Out-of-conference season wrap. Nescac teams go 29-20-8 before hitting the homestretch of NESCAC play.

By Benet Pols

With Bowdoin’s 4-1 win over USM on January 28^th NESCAC’s regular season out-of-conference play has come to an end for the 2013-14 season.  The next time a NESCAC team will see an OOC opponent will be in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Bowdoin and Colby, entering a bye-week, have just six conference games remaining to make their argument to host the NESCAC tournament; the rest of the conference play eight more games each.

With NESCAC’s over-all-record in OOC play a healthy 29-20-8 it’s time to re-examine our mid-season prognosis, look at how the individual teams fared, give some more thought to what the OOC results might mean for post-season play, and to eat a little crow.

In looking at OOC schedules I rated the individual schedules for difficulty. Not surprisingly the five most difficult OOC schedules, Hamilton, Williams, Midd, Amherst & CC, netted the NESCAC a record of 9-14-4, while the five easiest schedules, Bowdoin, Colby, Wesleyan, Trinity & Tufts, yielded a robust 20-6-4. Bowdoin, Trinity, & Wesleyan went a collective 15-1-2.

Williams. 1^st in NESCAC (tie), 13-3-2 overall, 9-1-2 NESCAC,

3-2 OOC (4-2 non-conference including win over Hamilton at Buck Classic)

The Ephs, first in the NESCAC at 9-1-2, played one of the harder OOC schedules this year. Due to the vagaries of holiday tournament scheduling the Ephs ended up playing a non-conference game against fellow NESCAC member Hamilton in the Buck Classic.

Here’s my early assessment of Williams OOC schedule.

"The Ephs have nearly as strong a schedule (as Middlebury & Hamilton) playing four tough games in six OOC contests. Only Johnson & Wales of the ECAC-NE should be considered weak. Manhattanville cracked the NCAA regional rankings late last season."

Here’s how the Ephs’ OOC schedule played out:

12/1/13            Babson, 3-2
1/3/14              Hobart,  2-3 OT (Buck Holiday Classic)
1/4/14              Hamilton, 4-3 OT (Buck)
1/11/14            Johnson and Wales, 2-3 OT
1/17/14            Manhattanville, 4-1
1/18/14            Plattsburgh, 5-1

I underestimated Johnson and Wales; it’s possible Williams did too. The Wildcats, from Providence Rhode Island, are 14-4 overall; at 4-3 in the ECAC-NE they sit 3rd in the conference. But, in addition to beating Williams, the Wildcats took a pair of 2-1 wins against Buffalo State, currently 3rd place in the mighty SUNYAC. Although they’ve yet to crack the top fifteen of either poll the Wildcats have drawn a few votes in the most recent polls over at USCHO and D3Hockey.

On the other hand, the surprising Johnson and Wales just made Williams already difficult schedule even harder. With the exception of Hamilton, every team the Ephs played has a winning record; their opponents combined winning percentage is .651. Four games were decided by just a goal with three of them going to overtime.

With Williams at 9-1-2 and Bowdoin at 6-5-1 in NESCAC, it's unlikely the Polar Bear
faithful at The Sid will see purple again this season. Bowdoin would need a lot of help to
host the NESCAC tournament. Bowdoin's Coach Terry Meagher told The Orient: "They're
not in first place by accident. Arguably they have the best goaltender in the east."

Trinity. 2nd in NESCAC (tie), 14-4 overall, 9-3 NESCAC,

OOC 5-1

How about Trinity? The Bantams, tied for second in NESCAC 9-3 record, ended their out-of-conference play at 5-1.

11/30/13          Salve Regina, 6-3
12/1/13            Wentworth, 4-3
12/5/13            Stonehill, 0-2
12/7/12            Manhattanville, 6-3
1/3/14              Becker, 5-4
1/4/14              WNEC, 10-1

But here’s what I said about Trinity’s OOC schedule earlier this year: “Wesleyan and Trinity bring in the least competitive OOC schedules. Each team plays just one OOC game against a historically strong team. . . .Trinity’s toughest opponent has been Manhattanville whom they beat 6-3, but the Bantams suffered a weird loss to Stonehill. With wins against Salve Regina and Wentworth, they’ll close out with Becker and Western New England College.”

Not a ringing endorsement.

If the NESCAC season ended now with either Williams or Trinty winning the conference tournament and its automatic trip to the NCAA tournament, how would the other team fare as runner-up looking for an at-large, or “Pool-C” tournament bid? Would the Bantams’ dominance of a weak OOC schedule help their NCAA chances? What about Williams decent, but not dominant performance against much tougher competition?

The answer depends on which of the so-called primary criteria for NCAA selection you’re talking about.  The gurus tell us that it's impossible to tell which, if any, of the criteria listed are most important. 

