#6. Colby (14-10-2; 9-7-2 NESCAC)Offense - 3.17 G/GM (1st)
Defense - 2.39 G/GM (6th)
PIM - 7.8/GM (8th)
Power Play - 18.1 % (4th)
Penalty Kill - 87.0% (4th)
Special Teams Net - +6 (2nd)
#1 Trinity (19-5-2; 14-3-1 NESCAC)Offense - 3.11 G/GM (2nd)
Defense - 1.72 G/GM (1st)
PIM - 12.4/GM (2nd)
Power Play - 10.9% (7th)
Penalty Kill - 88.8% (2nd)
Special Teams Net - 0 (5th)
Welcome back my friend, to the show that never ends today. Trinity looks for their third straight NESCAC title and their fifth overall while this is uncharted territory for the Colby Mules, who make their first appearance in a NESCAC men's hockey championship game.
Trinity began this run to three straight NESCAC title games with a 3-1 win over seventh seed Colby in the 2016 Quarterfinals. Current Bantam Mark Knowlton had a goal and an assist in the game, while current Mule Mario Benicky put up a helper in defeat. The programs last met in the NESCAC playoffs in 2008, when sixth seed Trinity took out top seed Colby in the finals 2-1 en route to the Bantams second NESCAC league crown.
The Mules will hope the result stays the same for the sixth seed one round later. Colby enters the game with a +8 advantage in the playoffs after 5-1 wins in the first two rounds of the playoffs. The top scoring team in the league should provide a challenge for Bantams goalie Alex Morin, who has not faced more than 25 shots in a game since the two squads met in Waterville, ME last month. In that game, the Mules put two past Morin on 27 shots (plus an empty netter) and rode Sean Lawrence's 46 saves to become the first team to shutout the Bantams since the UMass-Beacons in the 2016 NCAA playoffs and the first team to shutout the Bants in the regular season since a non-conference game against Stonehill back in 2013.
The last time the two met in Hartrford, however, Trinity scored four unanswered goals to down the Mules 5-2 in January. While Morin has not been tested recently, Lawrenece has with 30+ saves in the six games since the meeting between these two in Waterville last month. Specifically in the playoffs, Lawrence has stopped 70 of 72 shots while Morin has faced just 29 shots, letting up two. Morin is certainly capable, including his run to the NCAA title game last year and a 38 save shutout at Hamilton in December, he just hasn't been tested in terms of volume of shots recently.
In terms of the NCAA Tournament, it is definitely a win or go home scenario for Colby, but it is also likely the same scenario for Trinity. The Bantams entered the week sixth in the East in the Regional RAnkings (used to determine pool C bids and seeding) and a win over Williams likely won't put them over the three teams above them that did not win their autoamtic qualifiers (Oswego, UNE and Salve Regina) in a tournament that only allows for four at-large bids total across the East and West.
But such conjecture is for after the game. The boys on each squad should focus on being ready to give 110%, to be aggressive on the fore check, to work the cycle, to show some grit in the corners, to take away the D-D pass, and, of course, to have some fun out there.
Since we alluded to it early, we'd be remiss if we didn't use Emerson, Lake and Palmer's classic Karn Evil 9. We will spare you the full 29 minutes and just put the 1st Impression, Part 2 ("Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends...").
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