NESCAC Finals Scoreboard: Williams at Amherst

Williams 0 
Amherst  1
FINAL  Box Score 

1st Period: Vitale and Dougherty in net as expected. Amherst  had the best of the chances overall but nothing doing. Coincidental minors at one point, but the first power play went to Williams with 3.5 seconds left in the period on interference call on Thomas Lindstrom as Ephs are breaking out of zone.

2nd Period: Amherst killed off the penalty, but Williams amped up the pressure in the early half of the period. Another 4X4 after Kevin Ryder tripped but Alex DeBaere got an embellishment call for his reaction. A back and forth affair with some opportunities for both squads ( the best perhaps being Amherst's Burke hitting the crossbar), but the period ended as it began knotted at nil. Shots on goal in favored Amherst 20-15 after two.

3rd Period : 3:08 into the period Amherst drew first blood as senior Andrew Fenwick (yes from those Fenwicks) went five hole  on Dougherty on a feed from Austin Ho to put the Jeffs up. Williams had their chances, especially on a 2-1 with five minutes to play, but were unable to get the equalizer. Dougherty was pulled with 45 to play for an extra attacker, but it didn't change the outcome. Frankie Mork took out his frustration with a dirty boarding call on Conor Brown and Mork was kicked out with 2.7 to play. As they sorted out the penalty, Vitale pumped up the Amherst student section in the balcony directly above him. Must be a sweet feeling for Vitale, who barely played in three years before taking over the starting job midway through the season and posting the best goals against average and save percentage. Must also be a bit bitter (wish there was a word for something that was bitter and sweet, hmmm) as well, as he got the starting job from an injury from Dave Cunningham

It's a tough way to end for the Ephs seniors, who are the only graduating class to make the semis in each of their four seasons. Three of their four playoff loses came at teh hands of their bitter rivals Amherst, Finals this season and semis in 2012 and 2014, with their other loss coming in the finals to Bowdoin in 2013.

For Amherst's senior class, they made three finals, winning two of them (2012 and this year) with their lone loss coming in double OT to Bowdoin last season.

We find out who and where Amherst plays in the 11 team NCAA tournament tomorrow on the selection show. We'll also find out if Trinity gets a Pool C bid. The selection show was moved from Sunday night to Monday because they extended the tournament out a week with first round games not occurring until next Saturday (they used to be mid-week).