Conference Finals 12/5/14

Hamilton (3-2-1; 2-1-1 NESCAC)  5
Williams (4-2-1; 3-1-1)                    2
Box Score  Recap 

Hamilton put away two empty netters, including one nearly the length of the ice, to seal their first victory over Williams since January 2011 when current UMass-Lowell coach Norm Bazin was the Conts bench boss.

Williams had the only tally of a physical first period on the power play when Luke Stickel (F, '17) beat a screened Charlie Fennell (G, '17) with a wrister. Fennell started in place of Evan Buitenhuis (G, '18), who is recovering from what must be a concussion he suffered after being taken out by a Utica forward last Friday. In his place, the sophomore made 30 saves for his second straight win.

The Conts came back in the second thanks to the weakest part of their game: the power play. Hamilton went on their first man advantage when Craig Kitto (F, '15) went to the box for an interference call 4:11 into boothe seecond. Shortly after they give up a shorthanded chance coughing it up in the neutral zone, Marko Brelih (D, '15) regained the magic scoring touch from his freshman year when he scored an unassisted shot from the left circle past a screened Sean Dougherty (G, '15). It was Brelih's first goal in almost exactly a calendar year, when he scored another unassisted goal through traffic to beat Dougherty en route to a 1-1 tie with the Ephs back in Clinton on December 6, 2013.

Less than five minutes later Brelih put an almost identical power play goal to put the Conts up 2-1. Hamilton, who was 2/21 on the power play entering the game, went 2/2 on the evening.

Penalties against the Conts dictated the rest of the 2nd, specifically penalties against Brad Smelstor (D, '17). After an interference call on the sophomore blueliner, James McNamara (D, '17) from the point fed Kitto for a one timer from the right circle that ricocheted off Fennell's pads and into the net. Later in the period, Smelstor delivered a dirty hit from behind on Kitto, which earned Smelstor an early trip to the lockers and the Ephs five minutes of power play time.

Williams kept the play in the Conts end on the five minute major, but a physical Conts penalty kill and some whiffs on one timers kept the Ephs off the board. The third was marked by back and forth play as the Continentals held their own with some jumbled lines thanks to Smelstor's early shower. Williams also tried out the new line of freshman Colby Cretella (F, '18) with Kitto and Union transfer Alex Gonye (F, '17).

A fluke goal with just over six remaining gave Hamilton the lead. After the Conts gained controlled on a faceoff, Tyler Bruneteau (F, '18) flipped one in on Dougherty, who was caught off gaurd. The puck got sent back to the Conts bench: it was a fluky goal, but it was still his first collegiate goal. He'd add his second on an empty netter.

Hamilton takes on a Middlebury team that fell to Amherst this afternoon while Williams welcomes their bitter rivals, Amherst, who vanquished the Panthers.


Bowdoin (6-1-1; 3-1-1 NESCAC)           1
Conn College (2-5-0; 2-3-0 NESCAC)   3 
Box Score

There's no place like home. The Polar Bears left Maine for the first time this season and ended up losing for the first time in the 2014-15 campaign. Bowdoin, who entered the game as the least penalized team in the D-III nation, gave up six power plays to the Camels, who capitalized on one of them. Max Fenkell made 20 saves to fall to 4-1-0 on the season while Tom Conlin (G, '15) made 18 saves for the victory.


Colby 2-4-1 (0-4-1 NESCAC)     1
Tufts 3-4-1 (1-3-1 NESCAC)     4
Box Score  Recap

So much for non-conference games. After a promising start to OOC  play, the first game outside Maine left the Mules winless in conference play. The Benicky/Albert/Rauseo was shoutout as Mason Pulde (G, '17) made 28 saves for the victory while Emerson Verrier (G, '18) made 29 saves in defeat. Dan Kelly (D, '18) scored his first collegiate goal and Mike Leary (F, '17) scored his first goal of the season for Tufts.  Brian Brown (F, '18) scored his team leading fifth goal and Matt Pugh (F, '17) netted his fourth of the season.  The Jumbos welcome Bowdoin while Colby heads to Conn College for games on Saturday.

Amherst (6-1-0;3-1-0 NESCAC)         5
Middlebury (1-4-2; 1-2-2 NESCAC)   3
Box Score 

Amherst scored two goals in the third, including an empty netter to break a 3-3 tie after two periods. Bill Beaney's goalie woes continue as Liam Moorfield Yee (G, '16) left early in the second after giving up three goals on twelve shots in favor of freshman Stephen Klein (G, '18), who gave up one goal on twenty shots.  The Panthers stay home for Hamilton while Amherst heads down Route 7 to take on their bete noire, Williams, on Saturday.