Amherst (2-1-1; 1-0-0 NESCAC) The Purple&White played the same three teams as Turkey week last year (St. Mike's, Elmira, Nazareth0, only they reversed where they played the games. At home against lowly St. Mike's on Tuesday, Amherst defeated the Purple Knights 4-3 (Box Score). It was a back-and-forth affair with the heavy favorites pulling out the win on the strength of a Chris Roll (F, '17) goal with only 1:15 to play. Xavier Louis Reed (D, '16) and Jack Fitzgerald (F, '19) both scored their first college goals and Adam Ellison (G, '17) made 29 saves to earn his first career win.
The Purple&White headed to upstate New York over the weekend to take on Elmira and Nazareth from the ECAC-West. On Saturday, nationally ranked Amherst fell 6-3 (Box Score) to the Soaring Eagles, despite outshooting Elmira 44-33. Air Force transfer Connor Girard (G, '18) gave up six goals to take the loss in his first D-III minutes. The Soaring Eagles, 2-4-0 headed into the weekend, also defeated third ranked Babson on Sunday, so Amherst isn't in bad company.
On Sunday, Dave Cunningham (G, '16) returned to net and stopped 36 of Nazareth's 37 shots to earn a 1-1 tie (Box Score). The lone Amherst goal came on a blast from Phil Johansson (D, '19), the first of his college career.
Bowdoin (1-3-1; 0-1-1 NESCAC) Bowdoin looked to continue their dominance over in state rival University of New England on Tuesday. The Nor'Easters, however, had other plans, dismantling the Polar Bears 8-3 in Biddeford (Box Score). The hero from last Sunday in Middlebury, Nathan Colannino (G, '19), gave up give goals on 24 shots before being pulled for Erick Wurman (G, '19). Wurman gave up three goals of his own in his first collegiate action.
Bowdoin returned to Maine on Saturday to face Endicott at Colby for the first leg of the Bowdoin/Colby Faceoff Classic. Endicott, a team in its first year of NCAA D-III play, fills 28 of its 32 roster spots with freshmen. Six of the youthful Gulls scored en route to a comfortable 6-3 win over the host Polar Bears (Box Score). Max Schiller (G, '17) became the fourth Bowdoin goalie to see action this season and the junior gave up six goals in his first minutes of play between the pipes.
In their first home game of the season in Brunswick on Sunday, Bowdoin rebounded for a 5-0 victory over previously unbeaten UMass-Boston (Box Score). Five different PBs scored, including Camil Blanchet (F, '18)'s team leading third tally just 23 seconds into the contest and Sebastian Foster/Bradley Potter (F, '19)'s first collegiate tallies. Peter Cronin (G, '18) made 38 saves to earn the shutout and finally get Bowdoin in the win column in Terry Meagher's last season coaching the team.
Colby (1-2-1; 0-2-0 NESCAC) Colby went scorless in their opening weekend trip to Middlebury/Williams. The Mules finally got on the board against then undefeated UMass-Boston on Saturday in the first day of the Bowdoin/Colby Faceoff Classic with Griffin Fadden (F, '18)'s first collegiate tally in the 2nd period. Emerson Verrier (G, '18), who has played every minute in net for the Mules this season, made 31 saves to earn the 1-1 tie (Box Score). After a delay of game penalty on Colby with two seconds left in OT, Verrier stopped a penalty shot to seal the tie.
On Sunday in Brunswick, Colby took care of business 5-2 (Box Score) against an Endicott team that had only lost in one of its eight contests headed into the game, including a victory over Bowdoin on Saturday. Five different Mules scored, including Nick O'Connor/John Rourke (F, '19)'s first college goals.
For his work in net, Verrier earned Bowdoin/Colby Classic MVP and NESCAC player of the week honors.
Conn College (1-3-1; 0-1-1 NESCAC) Conn College kicked off its OOC schedule on Tuesday at home with a 4-3 OT loss to Plymouth State (Box Score) of the MASCAC despite doubling PSU's shot total, 42-21. Sophomore Tim cooney (G, '18) saw his first action in net, dropping to 0-2-0 in his career.
Over the weekend, Conn College joined core members Plattsburgh/Middlebury/Norwich in the Primelink Great Northern Shootout hosted at Norwich this season. It is the first time since the event was started in 1998 that a NESCAC school served as the invitational team and the first time since 2011 that the invitational team did not come from the West. The Camels were blanked 3-0 (Box Score) by the host Cadets on Friday. In the consolation game against Middlebury on Saturday (technically a non-conference game), Tom Conlin(G, '16) stopped all 33 Panther shots and Joe Birmingham (F, '16) scored on a Joe Giordano (F, '16) helper to earn the Camels first win of the season 1-0 (Box Score).
