The Bowdoin Orient

Baseball will host Middlebury for the final games of the regular season this weekend. The two games will have no bearing on the playoff picture as the four teams in the championship have already secured their positions.

Bowdoin secured its spot in the playoffs last weekend in a three games series against Tufts. In the first game, the Jumbos jumped to an early lead with a two run homer in the bottom of the first inning. The Polar Bears fired back with five runs in the top of the second with RBIs from Buddy Shea ’15, Sam Canales ’15, and Kyle LeBlanc ’14. Tufts battled back to take the lead in the bottom of the third and the teams went into the fifth tied at seven.  A two-run single in the bottom of the fifth gave the Jumbos a permanent lead and snapped the Polar Bears school-record winning streak of 12 games by beating them 11-7.

On Saturday, the first game of the doubleheader was scoreless through four innings.  Southpaw Christian Martin ’14 gave up only two singles through 5.2 innings and struck out seven batters. Bowdoin took the lead in the top of the fifth with an RBI from senior captain Tim McGarry. The Polar Bears added three more runs in the top of the sixth with RBI singles from Canales and Duncan Taylor ’14, as well as a steal of home by Canales. Henry Van Zant ’15 struck out three batters in the bottom of the seventh to seal the 4-0 victory, which sealed a playoff position for Bowdoin.

After sweeping Colby in a three-game series, the baseball team handled non-conference Husson on Tuesday to improve its win streak to eight games and move into first place in the NESCAC East. 

The first game on Saturday was dominated by the pitching of captain Oliver Van Zant ’13.  

“He was dominant, just untouchable,” said catcher Duncan Taylor ’14. “They knew he was throwing a fastball, he knew he was going to throw fastballs, but he just placed them so well that they couldn’t hit them.”

The baseball team will enter this  weekend’s series against Colby on a four-game win streak after sweeping Bates and picking up another victory against St. Joseph’s on Wednesday. The Polar Bears travelled to Lewiston on Friday and took an early lead against the Bobcats. Bowdoin loaded the bases in the top of the second inning, captain Luke Regan ’13 scored on an errant throw and John Lefeber ’14 drew an RBI walk. Sam Canales ’15 knocked in another RBI at the top of the third to give pitcher and captain Oliver Van Zant ’13 a 3-0 lead to work with. He let up only five hits and struck out eight to preserve the lead into the top of the ninth. 

The Bowdoin bats came alive with two outs left, RBIs from Erik Jacobsen ’15, Duncan Taylor ’14 and Lefeber widened the gap to 7-0. The insurance runs were needed as Bates found five runs off of reliever Dave Bernstein ’13 before Henry Van Zant ’15 struck out the last batter to seal the 7-5 victory.

Bowdoin then hosted Bates for a cold and windy Saturday doubleheader.

The men’s and women’s ice hockey teams both ended historic seasons in the NCAA quarterfinals on the first Saturday of Spring Break.

The women hosted the Elmira Soaring Eagles in their quarterfinal bout.  The Polar Bears found themselves with a shot advantage in the first period but were unable to convert any of those opportunities into goals.  Elmira responded with plenty of pressure and with less than two minutes remaining in the period, scored its first goal.  A second goal followed quickly in the beginning of the second period to put Bowdoin in a 2-0 hole.  Senior goalie Kayla Lessard was able to stop some of Elmira’s point-blank opportunities and had 21 saves on the night, but continued pressure from the Soaring Eagles led to two more goals in the third period and sealed a 4-0 victory.  Bowdoin was never able to get its offense rolling and ended up 0 for 5 on the power play.

The men travelled to Utica for their NCAA quarterfinal. The first period went well for the Polar Bears as they found two goals within two minutes from Ollie Koo ’14 and Harry Matheson ’14.  Utica fought back in the second period with an early goal and looked to increase pressure on a couple of power plays, but Bowdoin was able to stop the bleeding and kill the man advantage three times to preserve a 2-1 lead going into the third period.  Once again Utica scored early in the period to even the game.  Both teams then traded opportunities for the rest of the period until just under five minutes remaining, when Utica scored to take a one goal lead.  Bowdoin pulled goalie Max Fenkell ’15 to try and even the game, but Utica broke containment and put away an empty-netter to seal the 4-2 victory.

The men’s hockey team will face Middlebury tomorrow in a NESCAC semifinal game after fending off Hamilton last Saturday in a hard-fought quarterfinal, winning 5-3.The first period started well for Hamilton. Decked out in new jerseys they received on game day, the inspired Continentals scored in the eighth minute when a redirected blue-line snapshot slipped past Steve Messina ’14. 

The Polar Bears went on the power play a few minutes later after an interference call and they did not waste the opportunity. A bit of creative passing from John McGinnis ’15 set up Kyle Lockwood ’14 for the easy put away.  

