BRUNSWICK, Maine – The Bowdoin College men's ice hockey team will play Middlebury in the semifinals of the NESCAC Championship Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. at Hamilton College's Sage Rink.
The first semifinal features No. 6 Williams versus host and No. 1 seed Hamilton at 1:00 p.m. followed by No. 4 Middlebury facing No. 2 Bowdoin at 4:30 p.m. The championship game will be Sunday, March 8 at 2:00 p.m.
HOW TO WATCH
A live webcast will be available at NESCAC.com on computers and mobile devices. The webcast can also be seen on Roku, AppleTV, and Amazon Fire devices. Search for
NESCAC Network and download the channel.
Click here for more information.
NESCAC QUARTERFINAL RECAP
Jacob Osborne stopped 22 of 23 shots and
Bryce Bollman and
Louie Marcellino contributed two points each as
Bowdoin defeated Amherst 3-1 at Watson Arena.
Michael Dinges opened the scoring just 68 seconds into the contest, burying a goal off an assist from
Aidan Lyons to give the Polar Bears an early lead they would not relinquish. Marcellino added a second-period goal at 7:34, assisted by
Will Rice and Bollman, to push Bowdoin's advantage to 2-0. Amherst trimmed the deficit to 2-1 when Josh Burke converted a power-play goal at 16:48 of the second period, assisted by John Small.
Will Killoran scored on a feed from Bollman and Marcellino 3:01 into the third period to restore the two-goal cushion and seal the outcome for Bowdoin. Amherst goalie Andrew Palena was credited with 15 saves.
Tyler Wishart scored 9:56 into the second overtime period as
Middlebury rallied from a two-goal deficit with under two minutes remaining in regulation to defeat Wesleyan, 3-2, at Chip Kenyon Arena. Wesleyan carried a 2-0 lead deep into the third period before Middlebury mounted its comeback. Luc Malkhassian scored with an extra attacker at 18:10, and 37 seconds later, Landon Brownlee tied the game at 18:47, also with the goalie pulled, to force overtime. Jack Bosco gave Wesleyan the lead in the second period at 7:55, assisted by Danny Judge and Danny Markham. Owen Mahar doubled the advantage early in the third at 9:09 on a feed from Jack DesRuisseaux and Han Shin. Wishart's game-winner came off assists from Brownlee and Revy Mack, capping a Middlebury effort that saw the Panthers outshoot Wesleyan 76-26 across all periods. Patrick McDevitt was extraordinary in goal for Wesleyan, making 73 saves, setting an NESCAC Championship and Wesleyan school record for most saves in a single game. Middlebury goalie Andrew Heinze stopped 24 shots.
BOWDOIN vs. MIDDLEBURY
One of the longest-standing rivalries in the NESCAC, the Panthers and Polar Bears play for the third time this season and the 101st overall, with Bowdoin holding a narrow 45-44-11 advantage. The squads split their matchups this winter. The Polar Bears claimed a 4-0 victory in Maine on November 14, while the Panthers returned the favor with a 3-2 triumph on January 23. Saturday marks the eighth all-time NESCAC Tournament meeting between the two programs with the last postseason meeting going in favor of Middlebury (5-1) in the 2024 NESCAC quarterfinals in Brunswick. Dating back to 2023, the teams have split their seven meetings, 3-3-1.
