Sports
Hamilton’s points leader, Neil Conway ’18, is the key to their offense.
Men’s hockey advances in NESCAC playoffs with 4-2 win over Bowdoin
By Grace Myers ’19
March 2, 2017
Tags sports
Hamilton College Men’s ice hockey continued their historic run this season with a resounding 4-2 victory over the Bowdoin Polar Bears during last weekend’s Feb. 25 game. The game represented the quarterfinal round in the NESCAC playoffs. As first seed, Hamilton hosted the game, and will now host the remainder of this season’s postseason games. Hamilton advances now to the semifinals to face seventh-seed Wesleyan College.
This Past Weekend’s Quarterfinals: Hamilton vs. Bowdoin
Hamilton faced eighth-seed Bowdoin College this past weekend, and won 4-2. Bowdoin’s dominant offense got on the board early, scoring a goal just four minutes into the first. Hamilton, eager to match the goal, tallied their first of the night just over two minutes later on a power play goal by Neil Conway ’18 on a beauty of a wrist-shot. The goal was his eighth, and he now leads Hamilton’s team in total points. The Continentals solidified their lead with a goal from Jason Brochu ’19, aided by a pass from first-year Sterling Bray ’20, Bray’s 10th assist of the year. In the final 30 seconds of the second period, Tyler Bruneteau ’18 scored from the high slot to boost the Continentals’ lead to 3-1 going into the final period. Brochu scored his second of the night on an empty-net goal late in the third on a clear attempt that trickled into the net. The Polar Bears put goalie Peter Cronin ’19 back into the net, and Bowdoin scored just 13 seconds later. Hamilton’s lead was too significant, however, and the clock expired with Hamilton ahead 4-2.
Goaltender Evan Buitenhuis ’18 held a save percentage of 0.926 during the game. This game extended Hamilton’s win streak to six straight games and continued their strong conference play. The 2016-17 season was the eighteenth straight in which Bowdoin made a playoff appearance, although their run in the playoffs was short-lived.
This Past Weekend’s Quarterfinals: Everyone Else
Seventh-seed Wesleyan College beat number two Colby College in a significant upset to continue into the conference semifinals. Dylan Holze ’18 proved to be the hero for the Cardinals, scoring two goals in the second period to lead all scorers. Number three seed Trinity College and number four Williams College predictably beat Tufts University and Amherst College, respectively, to move on as well. Luke Stickel ’17, whose brother Jon plays for Hamilton, was the hero for Williams, netting the game-winning goal in the second period to put the Ephs up 2-1, the eventual final score of the game. Ethan Holdaway ’17 of Trinity scored twice, including an empty net goal, to seal a victory for the Bantams and a match-up with Williams in the semi-finals. Unlike on the women’s side, all games were completed in regulation, however Wesleyan’s upset proved to be the most exciting storyline from the weekend.
This Weekend’s Semifinals and Finals: The Format
The remainder of the tournament will happen this weekend. Hamilton, as the number one seed, has earned the privilege of hosting the remainder of the games, both semifinal matchups and the finals, at Russell Sage Rink.
Fourth-seed Williams College will face third-seed Trinity College at 1 p.m. Top-seeded Hamilton will play the surprise winners, seventh-seed Wesleyan College, at 4:15 p.m. The winners of these games will advance to the Finals and will play at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 5.
The Semifinals: No. 1 Hamilton vs. No. 7 Wesleyan
Wesleyan was the seventh seed coming into the NESCAC playoffs with a conference record of 7-7-4, breaking even at 0.500 during the regular season. Forward Dylan Holze ’18 had a standout game on their first playoff test against second-seed Colby College, as he tallied two goals and one assist. Each goal evened the score, and his assist allowed Wesleyan to take the lead, after which they won 5-4. Goaltending is split between Dawson Sprigings ’17 and George Blinick ’19, with Sprigings having started more games during the regular season. While the senior has played admirably with a save percentage of 0.906, it is the sophomore Blinick who may see playing time against Hamilton, with a save percentage of 0.944 and a goals against average of just 1.66 in 9 starts.
Wesleyan has hovered near the middle-of-the-pack in nearly all statistics this season, neither excelling nor falling short in any given category. The notable exceptions are in Wesleyan’s discipline and special teams. Wesleyan, on average, takes fewer penalty minutes than any other team, so Hamilton should not expect to see much time on the power play. Wesleyan’s penalty kill is exemplary at nearly 94 percent, good enough for best in the conference. Hamilton faces a tough opponent on special teams, then: they will have few power play chances, and, on the chances they do receive, they will face a staunch Wesleyan’s penalty kill unit.