But here are the six primary criteria:

1) Won-lost percentage against DIII opponents. In past years this criterion has been win-loss percentage against regional opponents.

2) DIII head-to-head competition. The DIII label is surplusage.

3) Results versus common DIII opponents.

4) Results versus ranked DIII teams as established by the rankings at the time of selection. Conference postseason contests are included.

5) Division III strength of schedule. In the past this has been calculated by using 2/3 Opponents' Average Winning Percentage (OWP) and 1/3 Opponents' Opponents' Winning Percentage (OOWP)

6) Should a committee find that evaluation of a team’s won-lost percentage during the last 25 percent of the season is applicable (i.e., end-of-season performance), it may adopt such criteria with approval from the Championships Committee.

Stonehill is a DII school so the Bantam’s loss won’t even be considered in analyzing the primary criteria (play against DII schools does come back into play if the committee looks to secondary criteria but lets try and keep it simple here). For Trinity, their only DIII OOC opponent with a record above .500 is Manhattanville and the Valiants just barely make it. As a group Trinity’s opponents' combined winning percentage is .417. On the strength of schedule measure Trinity’s OOC schedule is a loser

But for a straight up 5-O against DIII OOC opponents? Hard to argue that’s not a boost in the “win-loss percentage against DIII opponents” category.

How does this stack up against Williams 4-2 record against decidedly tougher competition? In contrast with Trinity only one of the Ephs’s non-conference opponents is below .500 and that is fellow NESCAC member Hamilton at 4-10-3. The Ephs' opponents' combined winning percentage is .651. Clearly Williams gets the boost from the strength of schedule criterion, and 4-2 represents a decent win-loss percentage.

Because the Ephs will probably get the nod in the final category, “results against ranked teams,” I’m giving the nod to Williams on the chance for an at-large bid if they’re conference runner-up.

Play against ranked teams is a concept that won’t become clear until that last few weeks of the season. It includes consideration of play against teams within your conference and those from outside the conference. Because none of Trinity’s OOC opponents are likely to be ranked this year, Williams gets the nod as right now; the Ephs hold two wins against teams that are likely to be ranked late in the season: Babson and Plattsburgh.

As the NESCAC season winds down and the conference playoff picture becomes more clear we'll take a detailed look at the prospects for two NESCAC teams to make the NCAA tournament. For a taste of how that question will unfold this year you can review last year's prediction that no matter how good the runner-up was only the NESCAC conference champion would qualify for NCAA play. But if you read it note that the primary criteria have changed a bit since last season.

Amherst. 2nd in NESCAC (tied with Trinity but holding the tie breaker; the Jeffs swept the season series against Trinity, 11-6-1 overall, 9-3 NESCAC,

OOC 2-3-1

At second place in NESCAC the Lord Jeffs are 9-3 in the conference and 11-6-1 overall. Their 2-3-1 OOC schedule, which I concluded was a clear fourth in the NESCAC, went like this:

11/26/13          St. Mikes, 4-0
11/30/13          Babson, 0-2
1/3/14              Plymouth St., 4-3
1/4/14              Norwich, 1-5
1/24/14            Concordia (Wis), 4-4
1/25/14            Lake Forest, 1-3

Nothing in this schedule will help the Jeffs with an NCAA bid. First they have a losing record. Second, while their two western opponents, Lake Forest (10-8-1) and Concordia (8-7-4) are above .500 neither is lighting up the NCHA. Plymouth State is not having a good season and St. Mike’s, with just 3 wins, is last in the ECAC-E.

On the bright side for the Jeffs Babson at 16-3 and Norwich (14-3-2) are doing great, and both will likely be considered ranked during the crucial final weeks of the season. But……both beat Amherst.

Bowdoin.  4^th NESCAC (tie), 11-5-2 overall, 6-5-1 NESCAC,

OOC, 5-0-1.

Colby.  4^th NESCAC (tie), 9-6-2 overall, 6-5-1 NESCAC

OOC, 3-1-2

Bowdoin and Colby, ranked 4^th and 5^th in NESCAC with identical 6-5-1 records had very similar OOC schedules. The Polar bears, the last NESCAC team to wrap-up OOC play finished 5-0-1 with a winning percentage of .916:

11/26/13            UNE,  9-3
11/30/13            Suffolk, 5-0
12/1/13              UMD, 5-1
12/10/13            USM, 3-3
1/7/14                UNE, 4-3
1/28/14              USM, 4-1

Meanwhile, the Mules at 3-1-2, completed this schedule:

11/19/13         USM, 5-2
11/30/13         UMD, 4-4
12/1/13           Suffolk, 6-3
1/2/14             Wentworth 5-3
1/3/14             Babson 2-3
1/7/14             USM 3-3

Both teams from Maine will benefit with respect to win-loss percentage against DIII opponents but it’s hard to argue any benefits on the strength of schedule front. Bowdoin’s opponents have a meager .323 winning percentage, while Colby’s, boosted substantially by Babson’s 16 wins, still tops out at just .425.

