A big day of out-of-conference tournament action today as four teams (Amherst, Hamilton, Middlebury, Williams) play in first round games and Colby plays nationally ranked Babson in the finals of the Salem State/Babson tournament. The lone non-tournament game, Trinity at Becker, has been postponed due to the weather conditions in Massachusetts from winterstorm Hercules.
If you haven't already, you should check out Benet Pols' expansive Out-of-Conference feature, which includes background of why teams schedule games the way they do, rivalry history, OOC NESCAC rankings and more.
Trinity (6-2-0) at Becker (1-8-2)
Postponed
Due to the inclement weather from Hercules, the Bantams and Hawks game has been postponed. No word yet on the details of the makeup. We will keep you posted.
Amherst (6-2-0) vs Plymouth State (4-6-0)
Kreitzberg Arena Northfield, VT
4 PM Live Stats Audio
The Lord Jeffs enter 2014 after a tough loss to rival and fellow top-of-the 'Cac kings Williams to end 2013. Amherst kicks off the New Year with an Northfield Savings Bank Holiday Tournament opening round game against the Plymouth State Panthers of the MASCAC. If the Lord Jeffs take care of the Panthers, it would likely setup an all ranked tournament final against host Norwich, who takes on the Milwaukee School of Engineering in the other opening round game. Amherst is 13 in the most recent USCHO poll and 11 in the D3Hockey.com poll, while Norwich is fifth in USCHO and sixth in D3H.
The Panthers last played a NESCAC team in November of 2008, when they lost to Tufts, 5-1, in the opening round of the PAL Stovepipe tournament. Amhest last faced off against the MASCAC in November 2012, when they blanked Westfield State 6-0.
Williams ( 5-0-2) vs Hobart (2-4-4)
Stafford Arena Plattsburgh, NY
4 PM Live Stats
Williams enters the Buck Supply Winter Classic as one of only three undefeated teams along with Adrian of the west and tournament host/ top ranked Plattsburgh, who plays Hamilton in the other first round game. The Ephs play a Hobart team that has fallen on hard times since they peaked in the November 11th polls at number eight after a 2-0-2 start. Despite going winless in their last six, the Statesman are a dangerous team and Coach Kangas' crew should not take them lightly.
Williams last played at Stafford Arena less than a year ago against the Cardinals. The Ephs led 4-1 after two periods of play in the January 12th matchup, but gave up three goals in the third period and one in overtime to lose, 5-4.
Colby (5-3-2) at Babson ( 10-2-0)
Babson Skating Center Babson Park, MA
6 PM Live Stats Video Preview
Colby and Babson take the trip down I-95 for the Salem State/Babson Tournament final after both schools took care of business in the opening round at Salem State. The Mules downed Wentworth, 5-3, and Babson easily handled host Salem State 4-1.
This is the 38th meeting of the two schools, with the Mules holding a slight 19-17-1 edge in the all-time series. The Beavers, however, have won three of the last four meetings dating back to 2007. Colby is undefeated this year in non-conference play, but they haven't played any OOC opponents as tough as seventh ranked Babson. The Beavers are 5-0-0 at home, a record which includes a 2-0 blanking of Amherst. The win at Bowdoin is bigger because of the rivalry and conference implications, but a tournament championship victory at Babson would add serious gravitas to Colby's return to relevancy. Dating back to January 29th of last year, the Mules are 9-5-4.
Hamilton (3-3-1) at Plattsburgh (9-0-2)
Stafford Arena Plattsburgh, NY
7 PM Live Stats Video Audio
The second half of Day One of the Buck Supply Winter Classic features the host/top-ranked Plattsburgh Cardinals taking on the resurgent Continentals. Hamilton ended the first half with a surprising three point weekend at home with a tie against Williams and victory over Middlebury. Unfortunately for the Conts, they lost their only upperclassmen defenseman, Bennett Schneider, to early graduation . After a physical game with Middlebury, they may also be missing some other players.
On the other side, the Cardinals get back senior Swedish forward Nick Jensen (F/D, '14), who has not played since having his hand broken in the Cards season opener against Potsdam. The Cardinals, who already have one of the best goaltenders at the D-III level in Mathieu Cadieux (G, '14), also added D-I transfer Spencer Finney (G, '16) over break. Finney started 23 games for Colgate in his freshman season, posting a 2.68 goals against average and .895 save percentage, but only saw action in three games to begin his sophomore year.
St. Michael's (0-7-1) at Middlebury (3-3-2)
Kenyon Arean Middlebury, VT
7 PM Video Audio
Middlebury's opening round game in their Panther Classic against the lowly Purple Knights of St.Michael's couldn't come at a better time. Middlebury is coming off a disappointing final weekend of 2013 that saw the Panthers be swept by Amherst and Hamilton. The winner of this game takes on the winner of the first opening round game between Neumann and Southern Maine for the Panther Classic championship. Middlebury is hosting an Alzheimer's Awareness weekend at the tournament to raise money for the Alzheimer's Association, Vermont Chapter.
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