Conference finals 2/20/15

Heading into the final day of the regular season, we now know two Quarterfinal playoff matchups: (8) Tufts at (1) Trinity and (7) Middlebury at (2) Amherst. Three through six is up for grabs with only Williams assured a home playoff game. Williams can finish third or fourth. Conn College can finish third, fourth or fifth. Hamilton can finish fourth, fifth or sixth and Bowdoin can finish fifth or sixth. 


Williams (14-7-2; 10-6-1 NESCAC)     1
Hamilton (9-8-6; 7-6-4 NESCAC)      5
Box Score   Recap   Recap 

Tim Nowacki (G, '18) made a career high 51 saves and the Conts got into the head of Williams netminder Sean Dougherty (G, '15) to sweep the season series with the Ephs for the first time since the NESCAC began a home-and-home between teams in the 2011-12 season.

Nowacki was stellar in net and the Ephs certainly carried the play but its a very misleading 52-22 shots differential as many came on dump ins. The Ephs had some uncharacteristically bad defensive lapses and Dougherty looked shaky as he did against the last meeting between these two in December. Hamilton is the only team to score more than four goals on Williams this season and they have done it twice. The Continentals carried a 4-1 lead into the third and thoughts of the 3-0 lead they blew in the final six minutes of senior day 2013 must have crossed some of their minds. After killing a five-on-three midway through the third, Hamilton held on with Robbie Murden (F, '17) notching his team leading 13th goal on an empty net to go along with his two assists on the evening.

The Ephs head to Amherst on Saturday, with a tie or win clinching the third seed. A loss against the Jeffs and Williams would rely on Conn College losing or tying Colby to give the three seed to Williamstown for the second straight year. The Ephs can do no worse than the four spot, which is the highest the Continentals can get. A win on senior day against Middlebury and a Conn College loss or tie would give Hamilton their first home playoff game under coach Rob Haberbusch. The Conts last had a home playoff game in 2011 when they hosted and were upset by eigth seed Wesleyan after winning the NESCAC regular season crown.

Nothing like a little Yale v Quinnipiac and Williams v Hamilton side by side @hockeyinthecac pic.twitter.com/PImvLWaJx2
— Peter Young (@Peter_Young_NYC) February 21, 2015

Middlebury (9-11-3; 6-8-3 NESCAC)    0
Amherst (17-4-2; 13-4-0 NESCAC)     4
Box Score   Recap

Amherst leading scorer David White (F, '18) posted his second collegiate hat-trick and Danny Vitale (G, '15) made 25 saves for his second shutout in three games to lock up the two seed for the Lord Jeffs. The Middlebury loss coupled with Hamilton's win also locked up the seven seed for the Panthers, who will travel back to Amherst next weekend for the NESCAC Quarterfinals.

It's been a weird year for Middlebury. Sure, the demise of the once proud Panther program has been beaten to death (especially on the fan forums), but they've never been this low in the standings and it comes in the year that Bill Beaney got his 600th win and New England Hockey Journal did a show on the team. It also comes in a year when they appeared to finally have their goalie situation figured out and they knocked off non-conference rivals Norwich and Plattsburgh (who happened to be ranked second and third in the country at the time) in back-to-back games. NESCAC hockey, like life, is weird sometimes, man.

Offensive woes return for the Panthers, they trail 2-0 after two. 3rd period starts now on http://t.co/eKi1YGg15o
— Brian Gardner (@ImBrianGardner) February 21, 2015

Connecticut College (12-9-2; 9-7-1 NESCAC)   4
Bowdoin (13-7-3;7-7-3 NESCAC)                         1
Box Score   Recap

Four of the five goals on the evening were unassisted as Conn College swept the season series with the Polar Bears and eliminated Bowdoin's chance of hosting a conference playoff game.  Tom Conlin (G, '16) made 34 saves to earn the victory while Peter Cronin (G, '18) stopped 19 shots in defeat. Bowdoin goalies, Cronin and Max Fenkell (G, '15), now have the lowest save percentage of eligible NESCAC netminders.

Conn College has a shot at the three spot (we think), if they beat Colby and Williams loses to Amherst. A win over the Mules at least clinches the first home playoff game in Conn College history. A loss or tie to now eliminated from playoff contention Colby coupled with a Hamilton win would give the Conts the four seed and the Camels the five. For Bowdoin, they can do no higher than fifth and no worse than sixth. A Hamilton win or a Bowdoin loss sends the Polar Bears to the sixth seed. If both tie their games on Saturday it produces the same result.

CC is fast, they dig, they anticipate. Bowdoin has 10 more SOG but trail by 3 late
— Hockey in the 'Cac (@hockeyinthecac) February 21, 2015

Tufts (8-13-2; 5-10-2 NESCAC)        4
Colby (5-15-3; 2-12-3 NESCAC)        1  
Box Score   Recap 

Tufts scored three goals in a 70 second span to eliminate the Mules from playoff contention and clinch the Jumbos first playoff birth since the 2011-12 season. Neither team can affect their own position on Saturday, but both games have an effect on the final playoff seedings. A Tufts win over Bowdoin can relegate the Polar Bears to sixth and a Colby win or tie over Conn College could cost the Camels a home playoff game.

It's been a rough year for the Mules, who despite their record often played teams very hard. But mental lapses like letting up three goals in 1:10 might give a snapshot in to why they won't be playing next week.

It's not losing that sucks. Not performing up to your potential and not playing well -that's whats disappointing.
— Chris Hall (@chall4431) February 21, 2015

Trinity (20-2-1; 15-1-1 NESCAC)        4
Wesleyan (3-20-0; 2-15-0 NESCAC)    1 
Box Score    Recap

Trinity outshot last place Wesleyan 46-17 and scored three third period goals to break a 1-1 tie after two. Alex Morin (G, '18) got his first NESCAC start in net for the Bantams and improved to 5-0-0 on the season. Neither team had anything to play for in the NESCAC standings, but the Bantams do have a good shot at a Pool C bid should they lose in the conference tournament, so they can't afford a loss this weekend in that regard.

James Kline (F, '17) had his team leading tenth goal for the Cardinals who score over half a goal per game less than the next lowest 'CAC team. It was just two seasons ago when this rivalry featured a #4/#5 matchup in the NESCAC quarterfinals when then freshman Mike Hawkrigg (F, '16) put in a wrap around goal in OT to propel the Bantams to championship weekend. The travel partners will close out the regular season against one another in Hartford on Saturday.

Tonight's lines against Wesleyan as warmups are underway from the Spurrier-Snyder rink. #RollBants pic.twitter.com/x85b9ct34z
— Trinity Men's Hockey (@TCBantamsHockey) February 20, 2015

 The top and bottom of the conference are settled but the middle of the conference seeding will be determined on the final day of regular season play. So we present Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle: