However. playing without leading goal scorer and team captain Sean Ellis '07 stacked the chips against the Amherst squad. "It was hard watching them play this weekend," said Ellis. "But the guys played hard and with a few bounces against New England we could have had an even better weekend." With five teams in the hunt to host the NESCAC tournament, Amherst still finds itself very much in the thick of things after a 1-1 road trip.
On Friday night, the Jeffs found themselves on New England College's campus looking to end their two-game slide. Unfortunately, NEC proved to be an unwelcoming host, scoring four goals in the first period and never looking back. The Jeffs couldn't contain New England forward Mike Mullen, who netted a hat- trick that included two power-play tallies to lead the Pilgrims to their 12th win of the season, 6-2.
Amherst defenseman Brandon Zangel '07 and forward Gregg Adamo '08 scored their fifth and sixth goals of the season, respectively, for the losing cause, while netminder Josh Fillman '07 turned aside 29 shots despite coming away with the loss.
Having lost three games in a row, Amherst found itself in a gut-check game against a St. Anselm squad that was looking to get over .500. Again without the services of Ellis, Amherst got a lift from its assist leader Joel Covelli '09, who tallied two first-period goals en route to the Jeffs' 5-2 victory. Covelli got Amherst on the board eight minutes into the first frame when he finished off assists from forward Olufemi Amurawaiye '09 and Andrew Stevenson '10. Junior defenseman Rob Stevenson chose a great time to pick-up his first goal of the season when he scored only 14 seconds later.
Only two minutes after that, the Jeffs took a commanding three-goal advantage, thanks again to the stick of Covelli. After St. Anselm snagged one back, forward Andrew Schremp '08 tallied his third goal of the season off an assist from forward Brendan Powers '09, and the Jeffs took a 4-1 lead into the final frame. St. Anselm attempted a late comeback, scoring with 88 seconds left in the contest, but forward Kyle Schoppel '08 iced their comeback hopes with an empty net goal only 19 seconds later, and the Jeffs re-entered the race for home-ice advantage.
This weekend is crucial for the Jeffs, and the team is well aware of what is at stake. "This is definitely the weekend of the year and [it] is huge for our playoff hopes," Fillman said. "If we can get two wins, we have a great chance to host the NESCAC Tournament."
As it stands now, the Jeffs are tied for second place with Wesleyan University and Colby College, while Middlebury College lurks just a point behind all three. Amherst will need wins over arch rival Williams College and defending national champion Middlebury to clinch home-ice advantage, but at least one win will likely provide the Jeffs a home game in the first round.
NESCAC Notes
Bowdoin College is now in first place while Trinity, Connecticut and Hamilton Colleges are battling for their playoff lives. Colby's Greg Osbrone leads the NESCAC in points, while Wesleyan's Mike Palladino is the top netminder.