I had Colby and Bowdoin’s OOC schedules ranked 6^th and 7^th respectively in NESCAC and noted that the only thing that really distinguished them from those of with even weaker OOC schedules was the fact that at least some of their weaker opponents played in a stronger conference, the ECAC-E.

 

Senior Ben Chwick snipes against UMass Dartmouth in early season out of conference play. Colby came away with
a 4-4 tie. Chwick leads the team in scoring with 12 goals and 10 assists in 18 games.

I don’t have to eat crow on this as USM, sitting 9^th of ten in ECAC-E managed ties with Bowdoin and Colby at home in Gorham while succumbing in Brunswick and Waterville. Meanwhile UNE is having their best season in five years of varsity hockey and took out powerful Babson earlier this year.

But neither of these facts means anything in terms of numbers. UNE’s winning percentage of .425 against the ECAC-E counts just about the same as Curry’s .444 in ECAC-NE. By the same token, Colby’s 3-2 loss to Babson showed their season turn around is for real; unfortunately for the Mules it is still a loss and won’t help with an NCAA selection.

Middlebury. 4^th NESCAC, 8-8-2 overall, 6-5-1 NESCAC,

OOC 2-3-1

Currently 4^th in NESCAC with a 6-5-1 record (8-8-2) overall, the Panthers played what was arguably the toughest OOC schedule. Earlier I wrote this:

“It’s tough not to credit Middlebury with the toughest OOC schedule when you realize they’ll play Norwich and Plattsburgh twice each this year. The Panthers surprised the then 2nd ranked Cadets by advancing to the final of the Primelink Tournament with their shoot-out victory. The shoot-out gave the Panthers a crack at Plattsburgh the following night. The Cards, now ranked 1^st by USCHO were then sitting in 3rd place, put away Middlebury with a big first period.
In mid-January the Panthers will see both teams again as part of their Lake Champlain hell weekend. The Panthers host number 1 Plattsburgh on the 17^th and travel to number 5 Norwich the following night.”

It was a hell weekend indeed as the Panthers lost to Plattsburgh 4-2 and were handily beaten by a Norwich team that skated to a 5-0 lead after only allowing the Panthers one shot on goal during the first period. Middlebury got two late goals for respectability, but it was all Cadets. This is how Midd's OOC schedule went:

11/29/13        Norwich, 1-1
11/30/13        Plattsburgh, 1-3
1/3/14            St. Mikes 6-2
1/4/14            Neumann 3-1
1/17/14          Plattsburgh 2-4
1/18/14          Norwich 2-5

For the Panthers their 2-3-1 OOC record won’t help them secure an NCAA spot. Again, their opponents have strong winning percentages: Plattsburgh’s is .842, Norwich .789, and Neumann .556, but the Panthers are just 1-3-1 against these teams. The moral victory shootout win against Norwich at the Primelink goes in the books as a tie.

A bigger problem for Midd is its NESCAC record and the rest of their schedule. The Panthers still face a home and home series with first place Williams, and a road game with Trinity. Last the Panthers face a final weekend game with Amherst.

You have to wonder about the decision to exile goaltender Mike Peters after pulling him during the first period against Plattsburgh at the Primelink (three goals on eight shots). Peters had been 3-0-2 until that point in the season after coming on late last season to lend some stability to a four-goaltender carousel.

The goaltending carousel at Middlebury enters its second year. Nick BonDurant
was relieved after 1:42 at Bowdoin on Jan 24th. Drew Michals, pictured, finished the
 5-4 OT loss. Michael Peters, with a season record of 4-1-2 played at Colby the
following day.

This season while Peters sat three other goalies went 3-6 for the Panthers. Peters returned to the crease on January 25^th against a Colby team that had just knocked off Williams and allowed just two goals in getting the win. His season record is now at 4-1-2. Injury is not a likely explanation as Peters dressed for seven of the nine games Midd played during his walk through goalie purgatory.

Connecticut College. 7^th NESCAC, 5-12-1 overall, 4-8 NESCAC

OOC, 1-4-1

The Camels also took on the Utica Pioneers, falling 5-1. Like Hamilton, the Camels also took down hapless Canton but ended their OOC season 1-4-1. Overall CC's opponents’ winning percentage is strong with Manhattanville and Salem State over .500, Utica at .667 and Oswego at .722, but for now this is really about building a solid OOC schedule for the future. It’s a schedule I called the 5^th hardest in NESCAC. Like Hamilton, the Camels need to worry about the final couple playoff spots in the NESCAC.

