Men's Hockey: NESCAC Champions
Issue   |   Fri, 05/22/2015 - 10:50
Amherst Athletics
The men's ice hockey team stole the show at the NESCAC championships and had an incredible journey to the NCAA tournament semifinals.

Men’s ice hockey played to a 22-5-2 record in a thrilling season that earned them a NESCAC championship and brought them to the NCAA tournament semifinals.

The Jeffs went on an impressive run down the stretch, winning eight straight games before falling to Wisconsin-Stevens Point in the semi-final contest. The streak included a win over rival Williams that avenged a loss earlier in the season, in addition to a thrilling 1-0 win over the Ephs later in the season, coming in the NESCAC tournament final. Senior Andrew Fenwick scored the lone goal in the game and was named NESCAC player of the week for lifting his team to the title.

Five other Jeffs earned end of year All-NESCAC honors, including head coach Jack Arena ’83, who was named NESCAC Coach of the Year. David White ’18 earned the NESCAC Rookie of the Year title as well as a first team all-conference selection thanks to his 31 points on 18 goals and 13 assists in his first season.

Jake Turrin ’15 joined White on the first team, while Mike Rowbotham ’15 and Aaron Deutsch ’15 were both recognized as second team All-NESCAC.

A story from the season that cannot be forgotten is the work of goalie Danny Vitale ’15. Vitale played in just 3:19 minutes of game action prior to this year. He was called upon to fill a void resulting from injury and took the challenge head on, posting a .939 save percentage, 15-4-2 record and a mere 1.88 goals against average in his senior season.