Papachristopoulos just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it? Well, it should if you've been following NESCAC hockey this season. Senior George Papachristopoulos, the starting goalkeeper for the the Bowdoin Men's Ice Hockey Team, has been making a name for himself. This weekend he solidified his reputation as one of the finest goalies in the NESCAC, shutting down both Amherst and Hamilton as Bowdoin cruised to successive victories against the two highly ranked conference opponents. In the two games combined, Papachristopoulos managed to stop a total of 57 shots, while only allowing four goals, giving him about a 94 percent save rate.
Friday night against Amherst, the Bears picked up a 4-2 victory with goals coming from senior captain Adam Dann, Sebastian Belanger '08, Matt Collins '09, and Jon Landry '06.
The next day Bowdoin handily defeated Hamilton 5-2. Mike Westerman '08 responded to an early Hamilton goal to post Bowdoin's first point of the game less than two minutes into the second period. Mike Chute '06, Belanger, and senior Matt Roy posted a goal apiece to give Bowdoin a three-point lead going into the third period. The fourth frame saw a goal from Hamilton, which was answered by Landry to give the Bears a three-goal victory.
Papachristopoulos was not the only Polar Bear to post impressive stats. In the match up, senior captain Adam Dann notched his 100th point for the Bears.
Despite some ups and downs earlier in the season, a few more wins could put the Bears in a strong position for tournament play.
Bowdoin will face off against NESCAC rivals Trinity and Wesleyan this weekend. These two games will be a struggle for the Bears as they try to take the momentum gathered at Dayton on the road. As Papachristopoulos said, "We are ready for anything that may lie ahead."