Rapid Reaction: 2/22/14 afternoon games and updated playoff scenarios

Not a bad day for Jackson Brewer, as he finishes
the regular season with 50 points and Bantams
clinch 1st seed in NESCAC playoffs. 

Trinity 20-4-0 (15-3-0 NESCAC)           8
Wesleyan 11-11-2 (6-11-1 NESCAC)      5   
Box Score 

After scoring two goals combined yesterday (both by Trinity, one an empty net), the Cardinals and Bantams exploded for 13 goals today. Dawson Sprigings, who stopped 46 of 47 Trinity shots yesterday, got the afternoon off in favor of Nolan Daley. The sophomore netminder only stopped 23 of 30 shots as Wesleyan outshot Trinity 41-31. Bantams senior netminder Ben Coulthard made 36 saves in victory and gave up more than three goals for the first time this season.

Trinity's Jackson Brewer had his first five assist game in college and ends the regular season with 50 points (14-36-50). The last NESCAC player to have 50 points in a season was Mickey Gilchrist of Middlebury in 2006. Gilchrist only had 37 points in the regular season and needed the NCAA championship game to get to the 50 point plateau.

For Wesleyan, Keith Buehler had three points (1-2-3) on Cardinals Senior Day. The reigning NESCAC player of the year and Cardinals captain finishes the regular season with 111 career points (54-57-111).

With the win, Trinity clinches the regular season NESCAC title and the 1st overall seed in the NESCAC playoffs. Wesleyan ends the weekend three points ahead of Hamilton for the right to play Trinity in the NESCAC quarterfinals as the eight and final seed. The Continentals own the tiebreaker with the Cardinals, so if Hamilton can muster three points this weekend against Williams and Middlebury, the Conts would get the final playoff spot. If not, Trinity/Wesleyan will face off for the second straight NESCAC Quarterfinal in Hartford. The Bantams won in OT in last season's installment.


Colby 11-10-3 (8-9-1 NESCAC)            0
Conn College 9-13-2 (8-9-1 NESCAC)  4
Box Score 

Conn College senior goaltender Mike Petchonka made 36 saves for his first career complete game shutout and he did it on Camels Senior Day. Junior JC Cangelosi took care of business on the other end of the ice with his second career hat-trick to move the Camels into a tie with Colby in the standings.

The two teams split the season series but Colby has a better record against the top four (whether it is Bowdoin or Middlebury who ends up the fourth seed), so they win the tiebreaker. The 8-9-1 teams will likely be the 5th(Colby) and 6th (Conn College) seeds or 6th (Colby) and 7th (Conn College)seeds, depending on what Middlebury does against Amherst and Hamilton. There is the chance that Middlebury gets 1 point this weekend, causing a three-way tie between Conn, Colby and Middlebury. In that case, the head-to head between all three teams is the tie breaker and Middlebury gets the fifth seed (3-1 against Conn, Colby), Conn College gets the sixth seed (2-2) and Colby gets the seventh seed (1-3).


Bowdoin 14-8-2 (9-8-1 NESCAC)  3
Tufts 4-19-1 (2-15-1 NESCAC)      4

Tufts overcame a 3-2 deficit in the third period to win their first home game in the Jumbos final game of the season. Bowdoin had a chance to clinch the four seed - the final home playoff seed - with a win or tie today. They are still the front runners for the four seed as Middlebury needs to win both games against Amherst and Hamilton in order to usurp the Polar Bears.