11/30/13          Utica, 1-5

12/1/13            Salem St, 0-1

12/3/13            Manhattanville, 0-6

1/4/14              Canton 5-2

1/7/14              Oswego 0-5

1/11/14            Curry 4-4

This Keith Veronesi shot for the game winning goal in overtime at Bowdoin

on December 6th had to be one of the few early highlights for CC this season.

Recently the Camels have taken important games from Hamilton, Wesleyan, 

and Middlebury to put themselves back in playoff contention. 3-3 over the

last three weeks their losses include an OT loss to Trinity and 1-0 loss

to first place Williams.

Hamilton. 8^th NESCAC, 4-10-3 overall, 3-7-2 NESCAC

OOC  1-3-1 (1-4-1 including non-conference loss to Williams at the Buck Classic)

I gave Hamilton credit for the toughest OOC schedule noting:

“Good arguments can be made for Middlebury and Williams but because the Conts finished low last year the nod for courageous scheduling goes to Clinton.”

Unfortunately for the Conts they need to worry more about maintaining a playoff position within NESCAC than what their tough OOC schedule means. Hamilton finished their five game OOC slate 1-3-1 with the lone win against independent punching bag Canton and a tie with a frustrated Utica team. Aside from Canton, the “weakest” team in Hamilton’s OOC schedule is Utica with a .667 wining percentage.

12/1/13          Suny Canton, 3-0
1/3/14            Plattsburgh 2-5
1/4/14            Williams 3-4 OT
1/24/14          Suny Geneseo 1-5
1/25/14          Utica 4-4

Plagued by injuries and early graduations a promising start to Hamilton's
season has been stymied. They do lead the league in one thing though:
penalty minutes. The Conts average 16.2 minutes per game in the box; against
their NESCAC brethren they ratchet it up to 16.8. With just the 7th best penalty
kill in the conference avoiding the extra minutes would be prudent.
Here Jon Carkeek takes a 5 minute major, and picks up the added bonus
of a misconduct.

Wesleyan. 9^th NESCAC, 8-8-2 overall, 3-8-1 NESCAC

OOC 5-0-1

The Cardinals OOC schedule is where I made my biggest mistake. I undervalued New England College now at 14-6-1 overall, including a recent thiller over Norwich, and sitting 3^rd in the ECAC-E. Moreover, I didn’t look hard enough at Hobart’s 2-4-4 start which included six overtime games and some tough competition. Even Salve Regina, at 5-2 and leading the oft maligned ECAC-NE, has tangled with Trinity, Hobart, Utica, Neumann, Oswego, Castleton & Skidmore, all middle of the pack to top rated teams in the three most competitive eastern conferences. I should have ranked Wesleyan’s OOC schedule 6^th just behind Connecticut College. The Card's OOC record:

11/26/13          Stonehill, 5-3
11/30/13          Wentworth, 2-2
12/1/13            Salve Regina, 6-2
12/7/13            Hobart, 6-2
1/3/14              NEC 4-2
1/5/14              Canton 4-3

Tufts. 10^th NESCAC, 3-15 overall, 1-11 NESCAC

OOC, 2-4

The Jumbo moves slowly. Bringing up the rear is Tufts at 1-11 in NESCAC and 3-15 overall; even their fairly weak OOC schedule has not done much for their overall record. At 2-4 it’s possible that they should have added Canton too.

11/26/13            Becker, 4-6
11/30/13            Castleton St, 4-3
12/1/13              Manhattanville, 0-3
1/4/14                SNHU 4-5
1/5/14                Suffolk 4-1
1/8/14                Suffolk 3-4

NCAA Tournament 1st Round: U-Mass Dartmouth at Bowdoin Round Table Preview

As we did last week for the NESCAC semifinal between Middelbury and Bowdoin, we invited the opposing schools' student papers to join our Bowdoin writer Benet Pols for a round table preview of tonight's UMass-Dartmouth Crossairs at Bowdoin College Polar Bears NCAA Division-III men's ice hockey tournament game. For the student writers, we have the return of  Luke Lamar, men's hockey correspondent for The Bowdoin Orient, and Mark Ogle, Sports Editor for the Umass-Dartmouth Torch. 

The X Factor in this game is...

A (mostly) packed Sid may be the X Factor

Luke Lamar The X Factor for this game is the setting.  Bowdoin plays well at home and the seniors will love another chance to play in front of the home crowd, but home is where the team had two of its three losses.  Given that it is crazy midterm week the student support may not be as stadium shaking as it was on Sunday.  UMD seems to have played well on the road, with a better winning percentage away than at home, but it will be up to them to keep up that sort of energy in a play-off atmosphere.

