With all of the success at Dayton Arena this season, someone from the Bowdoin Men's Hockey Team should make a pitch to the Under Armour enterprise seeking a sponsorship. No one in Division III hockey has been as dedicated to the idea of protecting their own house than this year's group of men. With two more home wins coming over the weekend the Polar Bears improved their record at Dayton to an impressive 7-0-0 and snuck back into the nation's latest top-15 poll after an uncharacteristic disappearance last week.
Bowdoin greeted both the University of Southern Maine and Salem State with the same welcoming gift they've been giving away all season in Brunswick: a loss. The Polar Bears started last weekend with a hard-fought victory over the previously 14th-ranked Huskies. The home tram got off to a quick start as first-years Ryan Blossom and Leland Fidler put the men ahead 2-0 halfway through the second stanza.
The Huskies responded with two sharp and forceful goals in the space of three minutes before the close of the second period to silence the Dayton faithful. The two top-caliber teams proceeded to play out a stalemate until Matt Lentini '09 scored the game winner on a brilliant cross-ice pass from the spinning Mike Corbelle '10.
Salem State fell victim to the same dose of Bowdoin hospitality as the Polar Bears skated to a 3-1 victory. The previous night's hero, Lentini, started the show with the opening tally on a power play in the first period. Salem State equalized in a sloppy, penalty-filled second period and forced the game into a deadlock until Bowdoin's attack woke up with less than eight minutes to go. Mike Collins '09 placed a well timed rebound into the back of the net to ensure that the final few minutes would be nothing if not exciting. The game remained tight until Colin Hughes '08 placed an exclamation mark on the result when he scored on an impressive solo steal and score effort with two minutes left.
Team captain Bryan Ciborowski '07 described the Bears' emotions after the weekend, saying, "It was an overall great rebound weekend for the team."
First-year net-minder Chris Rossi was particularly strong in the successful weekend. No. 32 helped secure all four points for the Polar Bears by turning it on at crucial points in both games. His presence was especially dominant in the closing periods, when he made a total of 15 saves without letting in a goal.
"He made the big saves when we needed them and guys noticed that," said Ciborowski.
The Bowdoin faithful will keep their fingers crossed this weekend as the young goaltender leads his team to their biggest test of the season. The Polar Bears will take their dismal 1-4-3 away record to the house of the NESCAC's best team, Amherst, today, before they face Hamilton on Saturday.