The men’s ice hockey team clinched the No. 1 seed in the NESCAC tournament by winning its final two home games of the regular season this past weekend against Tufts and Connecticut College. Despite its strong finish in Watson Arena, the team floundered at Trinity on Monday night, losing 10-5.
Bowdoin kicked off the Winter Weekend schedule against Tufts at home on Friday night. The Polar Bears scored their first goal just 1:19 into the game when Ollie Koo ’14 slammed a loose rebound past the Tufts goaltender. Bowdoin kept up the early pressure and Kyle Lockwood ’14 was able to steal the puck and dish it to senior Rob Tocyzlowski, who put it past the goalie’s left side.
Bowdoin pounced at the beginning of the second period as well when captain Dan Weiniger ’13 brought the puck down the center, drew the goalie right and slipped the puck around him to make it 3-0 just 18 seconds into the period. Towards the end of the period John McGinnis ’15 found Tim Coffey ’15 in front of the net for a power play goal.
Colin Downey ’14 kept the early-period goal streak alive when he put away the puck with some help from McGinnis and Koo. Bowdoin found a sixth and final goal when McGinnis, with his third assist of the night, fed Connor Quinn ’15 across the crease.
“We always stress how important it is to start periods off strong and we got some good breaks against Tufts,” said Weiniger. “We like to come out flying and set the tone for the period right from the opening drop.”
Steve Messina ’14 was solid in goal for Bowdoin with 27 saves, but Tufts ruined his shutout at 12:37 in the third period after an unlucky rebound.
After the 6-1 victory, the Polar Bears faced off against the Connecticut College Camels on Saturday afternoon for their last regular-season home game.
Bowdoin had trouble converting its initial opportunities into goals due to the outstanding play of the Camel’s goaltender. But at the end of the first period, captain Tim McGarry ’13, who had just finished serving a 2-minute penalty, stepped back onto the ice for the conveniently waiting puck. He held off the Conn. defenders until Jay Livermore ’14 arrived. Livermore drew the defense left and found Lockwood unguarded on the back half of the net.
The teams played to a deadlock until midway through the third period when the Camels went on a power play. An awkward bounce managed to slip by the pads of Max Fenkell ’15 to even the game 1-1.
“We were controlling the play and limiting their chances, but we weren’t getting the sustained pressure that we’re used to so we couldn’t grind down the opposing D down like we usually do,” said McGarry. “Letting them hang around in a close game gave them confidence down the stretch and led to them scoring a late goal.”
The game soon went to overtime, and after a near game-ending shot by McGinnis, the Camels (who needed the win to make the playoffs) pulled their goalie to play with an extra attacker. Bowdoin held off the one-man advantage and was able to blast the puck down towards the empty net. Players from both sides converged on the puck, but it was Lockwood who finally gained control of the puck at Connecticut’s blue line, spun and sent it straight into the net with 1.8 seconds left to win the game and seal Bowdoin’s No. 1 spot in the playoffs.
“We took care of business and we secured the home ice in the league, which I think is wonderful for this team and how hard they work,” said Head Coach Terry Meagher.
In a meaningless matchup in terms of championship seeding, the Polar Bears played a rescheduled game against Trinity on Monday night. The Bantams scored the most goals (10) any team has scored against Bowdoin in at least10 seasons, dating as far back as the online records go.
“This was the weirdest game in my career here at Bowdoin,” said Weiniger. “We carried the play through the first 12 minutes of the game and they got some early bounces to get ahead. From then on they got in the engine and we couldn’t seem to stop them.”
The surprising shootout featured playing time for three different Bowdoin goalkeepers: Fenkell, Messina and Connor Shannon ’13. The Bantams took advantage of power plays throughout the game, converting four of their five man-up situations. They excelled offensively even while six Polar Bears were on the ice, and hammered Fenkell with 27 shots in just over 30 minutes of play, five of which went past him for goals.
“The game on Monday was bizarre in so many ways; they capitalized on their opportunities and we ended up chasing. As you continue to chase you take more risks, and next thing you know there’s 15 goals on the board,” said Meagher. “To be honest, I’m surprised that doesn’t happen more the way that puck fires and goes around the rink. But the bottom line is that even when we were down a fair amount, we didn’t give up and we kept playing hard.”
The Polar Bears, despite having seven power plays of their own, were only able to convert on two.
Bowdoin will host a quarterfinal match against Hamilton tomorrow at 1 p.m.
“We are focusing on creating a playoff mentality within the team that includes playing a more gritty physical game and trying to generate some ‘ugly’ goals from scrums in front of the net,” said McGarry. “We believe that these are the things that will propel us through the playoffs and will complement our speed and skill game nicely.”
Tickets for the men’s and women’s doubleheader are available free for students with a Bowdoin ID and $3 for the public, and can be picked up on the second floor of the Buck Center.