The men’s ice hockey team had a road trip up to Maine this past weekend to play Colby and Bowdoin at their home rinks. The Jeffs split the two games with a win against the White Mules on Friday and a loss to the Polar Bears on Saturday, both of which were tightly contested match-ups.
Friday night Amherst came out fast and strong as they outshot the hosts 9-3 in the first, despite racking up three penalties in the frame. First-year David White continued his current hot streak when he found the back of the net for the first score of the game. Topher Flanagan ’16 got the assist, his seventh of the season. Four minutes later, it was again the purple and white as Conor Brown ’16 scored what would become the game-winner. Flanagan and White recorded the assists for their second points of the game. Danny Vitale ’15 made 22 saves in the win, and the shot total was almost equal for both teams.
“Colby was a hard fought game where we were solid,” head coach Jack Arena said of the Friday night match up. “They played well and limited our opportunities, but we did the same to them. We haven’t had a lot of success in their reink recently, so getting the win was rewarding.”
Saturday afternoon the Jeffs found themselves in Maine again, this time in New Brunswick. Bowdoin was 11-5-3 going into the matchup, and they came out firing. John McGinnis scored the first goal of the game when he beat Vitale on an impressive individual effort while killing a penalty. Bowdoin scored again 10 minutes later to give the Polar Bears a 2-0 lead heading into the next period. Amherst recorded nine shots and had solid chances on each of them, but could not find the back of the net.
Amherst’s hard work paid off in the second, though, as the Jeffs managed to tally three goals. Bowdoin took a three-goal lead early on, but then White, Flanagan and Mike Cashman ’15 found the back of the net all in a short six-minute span and were able to tie the game at three. The Bowdoin offense wasn’t finished yet, however, as they were able to score with just seven seconds remaining in the second period to take a 4-3 lead into the third.
The final period proved scoreless, and Bowdoin claimed their sixth NESCAC win of the season when the buzzer rang. Bowdoin held a shot advantage 40-26 in the game, although Amherst had more power play opportunities. Vitale made a whopping 36 saves, but it was not enough in the end. Amherst fell to 14-4-2 for the year, which still leaves them at second in the conference. The road trip will continue next week, as the Jeffs will be competing at Conn. College and Tufts next Friday and Saturday.