Hamilton went unbeaten in its two matchups with the Cardinals during the regular season. The first game was 2-0 shutout for the Continentals in Middletown, C.T., and the second game was a 3-3 overtime tie in Clinton. Even as a seventh seed, Wesleyan has enormous talent and depth, proving that the NESCAC is one of the top conferences in Division III hockey.
The Semifinals: No. 3 Trinity vs. No. 4 Williams
The fourth-seeded Williams Ephs face off against number three Trinity College on Saturday afternoon.
Trinity boasts the number one scoring offense and number two defense in the NESCAC, a potent combination of a strong offense and a strong defense. They have an astounding four players with over 25 points, all of whom have more than 10 goals. Starting goaltender Alex Morin ’18 has played beautifully all season, with a save percentage of 0.929.
Williams has scraped by all season with average team statistics, but they excel on the power play, scoring on roughly a quarter of all man advantages. Frankie Mork ’17 on defense has assisted on 15 goals, which bolsters a well-rounded offense. Their starting goaltender, sophomore Michael Pinios ’19, has had a near average performance on the season with a save percentage of 0.888. Junior goaltender Stephen Morrissey ’18 has only started seven games, but has much better statistics and could see playing time during the game.
Prediction: When they last met, Trinity shutout Williams by a score of 3-0. Look for a similar score this game: Trinity’s well-rounded game will hold down Williams’ power play and come out on top.
The Finals
If Trinity advances to the finals, Hamilton has a tough game ahead of them. The first time they met this season, Hamilton won 4-1. The second was a 2-2 tie this past January. Trinity has never won a game when they were trailing after the first or second period. If Hamilton can strike early and continue their strong play, they should be able to take the finals and the championship.
If Williams tops Trinity and moves on to the final round, Hamilton should be able to win, as they did easily and recently. Their first match-up this season was a tie, and the second, just two weeks ago, was a resounding 5-1 victory for the Continentals. Hamilton’s main goal will be shutting down the Ephs’ power play opportunities.
Trinity and Williams face off in the Russell Sage Rink this Saturday at 1 p.m. Hamilton plays Wesleyan at 4:15 p.m., also in the Continentals’ home rink. The winners will play on Sunday at 2 p.m. for the NESCAC title. If Hamilton wins, it would be their first championship since they joined the NESCAC conference and their second title in program history.
Hamilton Hockey Accolades:
The Continentals were rewarded for their dominant season by the NESCAC, claiming a wide-array of regular season awards. Starting goaltender Buitenhuis was named as the NESCAC Player of the Year, only the fourth player in Hamilton history to earn the award. Buitenhuis sits atop the NESCAC with a 1.52 goals against average and also a remarkable .948 save percentage. He holds a 15-3-4 overall record, sealing two shut-outs on the way to capturing the number one seed in the NESCAC playoffs. This will be Buitenhuis’s second consecutive year on the All-Conference first team. Joining Buitenhuis earning NESCAC All-Conference honors are Brandon Willet ’18 and Jon Carkeek ’17. Willet was placed on the first team for his 21 point 2016/17 season, where he finished tied for fifth in the conference with 12 goals. Willet’s season totals were the best in his Hamilton career. Carkeek was selecteed to the NESCAC second team All-Conference. Carkeek, the Continentals’ defensive stalwart, finished second in the NESCAC for defensemen scoring, netting three goals and 17 assists this regular season. Carkeek has thrived in a starting role this season, nearly tripling his career points total in his final season at Hamilton.
Head coach Rob Haberbusch was named the NESCAC Coach of the Year for leading his team to the best record in the conference, and one of the best seasons in the program’s history. Haberbusch picked up 18 wins this season, one short of tying the program record. He has coached the most dominant defense in not only the NESCAC, but currently allows the second fewest goals per game in the nation. The team has been consistently ranked within the top-10 in Division III hockey following an undefeated 11-0-2 start to the winter season. Haberbusch will seek to win his first NESCAC championship in his sixth season at the helm of the Continentals’ men’s hockey team.
Hamilton’s women’s hockey team also picked up a duo of regular season accolades, including Coach of the Year and Player of the Year NESCAC honors. Head Coach Emily McNamara made history as the first coach in program history to earn the title as the NESCAC’s best. Katie Parkman ’17 was rewarded for her stellar season with the NESCAC Player of the Year Award. Parkman finished fourth in the conference with 22 points during the regular season, 17 of which came in 16 NESCAC competitions.