Saturday, January 14, 2017

Conference Roundup 1/13/17

First year Bowdoin coach Jamie Dumont's Bowdoin Polar Bears
 are looking for a second half push like they had in the last
season under Terry Meagher.

Tufts (6-4-3; 4-2-1 NESCAC)    
      1

Amherst (8-3-1; 4-3-1 NESCAC)   4
Box Score

The future Fightin' Poets outshot the Jumbos 32-16 and four different Amherst skaters scored to keep the host Purple and White undefeated at home on the season (5-0-0). It was the first road loss on the season for the Jumbos (1-1-1), who played most of their non-conference schedule at neutral site tournaments.

Amherst takes on a struggling Conn College team at home on Saturday while the Jumbos travel to Hamilton, which unless you live under a D-III rock, you know are the only undefeated team left in NCAA hockey (Endicott women lost last weekend to extend it to both genders).

Wesleyan (8-4-0; 4-3-0 NESCAC)   5
Bowdoin (6-8-0; 3-6-0 NESCAC)     3
Box Score

The Cardinals  scored four goals in the third period, including an empty net goal by freshman Spencer Fox (kind of a gip to have that as your first collegiate goal?), to erase a 2-1 lead by Bowdoin after two periods of play. Senior Jay Kourkoulas had his first two goals of the seasson in defeat while sophomore Erik Wurman made 32 saves in dropping the first NESCAC home start of his career. Dawson Sprigings made 26 saves for the victory while Tyler Watt (1-2-3) led the Cardinals in scoring. 

Wesleyan, who has outscored opponents 16-7 in the third period this season, travels up to Colby to face the Mules on Saturday.  The Cardinals, who have only two winning seasons since NESCAC conference play started in 1999, head into the matchup four games over .500.  Bowdoin welcomes in a dangerous Trinity team that lost to Colby on Friday despite nearly doubling the Mules shot total. The Polar Bears will hope for a ten game unbeaten streak like they had around this time last year to avoid a disappointing season in Jamie Dumont's first year as bench boss.


Conn College (3-8-1; 1-5-1 NESCAC)      2
Hamilton (11-0-2; 6-0-2 NESCAC)          4
Box Score 

Nationally ranked Hamilton (#5/6) scored three unanswered third period goals to erase a 2-1 Conn College lead after two periods of play. It was only the second time the Continentals trailed in the third period this season, the other being in the season opener against Amherst when the Conts tied the game at one thirty seconds into the third. This time took a bit longer with the equalizer coming from a Benett Morrison shot from the blueline 5:14 into the final frame. The Conts took the lead seven minutes later on Jason Brochu's second of the night on a feed from Rory Gagnon. It was the sophomore's  second of the night as he provided the only scoring in the first period.

Both of Conn's goals game in the second period. Junior Chris Jellisen scored his first collegiate goal off a rebound from a Dylan Chase shot, while frosh Jacob Moreau scored on a breakaway to give the Camels their only lead of the night. Frosh Connor Roddericks made 37 saves in defeat to earn his first collegiate loss while Evan Buitenhuis made 29 saves in victoyr.

Conn travels to Mass to take on Amherst while Hamilton welcomes Tufts. A Hamilton win would assure that every one other than Williams (4-2-2 in conference) has at least three losses in conference to the Conts none at the half-way point of conference play.


Trinity (8-4-1; 4-3-0 NESCAC)     1
Colby (6-4-1; 5-3-1 NESCAC)      3 
Box Score 

Quinnipiac transfer Sean Lawrence made 39 saves to earn a win in his first start at home at the D-III level to move to 1-1-0 on the season. It was a night of short handed goals with three of the four (two for Colby- O'Connor, Doherty; and Trinity's only goal - Sabitsky) coming with a man down.   Overall, the Bantams went 0-8 power play, dropping to 12.8% on the season in conference games, bad enough for eighth in the NESCAC. Alexon Morin stopped twenty shots in defeat to fall to 6-4-1 on the season.

Trinity travels down to Brunswick for a chance to salvage the weekend against Brunswick, while Colby welcomes Wesleyan. It will be interesting to see if frosh Andrew Tucci (who was the full time starter prior to Lawrence's mid-season transfer)will get a start in net for the Mules with the rotation they used last weekend or if Lawerence has supplanted him as the starting netminder.


In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend and every team trying to either light a spark under their season (say, Bowdoin) or keep the flame burning (see, Hamilton),  here's a band from King's native Atlanta, Microwave (ok, yes, they are white boys) with "Lighterless". Unclear if they are from the part of Atlanta which includes Georgia's 5th Congressional district, which the PEOTUS called "in horrible shape and falling apart" today on twitter. So there's that. 


  

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