Hamilton (2-2-0; 0-1-0 NESCAC) The Continentals spent Thanksgiving weekend squaring off in a home-and-home vs D-III independent SUNY Canton. On Friday in Clinton, Hamilton had five different scorers in a 5-1 victory (Box Score), including Jon Stickel (F, '19) (brother of Williams' Luke Stickel)'s first college goal. Evan Buitenhuis (G, '18) made 20 saves to move to 2-1-0 on the season. On Saturday in Canton, the Roos scored with 73 seconds left to break a 2-2 tie (Box Score) and earn only their second win of the season in ten games played. Tim Nowacki (G, '18) saw his first action in net of the season and made 29 saves in defeat.
Middlebury (1-2-1; 1-0-1 NESCAC) Middlebury spent Thanksgiving weekend as they always do at the Primelink tournament. On Friday, the Panthers fought back from a 4-2 deficit against 2nd ranked Plattsburgh (Platty is now #1 after Trinity lost) , but ultimately fell 5-4 (Box Score). Vincent Gisonti (F, '18) scored his team leading third goal to tie the game at four in the third before the Cardinals pulled ahead. On Saturday, the Panthers fell to fellow NESCAC brethren Conn College, 1-0, to go 0-2 in the Primelink for the second season in a row. Liam-Moorfied Yee (G, '16) stopped 24 shots in his first action of the season.
Trinity (3-1-0; 2-0-0 NESCAC) Trinity entered the OOC schedule as the undefeated, top ranked team in the countr. On Saturday in Hartford, the Bantams dismantled Stonehill, 7-1 (Box Score), thanks to a two-for-three conversion rate on the man advantage and a five point effort (1-4-5) from Anthony Sabitsky (F, '18). Alex Morin (G, '18) made 24 saves to pick up a victory in his first action of the season.
On Sunday, the Bantams fell 6-4 (Box Score) to Salve Regina thanks to a four goal outburst in the second by the Seahawks. It was Trinity's first dropped contest since last season's NESCAC quarterfinals . It's the first time the Seahwaks have ever beaten the Bantams in four all-time faceoffs and it is the first time Trinity let up five goals since the last time they lost a non conference game, a 5-3 setback against UMass-Boston in Hartford on Thanksgiving weekend 2014. Union transfer Griffyn Martin (D, '18) had his first collegiate goal in the loss.
Tufts (1-2-2; 0-1-1 NESCAC) The Jumbos entered non-conference week looking for the first win of the Pat Norton Tufts coaching era. On Tuesday, the Jumbos gave up two third period goals to lose to fellow Bah-stanites, Becker, 6-4 (Box Score). Brian Brown (F, '18) had two tallies in defeat.
Over the weekend, the Jumbos headed northwart to Vermont for the Rutland Heritage Invitational hosted by Cortland State. On Friday, the Jumbos tied winless Western New England, 2-2 (Box Score), but advanced to the finals via shootout. Both teams scored on their three shootout attempts, but Mason Pulde (G, '18) stopped WNE's fourth attempt. In the bottom of the round, Matt Pugh (F, '17), who scored a goal in regulation, put it just past the WNE goalie for the win. It took a referee consultation to determine if the puck did in fact cross the line. On Saturday, Tufts earned their first win of the season to win the Rutland tournament. Mike Leary (F, '17) had a hat-trick, which earned him tournament MVP honors, and Nik Nugnes (G, '18) made 39 saves to defeat Brockport 4-3 (Box Score). Nugnes, who received no playing time while at D-I Maine, has a .955 save percentage in two starts (he made 46 saves for a 1-1 tie against Wesleyan opening weekend).
Wesleyan (0-1-3; 0-0-2)Hockey is a funny sport. The Cardinals, who tied exactly 0 times in 24 games last year, have tied in three of their first four this season. The one non-tie came in their non-conference opener against Salve Regina on Saturday. The Cardinals fought back from 3-0 and 5-2 deficits, but ultimately fell 5-4 (Box Score) to the Seahawks. Daniel Weiss (G, '18) made 29 saves and took the loss in his first action of the season. On Sunday, Wesleyan blew a 3-0 second period lead to let Stonehill come back and earn a 3-3 tie (Box Score).
Williams (3-1-0;2-0-0 NESCAC) On Saturday in Williamstown, coach Kangas' boys got ephed up by Geneseo, 3-0 (Box Score), the first time the Ephs have been shutout since a 1-0 loss to Amherst in last season's conference finals. The purple cows righted the ship against Johnson & Wales, a team that includes coach Kangas son on their roster. CJ Shugart (F, '18) scored his first two of the season and Michael Pinios (G, '19) made 19 saves for his second career win in a 5-1 vanquishing of J&W (Box Score).
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