Mark Ogle The X-Factor in this game for the UMass Dartmouth Corsairs is Sophomore defenseman Stephen Ginand (D, So).  He deserves as much credit as anybody for the team's wild ride through the post-season.  Ginand scored the game-winning goal in the 2-1 win over Plymouth State in the MASCAC Championship game.  He also scored 2 goals in the team's improbable 5-4 triple-overtime win over Salem State in the semi-finals.  All the while he has played solid defense, making him an indispensable player for the Corsairs.  He has been the catalyst behind the team's last two wins.  If he can continue to play at this high level then the Corsairs have a chance to pull off the upset. 

The 2,300 Club: A salute to the students, alumni, kids and especially the parents that fill "The Sid"

By Benet Pols 

Sidney J. Watson Arena has seating for 1,900 and standing room for hundreds more

With 10 seconds remaining in the first period of Sunday's NESCAC men's ice hockey championship,  Bowdoin’s Ollie Koo crossed the blue line to meet a Williams defender trying to break out of the Ephs zone. It looked like a case of a solid fore-check, enough to slowdown the Ephs rush long enough for the period to run out with Bowdoin up 1-0.

Instead, Koo and linemate Colin Downey gained control of the puck enabling Harry Matheson, in the low slot, to lift a second effort backhand over William’s outstanding goaltender, Sean Dougherty. Just 4.9 seconds remained on the clock.

Over the clamor of the capacity crowd the fan next to me on the rail admired the ferocity of the late period fore-check. It would have been a great play just to keep Williams bottled up and deny them a late period opportunity to get out of the zone. But for Koo and Downey to free the puck up, get control and put it on Matheson’s stick? That was something else. Sheer effort when others would have tailed off. And a goal just before the buzzer animates one team and hobbles the other.

But this was no ordinary fan. He knew more than a thing or two about late period heroics, grinding play and Bowdoin hockey. This was Sean Hanley (Bowdoin ’76). His last goal in a Polar Bear uniform had been the game-winner 37 springs ago, when Bowdoin defeated Merrimack for the Polar Bear’s third ECAC Div-II Championship. That goal, late in the third period, staunched a ferocious Merrimack comeback that had devoured a 5-2 Bowdoin lead. Hanley’s goal put the brakes on a 51 shot Merrimack attack and gave Bowdoin its second title in as many years against a powerful team on the cusp of moving up to Div-I.

Conference Roundup: NESCAC Championship 3/2/13

#2. Williams Ephs (17-7-3)                1             
#1. Bowdoin Polar Bears (22-3-2)  2

It was over when...: Bowdoin kept the puck in the offensive end and the Ephs weren't able to pull Sean Dougherty (G, So) until 20 seconds remained. The Polar Bears kept Williams off the board and held on, 2-1, for their first official men's NESCAC hockey championship.

Bowdoin led off the scoring 11:46 in on the first power play of the game. Ollie Koo (D/F, Jr.)  kept a puck in the offensive zone that nearly trickled past the blue line. He then shuffled it over to John McGinnis (F, So.), who fired it across ice to Colin Downey (F/D, Jr.) for the goal.

As they did in the semifinals against Middlebury, Bowdoin took a 2-0 lead in the final minute of the first period.  After the Ephs failed to clear a puck from the defensive zone, Koo got it over to Harry Matheson  (F, Jr.), who followed up an initial save by Dougherty and flipped a backhand home with 4.9 seconds remaining. The late goal gave the top seeded Polar Bears a significant psychological advantage heading into the locker room. Senior co-captain Tim McGarry (D, Sr.) said, "That was huge; anytime you can get a goal in the last few minutes that's deflating for the other team and uplifts us."

Conference Roundup: NESCAC Semifinals 3/2/13

#5 Middlebury Panthers (13-11-2)   2

#1 Bowdoin Polar Bears (21-3-2)    4

It was over when...:  The Polar Bears held off the Panthers on a 5-3 midway through the third to keep the score at 4-2. Max Fenkell (G, So.) made 32 big saves and remains unbeaten on the season (9-0-1). Mike Peters (G, So.) made 25 saves in his fifth straight start and takes the loss to drop to (3-2-0). Bowdoin beats Middlebury in the playoffs for the first time in six tries and moves on to face off against Williams in the finals tomorrow afternoon. 

Bowdoin led off the scoring on a pair of Danny Palumbo (F, So.) goals in the first. From the corner, Tim Coffey (F, So.) found Palumbo for a one timer in front of the net for the first goal (picured).  Palumbo then gave the Polar Bears a big psychological edge on a goal with just 39.4 seconds remaining in the period to go up two. Bowdoin also led 2-0 in the 1st period the first time these two met in the Sid back in November. In addition, Terry Meagher's squad led 4-2 as they did in this game, but in the early season affair Middlebury scored twice in the third to end the game in a tie.

