the Jeffs remained confident and stayed strong despite the enormous pressure and went on to defeat both of their opponents to win a well-deserved championship title.
From the opening face-off of the Trinity game, it was clear that the Jeffs were on a mission. In front of a packed house at Orr Rink, the Jeffs got off to a great start, clearly hungry for the win. In the first period, Amherst recorded their first goal on the power play when first-year Eddie Effinger blasted a one timer at the net and senior Joel Covelli knocked home the rebound. After scoring their first goal, the team never looked back — never once falling behind on the scoreboard or letting the other team take control of the game.
Despite Amherst’s strong play, no goals found their way into the net for either team in the second. Covelli would score again in the third, however, this time stealing the puck from a defender before putting it past Trinity’s goaltender. Finally Trip Wray ’11 made the score 3-0 with a beautiful top-corner shot from just above the top of the circle.
For his performance in the game, goalie Jonathan La Rose was named NESCAC Men’s Ice Hockey Player of the Week. La Rose made 44 saves in the victory for his third shut out of the season.
The next day, the Jeffs faced off against Middlebury College in the NESCAC final. After narrowly losing to Amherst during the last weekend of the regular season, Middlebury was clearly out for revenge. The combination of Amherst’s talent, heart and the support of their home crowd were too much for Middlebury, however, as the Jeffs dominated the Panthers from start to finish.
“It was very helpful to host the tournament. Playing in front of your home crowd really helps to keep you focused. Our fans this year have been incredibly supportive and that energy really helps us give our best effort night in and night out,” said Will Collins ’09. The fans also attempted to throw the opposing team’s goalie off his game all night by chanting “Doug needs a hug.”
The Jeffs certainly kept Doug busy, pegging him with 32 shots, 5 of which scored. Amherst got on the board early in the first period with stellar contributions from their seniors. First, Ted Vickers ’10 banked a power play goal assisted by captain Jeff Landers ’09. Then, the seniors would contribute again when Brendan Powers ’09 netted a one timer from Covelli and Collins.
The seniors felt especially strong about this game and about this year’s team’s potential. Powers said, “As seniors, we certainly take a lot of pride in the progress that the program has made over our time here. Every season we feel like we’ve gotten a little better as a team, and this year everything just came together at the right time.” It was the seniors’ strong leadership that would get the Jeffs off to a great start that would set the tone for the rest of the night.
The Jeffs began the second period leading the Panthers 2-1. Thirty seconds later however, the Jeffs added another when Effinger delayed at the blue line and took a hit to make a perfectly timed pass to Luke Arnold ’11 racing into the zone all alone. He then faked out the goalie and netted a beautiful top-shelf shot. Later, Vickers scored his second of the game on a power play to make the score 4-1 at the end of the second.
In the third, the Panthers managed to score a late power play goal to make the score 4-2. With a glimmer of hope after their last goal, Middlebury opted to pull their goalie and put an extra skater on the ice. The visitors had a few chances to bring the score within one but the Jeffs’ netminder Cole Anderson ’11 was an impenetrable force.
On a Middlebury change, Anderson would also be credited with an assist after he made a pass to Jack Baer ’10 who then sprung a wide-open Arnold for the empty net goal which would make the final score 5-2. Anderson made an impressive 35 saves for the victory.
At the buzzer, the Amherst team jumped over the boards and flooded the ice. The Jeffs received a standing ovation from the fans at Orr Rink as they celebrated their first-ever NESCAC championship.
“This win was huge. To be the first team in school history to do this is very special. We know we will have a good shot in NCAA’s if we keep playing this type of hockey,” said Landers.
The Jeffs look to continue their success on Wednesday when they host the Babson Beavers at Orr Rink for the first round of the NCAA tournament.