fenkell stopped the first effort with the heel of his stick but with the puck still visible Sullivan bulled through knocking the loose puck into the net just as Sullivan and Fenkell dislodged it from its moorings.

Colby’s best chance for the equalizer came on a power play. With Renaud whistled for holding at 10:51 the Mules pressed the Bowdoin net hard. A pass across the crease and out of Fenkell’s reach found Colby’s Ben Chwick (F ’14) alone looking into a wide-open net. Unfortunately for Coach Blaise MacDonald’s team he was not looking at the puck and whiffed.

The back and forth play continued into the third period with Colby eventually closing the shots gap. With 5:32 remaining Matheson found the upper right hand corner of the net. It mirrored the shot he’d hit the post with in the first period skating into the zone and ripping it from the slot, left side. Play continued as the puck bounced back into play. Matheson clearly reacted as though he’d scored. The referee closet to the play whistled the play dead and immediately called the other officials together. After a long consultation with the other three officials goal side, and another by the scorer’s bench the goal was called.  Trash was thrown from the Colby student section—it’d be hyperbole to say the ice was strewn with garbage---but a few bottles were tossed prompting a quick reminder on the public address system that a bench minor could be called on Colby.

Fenkell came up big with a glove side with 3:21 remaining and shots were even 29-29. Colby’s Parker left for the bench with 1:32 to go but Bowdoin seemed to prefer moving the puck in the defensive half to shooting for the empty net. Both goaltenders ended the night with 30 saves.