It was judgment day for the Bowdoin and Middlebury Men's Lacrosse Teams and a game that no one should have missed.
The matchup on Friday, which would eventually go to the Polar Bears in an overtime victory, started off well for the Panthers, who led 4-2 at the end of the first period. Bowdoin fought back and managed to tie up the game with six apiece at the end of the half with a goal from Alex Weaver '07.
After a Middlebury goal kicked off the second half, Bowdoin went on a 3-0 run with goals from Carl Klimt '06, Andrew O'Brien '05, and Phil Stern '05. The Panthers went on the prowl to tie up the game at 9-9 going into the fourth period.
Middlebury scored with just under 12 minutes left on the clock, but Connor Fitzgerald '06 put one in for Bowdoin. He would be the last to score in regular play. Goaltender Grant White '04 made seven saves just in the fourth quarter to keep Bowdoin in the even with the Panthers for the remainder of the game.
"Decisive factor Grant White had a stellar day and came up with huge saves in crucial moments of the game," said senior captain Graham Jones. White finished with 18 saves for Bowdoin.
Klimt ended the game with a low shot past Panther goaltender Eric Krieger to lift the Polar Bears to an 11-10 victory just 2:31 into overtime.
"Klimt came up huge in overtime, scoring the game-winning goal," said Jones.
The number-two Panthers went home defeated by the number 16 Polar Bears, losing for their first time this season. This was especially painful for Middlebury since Bowdoin was the last team to rein supreme over the Panther squad since April 13, 2002 in a 9-8 game.
"It's the game that we, as a team, look forward to the most," Jones. "We knew going in that it was going to be one tough battle, and it was. Offensively we moved the ball very well, and our shot selection was great."
"Once again, Joe Andrasko dominated the face-offs, winning 17 out of 24," said Jones.
This game put Bowdoin 7-2 (3-2 NESCAC) while forcing Middlebury to 9-1 (5-1 NESCAC).
April 20, like Friday, brought joy to the Bowdoin Men's Lacrosse Team when it beat the Bates Bobcats 8-6, lifting Bowdoin to 8-2 (4-2 NESCAC), while dropping Bates to 2-7 (1-6 NESCAC). In the latest national polls Bowdoin was ranked tenth.
"It wasn't our best lacrosse, but it was a win. Three standouts in the game were Kevin Mullins, Grant White, and Connor Fitzgerlad," said Jones.
Wes Couture gave Bates a 1-0 lead 37 seconds into the game, but Bowdoin persisted and scored the next four goals to lead by three at halftime. Fitzgerald, Stern, Ford Barker '06, and Ben Harris '05 all proved that the Bears are a force to reckon with. The Polar Bears held Bates scoreless for the next 29:23 of the half.
Brenton Pitt scored at 11:22 in the third period for Bates, but with three straight goals made by Gurall, Weaver, and Ryan Hurd '06 in less than three minutes, Bowdoin dominated in a 7-2 lead.
Peter Friedman of Bates closed the gap with two straight goals in the third period. With a new focus on defense, Bates only allowed Bowdoin to net one more goal in the fourth quarter.
At 4:18 of the final quarter, Scott Duddy of Bates cut the lead to 7-5. Friedman again made a hat trick with 2:39 remaining putting Bates up with just a one goal deficit, 7-6.
NESCAC Player of the Week White blocked six attempts in the second half, including a pair in the closing minutes to seal the win. Weaver made the eighth goal for Bowdoin with five seconds remaining. White had a total of 13 saves for the Polar Bears.
Next up for the team is Amherst at home tomorrow at 4:30 p.m.