What an amazing weekend of D-II/III college hockey as championships were decided across each of the conferences in the region. While NESCAC created the most drama with a No. 7 Bowdoin vs. a No. 8 Williams overtime title game, Plattsburgh returned to the top of the SUNYAC with a heart-stopping 2-1 win at Oswego and Utica found a way to get past a determined Nazareth squad to capture the UCHC again. Hobart, Endicott, Plymouth State and St. Anselm all won in far less dramatic fashion and several regional teams are now hoping to hear their name called as at-large bids for the NCAA tournament starting this week. Here is this week’s wrap-up of all the exciting playoff action:
CCC Championship
Endicott played host to Curry looking for their third CCC championship overall and first since the 2019-20 season. The Gulls quickly showed that they came to take the title as they started fast in the first period with constant pressure and were rewarded with goals from Zach Mazur and Jack Ring for a 2-0 lead after the first period. The same formula was in place in the second period as Eric Johansson extended the lead to 3-0 before Primo Self scored in the final minute of play for a comfortable 4-0 lead after forty minutes of play. The Colonels struggled to get any sustained offense against Ryan Wilson who was outstanding in the Endicott goal stopping each Curry foray to the goal. The third period saw two more Gull goals from Noah Strawn and Jackson Sterrett for the final 6-0 score which is the largest margin in a CCC title game. Wilson earned the shutout win making 24 saves as Endicott outshot Curry by a 43-24 margin.
MASCAC Championship
Due to weather in the northeast, the conference semifinals were postponed twice and finally played on Wednesday. Plymouth State hosted Massachusetts-Dartmouth and after a scoreless first period saw their offense break out behind a pair of goals from Will Redick and a goal and an assist from Myles Abbate. Three goals in each of the second and third periods saw the Panthers cruise to a 6-0 win. Goaltender Brendahn Brawley made 31 saves to earn the shutout win.
The second semifinal saw far more intrigue as Worcester state hosted Salem State in a seesaw affair. After Jason Lee gave the lancers a 1-0 lead through the first twenty minutes, the Vikings responded with three straight goals Kandyn Greatorex, Keagan O’Donoghue and Erik Larsson in the first five minutes of the second period to stun the Lancers. Kevin Drevitch cut the deficit to one goal before the end of the second period as the Vikings held a 3-2 lead after two periods of play. The Lancers took a page out of the Vikings playbook as Brendan Ronan scored just 26 seconds into the third period and Shane Prifrel gave the hosts a 4-3 lead just over two minutes later. That lead lasted until the final minute of regulation when Luke Pepin tied the game for the Vikings at 4-4 sending the contest to overtime. The Lancers wasted no time deciding the contest in the extra session as Max Roth found the back of the net just 39 seconds after the puck-drop to earn Worcester State a 5-4 win and spot in the title game.
In the championship game, both teams brought high intensity and exchanged goals just 47 seconds apart for a 1-1 tie after the first period. The Panthers brought their scoring game in the second period as Connor Tait, Niks Krollis and Dante Moretti scored to give the Panthers a comfortable 4-1 lead after two periods of play. Will Redick for PSU and Martin Dlugolinsky from Worcester State would exchange goals in the final period for a 5-2 final score and Plymouth State’s fourth consecutive MASCAC title. Brendahn Brawley stopped 20 of 22 shots in the championship game earning MVP honors.
NEHC Championship
Hobart hosted the defending NEHC champions from Babson and took advantage of a fast start and three first period goals to put the Beavers in a difficult position for a comeback. Jonah Alexander opened the scoring in the first three minutes of action and Luke Aquaro and Tanner Daniels extended the lead to 3-0 by the end of the first period. Babson’s Brendan Kennedy would score an unassisted goal as the only marker of the second period leaving the Beavers with a two-goal deficit entering the final period of play. Zach Tyson put a dagger in the visitors’ hopes with a shorthanded goal just over a minute into the third period and Aquaro’s second of the game provided the final margin in Hobart’s 5-1 win. Damon Beaver made 14 saves to earn the win as the Statesmen outshot the Beavers by a 43-15 margin.
NESCAC Championship
The quarterfinal round saw three upsets and three overtime games in the four games and the semifinals on Saturday continued the trend with both lower seeds advancing to the conference championship in big rivalry games that included yet another overtime game.
Bowdoin entered their contest with long-time rival Colby having lost 12 straight contests to the Mules. Neither team could score in the first period and it was Colby who broke the ice on a goal from Carter Breitenfeldt for a 1-0 lead. Midway through the second period, Bobby Murray answered for the Polar Bears, leaving the game tied at 1-1 after forty minutes of play. In the third period, Patrick Callahan with an assist from Chris Brown gave Bowdoin a 2-1 lead and Brown also assisted on Joe Alexander’s empty-net goal that iced the 3-1 win for the No. 7 seed. Alex Kozic was outstanding in goal stopping 33 of 34 shots for Bowdoin.