Lockwood went on to give Bowdoin the lead at the end the period after he won the puck from a crowd in front of the Hamilton net and was able to slide it in the left post.

The men’s ice hockey team clinched the No. 1 seed in the NESCAC tournament by winning its final two home games of the regular season this past weekend against Tufts and Connecticut College. Despite its strong finish in Watson Arena, the team floundered at Trinity on Monday night, losing 10-5. Bowdoin kicked off the Winter Weekend schedule against Tufts at home on Friday night. The Polar Bears scored their first goal just 1:19 into the game when Ollie Koo ’14 slammed a loose rebound past the Tufts goaltender. Bowdoin kept up the early pressure and Kyle Lockwood ’14 was able to steal the puck and dish it to senior Rob Tocyzlowski, who put it past the goalie’s left side.Bowdoin pounced at the beginning of the second period as well when captain Dan Weiniger ’13 brought the puck down the center, drew the goalie right and slipped the puck around him to make it 3-0 just 18 seconds into the period.  Towards the end of the period John McGinnis ’15 found Tim Coffey ’15 in front of the net for a power play goal.  Colin Downey ’14 kept the early-period goal streak alive when he put away the puck with some help from McGinnis and Koo.  Bowdoin found a sixth and final goal when McGinnis, with his third assist of the night, fed Connor Quinn ’15 across the crease.“We always stress how important it is to start periods off strong and we got some good breaks against Tufts,” said Weiniger.  “We like to come out flying and set the tone for the period right from the opening drop.”

Steve Messina ’14 was solid in goal for Bowdoin with 27 saves, but Tufts ruined his shutout at 12:37 in the third period after an unlucky rebound. After the 6-1 victory, the Polar Bears faced off against the Connecticut College Camels on Saturday afternoon for their last regular-season home game.  Bowdoin had trouble converting its initial opportunities into goals due to the outstanding play of the Camel’s goaltender. But at the end of the first period, captain Tim McGarry ’13, who had just finished serving a 2-minute penalty, stepped back onto the ice for the conveniently waiting puck. He held off the Conn. defenders until Jay Livermore ’14 arrived.  Livermore drew the defense left and found Lockwood unguarded on the back half of the net.  The teams played to a deadlock until midway through the third period when the Camels went on a power play.  An awkward bounce managed to slip by the pads of Max Fenkell ’15 to even the game 1-1. “We were controlling the play and limiting their chances, but we weren’t getting the sustained pressure that we’re used to so we couldn’t grind down the opposing D down like we usually do,” said McGarry.  “Letting them hang around in a close game gave them confidence down the stretch and led to them scoring a late goal.”The game soon went to overtime, and after a near game-ending shot by McGinnis, the Camels (who needed the win to make the playoffs) pulled their goalie to play with an extra attacker. Bowdoin held off the one-man advantage and was able to blast the puck down towards the empty net.  Players from both sides converged on the puck, but it was Lockwood who finally gained control of the puck at Connecticut’s blue line, spun and sent it straight into the net with 1.8 seconds left to win the game and seal Bowdoin’s No. 1 spot in the playoffs.“We took care of business and we secured the home ice in the league, which I think is wonderful for this team and how hard they work,” said Head Coach Terry Meagher.In a meaningless matchup in terms of championship seeding, the Polar Bears played a rescheduled game against Trinity on Monday night. The Bantams scored the most goals (10) any team has scored against Bowdoin in at least10 seasons, dating as far back as the online records go. “This was the weirdest game in my career here at Bowdoin,” said Weiniger. “We carried the play through the first 12 minutes of the game and they got some early bounces to get ahead. From then on they got in the engine and we couldn’t seem to stop them.”The surprising shootout featured playing time for three different Bowdoin goalkeepers: Fenkell, Messina and Connor Shannon ’13. The Bantams took advantage of power plays throughout the game, converting four of their five man-up situations. They excelled offensively even while six Polar Bears were on the ice, and hammered Fenkell with 27 shots in just over 30 minutes of play, five of which went past him for goals.“The game on Monday was bizarre in so many ways; they capitalized on their opportunities and we ended up chasing. As you continue to chase you take more risks, and next thing you know there’s 15 goals on the board,” said Meagher.  “To be honest, I’m surprised that doesn’t happen more the way that puck fires and goes around the rink.  But the bottom line is that even when we were down a fair amount, we didn’t give up and we kept playing hard.”The Polar Bears, despite having seven power plays of their own, were only able to convert on two. Bowdoin will host a quarterfinal match against Hamilton tomorrow at 1 p.m.“We are focusing on creating a playoff mentality within the team that includes playing a more gritty physical game and trying to generate some ‘ugly’ goals from scrums in front of the net,” said McGarry. “We believe that these are the things that will propel us through the playoffs and will complement our speed and skill game nicely.”Tickets for the men’s and women’s doubleheader are available free for students with a Bowdoin ID and $3 for the public, and can be picked up on the second floor of the Buck Center. 

