Courtesy of Brian Beard

Last week, the men’s hockey team improved its record to 7–9–1 (5–5–1 NESCAC), ending the week with a dominant 5–1 win over the Middlebury Panthers (8–8–0; 4–6–0 NESCAC) and pulling through in a shootout victory against Williams College  (6–8–2; 3–6–1 NESCAC). The Polar Bears are now ranked fourth in the NESCAC.

With these two wins, the Polar Bears built upon their victory against Wesleyan University (4–9–2; 3–6–1 NESCAC) the weekend prior.

According to Gabe Shipper ’26, who scored a hat trick in the Middlebury game, the Middlebury win boosted the team’s confidence, even though the Panthers scored first.

“It was a good turning point for [the team],” Shipper said.

Thirteen minutes into the game, the Panthers struck first.

“[The Panthers] were good in the neutral zone, transitioning the puck up the ice quickly,” Shipper said.

The Polar Bears evened the game with Shipper’s first goal, which came in the seventh minute of the second period, and took the lead just four minutes later with Jake Minella ’28 scoring his first collegiate goal off an assist from Will Rice ’28. Shipper emphasized that the Polar Bears’ offensive push started with their sound defense.

“Anytime [the Panthers were] in our defensive zone, we made sure to pressure them early. They didn’t have a lot of time and space in our zone, which allowed us to play a lot more offense,” Shipper said.

Aidan Lyons ’26 brought the Polar Bears’ lead to 3–1 as the third period began.

“We played a clean, smooth game.… After a little bit back and forth,… the game opened up, going in our favor,” Lyons said.

According to Head Coach Ben Guite, Williams brought a new challenge the next day.

“[Williams is] an extremely hard-working team that was a much more capable offense than people give them credit for,” Guite said.

But the Polar Bears held strong, as keeping the intensity up has been a significant focus for the team out on the ice.

“We talked a lot about bringing high energy. We say, ‘Bring the juice,’” Guite said. “Hockey’s not a perfect game, but we feel like when we ‘bring the juice,’ we give ourselves a chance to win against anyone, because I think we have the talent to do it, some size, grit, and I feel like we’re good at every position, if we get out working.”

In practice, the team has developed perspective on high-pressure moments.

“We talk a lot about performing under the circumstances where it seems like it’s a big moment, but at the end of the day, just go out there and focus on what you have to do,” Guite said.

In the final two minutes of the second period, the Ephs were up 3–1. However, five minutes into the third period, the Polar Bears cut the deficit with a goal from Kyle Jarosz ’25. Then, with three minutes remaining in the contest, Lyons scored the tying goal, sending the game into a shootout.

“The idea of being relentless and having a lot of energy [has been a focus in practice]. Coach always talks about being a stonecutter. It takes a million tries to cut a stone or break a stone, and even if we’re losing 5–1 or 2–1, we’re gonna have the same mentality; we’re just gonna shift, and [if we] continue doing our thing, then we’ll find success,” Lyons said.

According to goaltender Jacob Osborne ’28, who came up with a crucial save to keep the shootout score 0–0, going into the shootout, the team maintained that same thinking it practiced throughout the season.

“You just don’t make it bigger than it is. At the end of the day, it’s still stopping the next shot. That’s all it is. If you make it any bigger than that, that’s when you lose focus on what you’re doing today; it’s just me against them. That’s all it is. Nothing else really matters,” Osborne said.

Tomorrow, the Polar Bears face the Colby Mules (10–5–2; 5–5–1 NESCAC) at home in their highly anticipated annual matchup, a tradition enjoyed by many members of the Bowdoin community.

“Though we’re playing Colby this week, I think the focus for us in practice is to just [build] on what we’ve been doing that’s been giving us success, and a lot of that, again, has to do with just our intensity and the mindset we bring to every shift,” Shipper said.