Palumbo beats Peters for first goal (Photo: Benet Pols)

In the second, Dan Weiniger (F, Sr.) intercepted a pass in the neutral zone and beat Peters to put Bowdoin up 3-0. Middlebury cut it to 3-1 later in the period when a Mike Longo slapshot was blocked but Robbie Donahoe (D, Jr.)  pounced on the rebound. Donahoe played well throughout the afternoon, showing why he was selected to second team All-NESCAC and garnering considerable  props from the opposing Bowdoin announcers.

Ollie Koo (D/F, Jr.) scored on a slapshot from the point 3:42 into the third for the only power play goal in the game to put the Polar Bears up 3-1. Just 31 seconds later,  the other Middlebury Robbie,  Robbie Dobrowski (F, So.), poked in the puck from a scramble in front of the net to pull the Panthers within 2. Middlebury tried to pull Peters with 1:50 remaining, but a faceoff in the neutral zone sent the sophomore netminder right back to his crease. They finally did pull him with 1:20 remaining, but it was to no avail. Bowdoin missed on several empty-net opportunities before the final buzzer sounded.

The loss ends the Panthers season, but the future is bright for Bill Beaney's team. They return all eight of their top scorers, and three of their four top scorers are either freshman or sophomores.

From Bowdoin's avoiding their achilles heel of blowing leads late or getting into sin bin trouble(besides that little 5-3 snafu), to the X Factor of Max Fenkell's play, our round table's analysis proved to be incisive. Thanks again to Owen Teach, Luke Lamar and Benet Pols.

Player of the game: Dan Weiniger (F, Sr.) The senior from Jersey created his team leading 17th goal and set up two others en route to a three point day (1-2-3). It was his highest NESCAC playoff output since his four points (2-2-4) against Hamilton in the semis his freshman year. Honorable mention goes to Fenkell for his solid goaltending and Palumbo for his two goals in the first to give Bowdoin a big 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

Box Score: Middlebury 2/Bowdoin 4            
Middlebury Recap    Bowdoin Recap    Maine Hockey Journal     Bowdoin Orient


#3 Trinity Bantams (15-7-3)   2 
#2 Williams Ephs (17-6-3)     4

It was over when..: Paul Steinig (D, Jr.) put in an empty netter to seal a 4-2 victory for Williams and send the Ephs to their first NESCAC finals since 2011. Ben Coulthard (G, Jr.) made 28 saves in defeat, and the first team All-NESCAC goalie ends the season at (12-6-3).  Second team All-NESCAC goalie Sean Dougherty (G, So.) made 35 saves and moves to (15-6-2). Trinity was 0/2 on the Power play while Williams was 1/3.

Braft scores the first Ephs goal (Photo: Benet Pol)

Tim Shea (F, So.) led off the scoring 7:07 into the game when he beat Dougherty on a rebound from a Charlie Mullan (F, Jr.) shot. Mullan would go to the box later in the first, but Williams could not capitalize.  Williams leap- frogged the Bantams on two second period goals to take a 2-1 lead into the third. Mike Broft (D, Sr.) scored first for the Ephs, beating Coulthard stick side(pictured) on a setup from Cody Skinner (F, Sr.).

The Ephs went on the power play later in the second, shortly after taking a timeout with 13:26 remaining in the period. Williams made the Bantams pay, as a well positioned Craig Kitto (F, So.) buried a one timer on an excellent pass from Hamilton transfer Nick Anderson (F, Jr.) behind the net. The Ephs would make it 3-2 4:13 into the third period, on a stellar solo effort from Eric Rubino (F, Sr.). Gaining the puck in the defensive end, Rubino took it up the left wing and beat Coulthard for an unassisted tally (pictured).

Rubino goes coast-to-coast (Photo: Benet Pols)

As they did against Colby last week, the Ephs played a defensive brand of hockey in the third to protect their lead. Trinity would bring it to within one when Jackson Brewer (F, So.) put in a free puck off a Mike Hawkrigg (F, Fr.) shot that clanged off the crossbar. The Bantams had several good chances the rest of the way, but Dougherty was in lock down mode.

The loss ends a solid season for a well coached Trinity team. Matt Greason, grandson of a former Bowdoin President, earned Coach of the Year honors in the NESCAC by bringing a Bantams bunch that didn't have a plethora of talent into the semifinals as the third third seed. Greason's gang last loss by more than one goal on their previous visit to Brunswick, a 5-2 loss to Bowdoin on January 12th.

Player of the game: Sean Dougherty (G, So.) The only sophomore Joe Concannon semifinalist made 35 saves, including 16 in the final frame, to send the Ephs to the finals.

