Call it the Super Bowl. Call it the World Cup final if you prefer. Tonight's game against bitter rival Colby marks the biggest event of the year on Brunswick's athletic calendar.
Captain Bryan Ciborowski '07 called it "the best weekend of the year," adding, "there is nothing like beating Colby."
In any case, at 7 p.m., when the Bowdoin Men's Ice Hockey Team (3-0-2, 2-0-2 ECAC) takes on the Mules (3-2-1, 2-1-1 ECAC), Dayton Arena should be at total capacity.
The intense match up will be especially significant down the stretch because of the unbelievable parity among Division III ice hockey teams this year. Last weekend is a clear example of this increased competitiveness. In the span of two days, two national heavyweights, Middlebury and Norwich, dropped three games to "lesser" opponents.
"Scores around the league were all over the road last weekend so every game and every point will be important this year," said Ciborowski.
The Polar Bears narrowly avoided defeat against Skidmore and Castleton State this weekend, posting 2-2 ties against both teams.
In Friday's game, the Bears couldn't defend an early 2-0 lead, and allowed Skidmore to come back to tie the match. Bowdoin outshot Skidmore 42-31 and controlled the play for much of the game, but the Bears were unable to pull away.
James Gadon '07 scored his first goal of the year in a four-on-four situation to put the Polar Bears in the lead. This lead was added to by a goal from the red-hot Mike Corbelle '10, who notched his third tally in his first year at Bowdoin. The 2-0 margin was not enough, however, as the Thoroughbreds fought back with two third-period goals, including the powerplay equalizer with 12:34 remaining.
Bowdoin came back the next night ready to play as Matt Smith '09 opened the scoring seven minutes after the first faceoff. Castleton State responded quickly with a goal in the sloppy, penalty-filled second period to equalize. The Purple Knights then went ahead with what seemed to be the game winner with five minutes to play.
But Colin MacCormick '10 scored what may prove to be one of the biggest goals of the year, with 20 seconds to play in a five-on-three situation for Bowdoin. The goal ensured that Bowdoin would enter this weekend's festivities with a zero in the loss column.
Goalkeeper Nick Smith '09 played remarkably well between the poles in the two Bowdoin ties. He was asked to play a grand total of 130 minutes in the back-to-back overtime thrillers, and he responded brilliantly with 56 saves. The impressive showing placed the young net-minder in the top three for save percentage, at .932, and goals-against average, at 1.89, in the NESCAC.
However, it all means little compared to this weekend's two matches against the Mules. The first game of the home-and-home doubleheader will be played at Dayton Arena this evening at 7 p.m. The two teams will then travel to Waterville for Saturday's 7 p.m. faceoff.
Colby fans are sure to fill the stands on Saturday, but Bowdoin Student Government (BSG) distributed 75 tickets last week to the Polar Bear Nation so that the men still find some support in the crowd. BSG is also providing buses for any students who request transportation.