Amherst traveled to archrival Williams College on Friday to take on one of the hottest hockey teams in the nation in front of a hostile crowd with a lot on the line. One thing that has been a problem for the Jeffs all season long has been their undisciplined play, which has propelled them to the top of the league in total penalties. This time it really cost Amherst as Williams opened the scoring with a man advantage when Matt Dreiheim scored on feeds from Jim Canner and Kevin Colwell. Forward Sean Ellis '07 brought Amherst back as he scored with assists from forward Kyle Schoppel '08 and forward Greg Adamo '08 sending the teams to the locker rooms tied at one.
In the second period, the Ephs posted their second power-play tally when Brandon Jackmuff scored. Ellis willed the Jeffs back with 33 seconds to play in the second period, continuing his stellar offensive season. Brandon Zangel '07 and senior captain Jack Greeley '06 provided assists.
The third period was one that the Jeffs will hopefully learn from as Williams took control and out shot Amherst 21-2. Goalie Josh Fillman '07 kept the Ephs at bay until the 17:18 mark when Colwell scored the game-winner. Williams' Devon O'Rourke added an empty-net tally to finish off the game.
The Jeffs looked to bounce back as they traveled to third-ranked Middlebury College on Saturday hoping to snap a five-game skid. The Jeffs gave the Panthers everything the defending national champions could handle, but fell 3-1.
Middlebury opened the scoring when Mickey Gilchrest finished feeds from Jamie McKenna and Robert McIntyre. With Amherst struggling for offense, they turned to an unlikely source when defenseman Rob Stevenson '08 slid a wrister just inside the right post as forward Will Collins '09 notched the assist. Amherst again skated out for the third period with the score deadlocked, and again the Jeffs suffered heartbreaking results in the final minutes. Middlebury's Jeff Smith found the back of the net on a wrist shot from the high-slot and Glichrest added an empty-net goal to finish the Jeff's regular season. It was the second time this season that Amherst skated with Middlebury for 60 minutes but was unable to get a win. The Jeffs hope to see the Panthers again this season since Middlebury has home-ice advantage throughout the NESCAC Tournament.
"Our team has lost six in a row; however, this weekend we played two of our best games all year, losing to the top-two teams in the conference in the last three minutes of each game, and we realize that with any bounces or a little luck we would have won," said Greeley. "We are trying to stay positive, and we know that anyone in our league can beat any team on a given day."
The Jeffs regular season slate concluded with a record of 12-11-1 overall and 9-9-1 in conference play. Ellis leads the team in points with 23 (nine goals, fourteen assists) while Schoppel leads the team in goals with 10. Fillman posted a .905 save percentage and a 3.08 goals against average, which are both better than his career averages. He has assumed full-time netminding duties with the losses of Dan Smith '08 and A.J. Scola '09 midseason. The team suffered the devastating loss of senior sniper Steve Nelson, a piece of this team's puzzle that cannot be replaced.
So, the Jeffs now find themselves ready to head to Brunswick, Me. where they haven't been successful as of late. Amherst should remain confident in their abilities to make a run at the NESCAC crown after the close battles they fought with a pair of top-15 ranked teams on the road this weekend. Amherst takes on a hot Bowdoin squad that just earned a weekend shutout over second-ranked Norwich University, 2-0, and St. Michael's College, 7-0. The Jeffs will have to find a way to win on the road where they have struggled to a 3-8-1 record during the regular season.
The Jeffs are confident that this weekend will be a turning point in their season. "We lost to Bowdoin 4-2 earlier this year. We came out flat, and they came out flying, playing a very physical, aggressive game," Greeley said. "We must come out harder this time and play like we did in the second and third periods in which we dominated against them last time. As for offense, we need our power play to start scoring again, as we have one of the most potent power-play units in the conference. In addition, we need some bounces to go our way, and if this had happened in the last week, we could have won at least half the six games."
Throw out all stats, records and scenarios when it comes to playoff hockey at any level. Injuries disappear, special teams become crucial and any team can ride a hot goalie to the title. There is no doubt this weekend's game against the Polar Bears will be a tightly-contested and high-energy battle.
NESCAC Notes
The leading NESCAC point scorer at the end of season was Colby forward T.J Kelley, who tallied 16-23-39 totals. The seedings for this weekend's NESCAC Tournament Quarterfinals are as follows: number eight Wesleyan at number one Middlebury; number seven Hamilton at number two Williams; number six Amherst at number three Bowdoin; and number five Trinity at number four Colby.