#2 Trinity 5
Trinity jumped out to a commanding 3-0 lead in the first period and never looked back. The goal scorers were usual suspects in Elie Vered, Mike Hawrigg and Tyler Whitney, but the Bantams depth showed with some contributions from less likely sources, including a beauty of an assist on the 2nd goal (scored by Vered) with a blue-line to blue-line pass from Bryce Eviston, who hadn't played in a game for Trinity since a February 14th loss to Bowdoin.
After a scoreless second period that saw Amherst get some chances of their own to no avail, Trinity buried the Purple and White in third. Things started to come off the wheels after a game misconduct call against Amherst's Tyler Granara for a late hit on the Bantams Ryan Cole in the corner. Cole took some time to get up and gingerly skate off to the locker room and their was some debate whether it was in fact a malicious late hit, but in the end the Bantams got the five minute power play, which became a five-on-three after another Amherst infraction. Anthony Sabitsky scored his team leading twelfth tally on the two man advantage to give the Bantams a commanding 4-0 lead. A few minutes later, after Amherst's second elbowing call of the day, Mike Hawkrigg buried a one timer for yet another Trinity power play goal and Hawkrigg's fourth point of the day (2-2-4).
Trinity goalie Alex Morin didn't get the shutout as Amherst finally got on the board with a Phil Johnannson tally with 55 seconds remaining. The 5 goal margin of victory would have been the largest in NESCAC finals history. As it stands the win ties Middlebury's 6-2 vanquishing of the same Bantams in the 2004 finals.
Amherst coach Jack Arena, ever the class act, put out five of his eight seniors on the ice to play out the final ten seconds of their college careers together.
Trinity coach Matt Greason now has a NESCAC title to go along with his national title last season and the Bantams earn their third ever NESCAC men's hockey title and first since 2008. They also earn an automatic bid to the 11 team NCAA tournament and will find out their seeding for their national title defense tomorrow morning during the selection show. Regular season champion Williams - who was upset by eight seed Tufts in the NESCAC quarterfinals - sit on pins and needles as they wait to find out if they will get one of the three at-large bids.
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