Box Score: Trinity 2/Williams 4             
Williams Recap    Trinity Recap  NESCAC Recap  

NESCAC Semifinal: #5 Middlebury vs #1 Bowdoin 4 PM 3/2/13

 Who: #5 Middlebury Panthers (13-10-2) vs. #1 Bowdoin Polar Bears (20-3-2)
Where: Sidney J. Watson Arena Brunswick, ME
When: 1 PM Saturday 3/2/13
Video / Audio: Video   Live Stats

Overall  (Conference Rank)             Conference Games (conf. rank)
Offense: 3.42 G/GM (3rd)                                      Offense: 3.89 G/GM (2nd)

Defense: 3.12 G/GM (6th)                                     Defense: 2.94 G/GM (6th)

Power Play: 29/108 -26.9% (2nd)                        Power Play: 25/85 -29.4% (1st) 

Penalty Kill: 80/99 - 80.8% (5th)                          Penalty Kill: 62/76 - 81.6% (4th)

Overall  (Conference Rank)             Conference Games (conf. rank)
Offense: 4.38 G/GM (1st)                                    Offense: 4.22 G/GM (1st)

Defense: 2.58 G/GM (4th)                                   Defense: 2.61 G/GM (4th)

Power Play: 29/107 - 27.1% (1st)                       Power Play: 21/78 -26.9% (2nd) 

Penalty Kill: 101/125 - 80.8% (6th)                    Penalty Kill: 74/93 - 79.6% (6th)

The Lowdown: This one's kind of important, too

 Middlebury beat fourth seed Amherst, 4-3, in the Quarterfinals, just a week after losing to the Lord Jeffs in the season finale, to send them to Brunswick. Bowdoin erased a 3-2 deficit in the quarters against eight seed Hamilton to vanquish the Continentals and earn the right to host the final weekend of NESCAC play.

Bowdoin and Middlebury last met on January 19th in Vermont. Bowdoin pulled off a 3-0 victory despite being outshot 38-25. Middlebury’s goal tending situation has changed twice since January. Neither of the two goalies Bowdoin has seen this season will be likely to play this Saturday. The squads met in November with Middlebury come back from a 4-2 deficit going into the third period to hold on for a 4-4 tie. The overtime period was a gruesome early season thing where both teams played to avoid the loss. Neither goalie faced a shot on goal during the five minutes of OT.

Since the teams last met Bowdoin is 5-2-1 while Middlebury is 7-2-0.

In NESCAC playoff history, Middlebury has been the Polar Bears' bugbear; the Panthers, winners of eight of the conference's 13 playoffs, have beaten Bowdoin in all five playoff matchups, four of those coming in championship games. Bowdoin's only NESCAC men's ice hockey championship (2011) was vacated voluntarily by the school, in a controversial decision after a hazing incident. (read more). Middlebury has a 30-5 record in the NESCAC playoffs while Bowdoin has a 15-12 mark. 

For analysis and a breakdown of the game, see our Round Table Preview with Owen Teach of The Middlebury Campus, Luke Lamar of The Bowdoin Orient and our Benet Pols. (Round Table Preview). 

Predictions

Tim Costello of USCHO predicts a 4-2 Bowdoin victory, saying "It’s close, and an empty-net goal seals the deal for the home team in this one, but not without a scare." (full article)

The Burlington Free Press also has Bowdoin, 4-2. (Full article)

The posters at the USCHO fan forums weekly "NESCAC Pick'em contest" (thread here) tell a different story. 6 of the 8 posters chose Middlebury to win. 

Players to watch  

Mike Peters (G, So.) Peters has been solid in his first four career starts, but how does the inexperienced netminder respond to the pressures of the final weekend of NESCAC play?

Ollie Koo (D/F, Jr.) Koo, who was selected to the second team All-NESCAC this week, switched back to forward in the third period of the Polar Bears 5-3 win over Hamilton after several games back on D. Where does Koo play today?

 For the final semifinal game of the day, we present an encore of the orchestra backed cello performance of glam metal band Europe's 80s hit "Final Countdown". When else will you see cello players in suits headbanging? 

NESCAC Semifinal: #5. Middlebury vs #1 Bowdoin Round Table Preview

We'll have a standard preview for tomorrow's Middlebury/Bowdoin NESCAC men's hockey semi-final, but we also wanted to do something a little different. So we invited Owen Teach, men's hockey writer for The Middlebury Campus and Luke Lamar, men's hockey writer for The Bowdoin Orient , to join our Benet Pols, who has ties to both programs, for a round table preview for the game. 5 questions and predictions after the puck drop. Enjoy!

