What does this all mean? Well for starters it means Amherst has limped into the postseason with a dismal 1-5 stretch. The Jeffs fell from first place in the conference with the potential to host the NESCAC tournament, to fifth where they'll need to become road warriors to keep their season alive. On Saturday at 3:00 the Jeffs will battle Little Three rival Wesleyan University in the first round of the tournament. The Jeffs have owned Wesleyan of late, winning the season opener 5-4 and the McCabe Tournament championship game 6-3.
Friday night provided the Jeffs with one of the biggest crowds of the season. Williams College was suffering one of its worst seasons to date but had been playing better preceding their game against Amherst. Just six minutes in, Williams took the lead when Matt Draheim finished off a bouncing puck in front of the net. Amherst's response come from the stick of defenseman Jeff Landers '09, whose shot from the right point whistled past the glove of the Williams goalie. Williams grabbed the lead yet again when Will Bruce picked a timely moment to collect his first goal of the season as he deflected pass from the right boards.
Seven minutes into the second stanza, Williams tallied what proved to be the game-winner when Alex Smigelski scored from the right side. Amherst forward Trevor Calamel '07 smashed a one timer from the right side igniting the Amherst fans and putting the Jeffs within one goal of the Ephs.
In a game where the Jeffs continually applied pressure, Williams' defensemen and netminder Marc Pulde came up with timely plays to keep the Jeffs at bay. The result was a painful 3-2 loss that set up an almost must-win situation in the final home game for the seniors.
"Our team was fueled by the amazing crowd on friday night, and we were all very disappointed we couldnt capitalize on our chances over Williams," said defensemen Rylan Burns '09.
Seniors Erik Lund, Trevor Calamel, Brandon Zangel, Josh Fillman and captain Sean Ellis were all honored prior to the opening face-off against Middlebury College. They had experienced a four-year run that never saw the program dip below .500 in arguably the most competitive conference in Div.III ice hockey.
However it wasn't their day as Middlebury looked impressive, skating to a 6-2 victory over Amherst. After jumping ahead in the first period 2-0, Amherst came out roaring in the second. Forward Joel Covelli '09 continued his awesome season with a power-play goal off a beautiful pass from forward Mike McIntosh '08, who had an excellent game for Amherst. The Jeffs knotted it up when defenseman Rylan Burns '09 took a slap-shot from the blue-line that made its way through a crowd and into the net. However a pair of demoralizing goals late in the second period paved the way for two more in the final frame, sealing the Jeffs' hosting dreams. Six different Panther players found the net and Middlebury locked up the number two seed in the NESCAC Tournament.
"I thought we had a great effort this weekend," said Burns. "But unfortunately we just didnt get the bounces."
Amherst will look to the trio of forwards that have led offensively all season to step up this Saturday. Ellis, Covelli and Kyle Schoppel '08 will need to generate points for Amherst who, other than against Colby College, has been held to two goals or less against the top six teams in NESCAC play. Look for the Jeffs to rebound and beat the Cardinals for the third time this season.
NESCAC Notes
Bowdoin College earned the top seed in the tournament for the first time in school history. The Polar Bears will host Trinity College in the quarterfinals. With the second seed, Middlebury will get a visit from Williams, as Colby hosts Connecticut College. The Wesleyan-Amherst matchup is the fourth quarterfinal game.