WELCOME BACK, NESCAC

When we last left you, fellow NESCAC traveler, fifth seed Wesleyan  had won its first NESCAC men's hockey championship and was poised to make its first trip to the NCAA tournament against Babson. The Cards hoped to make a Colby like 2018 run to the Phrozen Phour, but by midweek the NCAA tournament had been cancelled due to COVID-19 and...well you've been around this globe for the past 20 months, right? 

And so, I sit here here 623 days since that Wesleyan title victory over Trinity toggling back between a convalescent plasma paper draft and this window. Last night, the NESCAC played its first league games in 20 months after the 2020-21 was cancelled due to the league's concerns over the global pandemic. We did not leave opening night unscathed by COVID however, as COVID protocol issues forced the cancellation of the Bowdoin-Middlebury game. 

But, we did have four games, including Colby opening their new barn (notwithstanding the non-conference exhibitions from earlier this year).The matchup featured the last place team from the 2019-20 standings in the Mules vs the regular season crown holder Ephs. It's been a while, though, and these rosters are a bit a different. The Mules only dressed two freshman in Groton product Drew Burke and head coach Blaise Macdonald's son Jake MacDonald, but with the lost season, even many of the upperclassmen did not have extensive collegiate resumes. The top line, however, anchored by fifth year senior Justin Grillo - who had a point in every game of the NESCAC/NCAA playoff run in 2018- featured all double digit scorers from the 2019-20 campaign in Grillo, Michael Morrisey and Carter Breitenfeldt. 

The Mules were able to fire off 43 shots but 2020 NESCAC Rooke of the Year Evan Ruschil stopped all of them for the 1-0 win. Bill Kangas' crew has fifteen newcomers between the freshman and sophomores whose freshman campaign was nullified. Two such sophomores are Rivers School product Henry Muller, who fed Jacob Monroe on an odd man rush for the only goal of the game. Williams ended up with 24 shots on the evening and Colby sophomore Andy Beran stopped 23 of them.

Williams scores on an odd man rush for the 1-0 lead pic.twitter.com/qBrI9F0qce

— Hockey in the 'Cac (NESCAC) (@hockeyinthecac) November 20, 2021

Moving southward to Massachusetts, Tufts scored late to earn a 3-3 tie with the defending NESCAC champ Cardinals.  Wesleyan put 37 shots on returning Jumbo starting netminder Josh Sarlo. Other returning Jumbos from the ninth place 2019-20 season include leading scorer Josh Brandt and Brendan Skarda, who scored Tufts first goal. Pat Norton's neophytes Tyler Sedlak and Harrison Bazianosv scored the two other tallies to earn the tie after trailing 3-1. On the other end of the ice, Wesleyan had to replace former 2019 NESCAC player of the year Tim Sestak in net and first team forward Walker Harris up front. Sophomore Marc Smith made 20 of 23 saves in his college debut, while up front the upperclassmen trio of Stevie O'Connor, Emmett Poweell and Steve Giummo scored the tallies. 

Moving even further south down to the nutmeg state, NESCAC favorites Trinity took care of business 5-1 at Connecticut College. The Bantams lost a lot of talent from the 2019-20 campaign, but returned All-NESCAC forward Lucas Michaud and piped in fresh talent, including Jax Murray, who had double digit points for Arizona State last season. Murray scored twice and Michaud once en route to a comfortable win. In net, Trinity sophomore JP Mella made 24 saves for the win as he looks to earn the starting job among a group of inexperienced netminders in Hartford. For the Camels, senior Anthony Qualtieri cored the only goal on the evening. Senior Mike Mchale made 29 saves in his first collegiate start. 

Jumping on I-90 and heading out of New England, we round out opening night in Clinton, NY for the travel partner face off between Hamilton and Amherst. The Mammoths drew first blood, but then the Continentals scored five unanswered goals from five different Conts, including Belarus native Grisha Gottovets scoring what proved to be the game winning goal on a feed from Jordi Jefferson. The teams combined for  stoppage heavy affair with 17 total penalties called during the game. Hamilton returns goalie Sean Storr, who made 24 saves in victory, matching Dan Dachille's 24 saves in defeat. Matteo Mangiardi scored the only goal for the Mammoth, who now head to the ultra loaded Utica Thanksgiving tournament that features three USCHO ranked teams. 

Hamilton scores another PP goal to go up 2-1 pic.twitter.com/GFwq5nB9v1

— Hockey in the 'Cac (NESCAC) (@hockeyinthecac) November 20, 2021

Well folks, it's good to be back. Mario Lemeiux cameback to the NHL after battling Hodgkin's Lymphoma and inspired this Winnipeg based band's name. Do yourself a favor and support the boys (and girls!) of the NESCAC as they come back from a lost season.