Middlebury and Bowdoin first faced off this season on
11/17/12 at "The Sid," skating to a 4-4 tie 

NESCAC Semifinal: #3. Trinity vs #2. Williams 1 PM Saturday 3/2/13

Who: #3. Trinity Bantams (15-6-3) vs. #2. Williams Ephs (16-6-3)
Where: Sidney J. Watson Arena Brunswick, ME
When: 1 PM Saturday 3/2/13
Video/Audio: Video   Live Stats

Overall  (Conference Rank)                                    Conference Games (conf. rank)
Offense: 3.30 G/GM (4th)                                        Offense: 3.39 G/GM (3rd)

Defense: 2.09 G/GM (3rd)                                       Defense: 2.06 G/GM (2nd)

Power Play:  19/95-20.0% (6th)                               Power Play: 12/68 -17.6% (7th) 

Penalty Kill: 95 /109 - 87.2% (2nd)                          Penalty Kill: 75/86 - 87.2% (2nd)

Overall  (Conference Rank)                                    Conference Games (conf. rank)
Offense: 3.08 G/GM (6th)                                        Offense: 3.00 G/GM (6th)

Defense: 2.04 G/GM (2nd)                                      Defense: 1.94 G/GM (1st)

Power Play:  13/80-26.2% (9th)                               Power Play: 11/61 -18.0% (6th) 

Penalty Kill: 71/83  - 85.5% (3rd)                            Penalty Kill: 56/64 - 87.5% (1st)

The Lowdown: This is kind of important...right?

After nearly four months of regular season hockey and one week of playoff puck, we have finally reached the grand finale weekend of NESCAC hockey. Trinity got here by defeating sixth seeded Wesleyan in a 5-4 OT Quaterfinal thriller, while the Ephs survived a surging seventh seed Colby, 2-1, in the round of eight.

Can I swim, too? NESCAC chances for a Pool C bid in the NCAA D-III men's ice hockey tournament

Benet Pols examines the NESCAC's chances at putting a second team in the NCAA Tournament; includes an overview of the selection process, a detailed look at the case for each of the four 'CAC schools, an examination of the odds for the rest of the country and what happens behind closed doors in smoke filled rooms on Selection Sunday...

By Benet Pols

With the NESCAC men’s ice hockey Champion set to be crowned sometime Sunday afternoon at Bowdoin College’s Sidney J. Watson Arena in Brunswick, ME, it’s a good time to examine the prospects for a second NESCAC team's inclusion in the NCAA tournament. On Saturday March 2, 2013 at 1:00 PM the second seeded Ephs of Williams take on third seeded Trinity College Bantams. First place Bowdoin faces off against the 5^th seed, and Bowdoin’s playoff bête noire, Middlebury at 4:00. The winners will face-off on Sunday for the Championship with the winner, as most fans know, advancing to the NCAA tourney via the conference’s automatic qualifier (AQ). 

"The Sid" will be packed this weekend 

But what happens to the runner up? Many have been assuming that Bowdoin, by virtue of its (20-3-2) record so far is a lock for a so called Pool-C, or at-large, bid should they fail to win the NESCAC championship.

Not so fast Polar Bear Nation, or Ephs fans, or Bantam backers. Your road to Lake Placid almost certainly requires your team to be hoisting hardware this Sunday afternoon at the Sid. For each of the three top teams there’s a slim chance of getting one of the three Pool-C spots, but because of the intense competition for these spots from other conferences, particularly the ECAC-West, ECAC-East and the SUNYAC, chances of getting a pool-C bid are especially bad this year.

And Middlebury fans? You’re not forgotten, but your only shot at the NCAA tournament is by winning the NESCAC championship this weekend. Better bring your A game Panther Nation. 

With news that Bowdoin will be the host school for the 2014 NCAA Div. III Frozen Four, to be held at the Colisee in Lewiston, the byzantine process of putting together the tournament field will be of even greater interest to not just the NESCAC colleges, but all the other New England conferences.

Linkstravaganza: 2/26/13

Student Newspapers
The Amherst Student chronicles the Lord Jeffs "gut-wrenching" end to their conference title defense, Saturday's 4-3 loss at home to Middlebury in the NESCAC Quarterfinals. The quote from Jack Arena sums it up. "When a season ends there are no moral victories...the guys were devasatated." Full article

The Wesleyan Argus covers the last game as a Cardinal for Wesleyan's 10 seniors, a "Route Nine Rivalry" OT loss to Trinity in the Quarterfinals. Full article 

The Williams Record has a piece on the Ephs 2-1 victory over Colby in the Quarters to send them to Bowdoin for a semifinal showdown with Trinity.  Coach Bill Kangas channels Reinhold Niebuhr when talking about the semis.  "They(Trinity) beat us last time in the year. They have a very good hockey team. We'll be ready to play and hopefully at out best. All we can control is ourselves." Full Article 

This is from a few weeks ago and we've talked about him before, but The Bowdoin Orient has a feature on Jon Landry that includes quotes from the NHL hopeful himself. Full Article

This op-ed  from The Middlebury Campus isn't about hockey directly, but addresses  the  "Fanhood Problem" at Middlebury.  Using the ski team's only home race of the season as a springboard, the piece examines what the writer feels is a "woefully negligent job promoting its athletics" by the college. We would be interested to hear what Middlebury hockey players/fans feel about this topic.  Full Article