The men’s ice hockey team, hot off its highest D-III ranking in team history (No. 2), lost to Amherst at home last Friday for the first time since the Sidney J. Watson Arena was built. The team split the weekend, beating Hamilton the next day. In the team’s first game after its bye week, the Lord Jeffs got off to a quick start by scoring four goals in the first period against Steve Messina ’14. That was enough for Head Coach Terry Meagher, who switched netminders at the beginning of the second period to Max Fenkell ’15. The Polar Bears were only able to score one goal from senior captain Dan Weiniger in the period. “Goal sports are tough—the bottom line is that sometimes they go in and sometimes they don’t,” said Meagher. “I thought we played as strong a game for most of it as we’ve played all year. But if we brought close to our best game and played well, then you’ve got to tip your hat to your opponent and respect what they did.”

The men’s ice hockey team has been hot since the weather got colder, winning seven out of its eight games, including all its road matches. The Polar Bears have managed to remain undefeated on the road this season.

The men’s ice hockey team will continue its series of road games this weekend, facing off against Tufts today and then Connecticut College on Saturday. These will be the last games for the Polar Bears before the winter break, concluding a busy and successful start to the season.

The men’s ice hockey team begins its annual rivalry weekend against Colby this Friday night in Watson Arena before traveling to Waterville for a rematch on Saturday.

The Polar Bears secured a 2-0 win in their last home game of the regular season last Saturday against Trinity.

Of the last four games for the men’s soccer team, two have ended in double overtime. A game against Connecticut College before fall break ended in a tie due to exceptional play from both goalkeepers. Will Wise ’14 provided six saves for Bowdoin.

The men’s soccer team will look to extend its five-game win streak this weekend against Connecticut College at home.

After a resounding 6-2 victory over Colby last Friday, the men's hockey team has struggled in its last two games, falling to Colby and the University of Southern Maine (USM). At USM on Tuesday, the Polar Bears quickly took the lead after Ollie Koo '14 scored his first goal of the season just three minutes into the first period.

After defeating SUNY Fredonia 29-19 last weekend, the women's rugby team is competing in the Northeast Regional Championship tournament this weekend in the hope of heading to nationals next spring. Bowdoin finds itself in this championship weekend following an away win against SUNY Fredonia last Saturday.

In the first round of the New England Rugby Football Union (NERFU) D-II playoffs last weekend, Bowdoin dismantled the University of New Hampshire (UNH) by a score of 44-5. "We played smart and we played together," said Head Coach MaryBeth Mathews. "Our defense was better than it has been."

After a dominant performance that won them the D-II bracket at the Beantown Preseason Tournament this past weekend in Amherst, Mass., the women's rugby team will face Williams tomorrow in its first non-tournament game of the season. The Polar Bears played too fast for Amherst Saturday morning, earning them a 58-0 shutout victory. In a match punctuated with strong line breaks followed by support, Uche Esonu '13 played well.

This weekend marks the women's rugby season kickoff, with a Boston tournament hosted by one of the premier women's rugby clubs in the country, the Beantown Rugby Football Club. The Polar Bears will play in a round-robin style competition starting tomorrow, with Smith College at noon and Amherst College at 2 p.m.

The Orient chooses the male and female "Athlete of the Season" based on exemplary performance, leadership and commitment to their respective programs. The winners are selected by the editors of the Orient.

The men’s lacrosse team will travel to Connecticut College this weekend for its third conference game in pursuit of its first conference victory.

The men's ice hockey team has made it to the final four of the NESCAC tournament and will face off against Colby in the semifinal on Saturday.

The men's ice hockey team will continue to fight for the top playoff spot on the road this weekend against conference opponents Amherst and Hamilton.

When the Polar Bears take the ice tonight against archrival Colby, they will be looking to achieve a milestone. With the all-time series between the two schools standing in Bowdoin's favor at 99-86-8, the team is hoping to defeat the Mules and make it an even one hundred wins.

Women's rugby tames Wildcats, crowd at UNH homecoming

The women's rugby team capped its preseason period with a 1-2 performance at the Beantown Preseason Tournament hosted by UMass-Amherst on Saturday.

The women's rugby team fell 19-17 against the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) Goats last Saturday.

Coming off of three straight wins over Wheaton, Amherst and the University of Southern Maine, the Polar Bears improved to 4-3 this season (2-1 NESCAC) to capture a 20th place ranking in the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association D-III standings.