In the other semifinal, Amherst hosted their long-time rival Williams in a fast paced game that featured lots of chances but no goals for the first sixty minutes of play. William goaltender Evan Ruschil and Amherst netminder Dan Dachille matched each other save for save through sixty minutes of action leaving the game tied at 0-0 through the end of regulation. In the overtime session, the Ephs took advantage of a power play with forward Ziv Deener-Chodirker finding a loose puck in the crease to score on the rebound and send the No. 8 seed Ephs to Sunday’s title game.
The title game was a fast-paced game that saw four goals scored for a 2-2 tie after twenty minutes of action. Andy Stoneman provided both goals for the Polar Bears, including one just 14 seconds after the opening face-off. Bowdoin, who earned the home team designation as the No. 7 seed, wore their white jerseys that the team brought just in case they advanced. The pace continued throughout penalty-free game for the next two periods and both goalies were exceptional in keeping the game tied at 2-2 through regulation. Evan Ruschil from Williams finished the three periods with 50 saves while Bowdoin’s Alex Kozic held up his end with 36 stops.
The winner would be decided in overtime, which seemed quite apropos considering the competitiveness of the NESCAC tournament this season. Both teams continued their fast pace and taking quality shots on goal with the goaltenders keeping the opposition at bay. Bowdoin had several quality chances steered aside by Ruschil before an offensive zone face-off turned into some sustained pressure that led to Stoneman and Albert Waschco forcing play below the goal line before feeding Bobby Pearl coming off the left point who rifled a shot over Ruschil’s right shoulder to give the Polar Bears and first-year coach Ben Guite the NESCAC championship with a 3-2 OT win.
NE-10 Championship
The Hawks hosted the Purple Knights who had been a red-hot team for most of the second half of the season and into the playoffs. The Hawks earned home ice by winning the regular season title and took advantage of the friendly confines of Sullivan Arena with goals from five different players and 39 saves from goaltender Nick Howard on their way to a 5-1 win and their first NE-10 championship since the 2017-18 season. Garrett Alberti and Liam Lyons gave St. A’s a 2-0 lead after on period of play and Will Christensen extended the margin to 3-0 after two periods of play. Richie Colarusso and Luke Linart put the game out of reach with third period goals before Ashton Allain scored late for the Purple Knights to break Howard’s shutout bid. Max Burum and Luke Mix each picked up two assists in the Hawks’ record setting 23rd win of the season.
SUNYAC Championship
In a game featuring familiar rivals meeting for the fourth time this season, Plattsburgh captured their first SUNYAC title since the 2016-17 season with a 2-1 road win over Oswego on Saturday night. The Cardinals got exactly the start they needed with forward Adam Tretowicz scoring an unassisted goal in the opening two minutes of play to give Plattsburgh a 1-0 lead. The game stayed 1-0 until late in the third period when Carson Gallagher took a pass from Bennett Stockdale on a odd-man rush and put the puck past goaltender Cal Schell for a 2-0 lead. Oswego would not quit and kept the pressure on Eli Schiller in the Cardinals’ goal. Tommy Cahill scored in the final minute to close the gap to 2-1 but that is all Schiller would surrender as he registered 14 of his 26 saves in the final period.
“This year we were pretty dialed in since day one, said Plattsburgh head coach Steve Moffatt. “We have taken it day-by day. We have had incredible leadership – our leadership group Matt Araujo, Mitch Hale, Adam Tretowicz, Bran Hogg and Bennett Stockdale have been outstanding. They have been the rock for our team this year.”
“The first game when we came down here it was a 5-1 game, but I don’t think the score was indicative of the game,” noted Moffatt. “ We really haven’t changed much. I think we have just gotten better at what we are doing. These guys were blocking shots, left and right. That is what wins games – that and winning battles. If you do that consistently you will be successful.”
UCHC Championship
In a game that figured to be a close contest, Utica and Nazareth did not disappoint in the UCHC championship game on Saturday. Both teams came out flying and while the Pioneers carried the advantage on the shot counter, it was Michael DiSchiavi that gave the Golden Flyers a 1-0 lead midway through the first period. The second period was all Utica as Brandon Osmundson leveled the score at 1-1 just under two minutes into the middle frame. Dante Zapata scored shorthanded for a 2-1 Pioneer lead and Buster Larsson added a power play goal to extend the margin to two goals. Kimball Johnson added the fourth Utica goal of the period for a 4-1 lead before Blake Frost answered for Nazareth to close the gap to 4-2 after two periods of play.. The third period saw Nazareth rally back to a one-goal deficit on a goal from Logan Tobias but that is all goaltender Bryan Landsberger would surrender. Zapata would add an empty-net goal to provide some insurance in a 5-3 win that earned Utica their second straight UCHC championship.
Three Biscuits
Nick Howard – St. Anselm – stopped 39 of 40 shots and earned NE-10 Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors in the Hawks 5-1 championship game win over St. Michael’s on Saturday.
Luke Aquaro – Hobart – scored a pair of goals to lead the Statesmen to a 5-1 win over Babson and earn their second NEHC championship.
Eli Schiller – Plattsburgh – stopped 26 of 27 shots including 14 in the final period to backstop Plattsburgh to the SUNYAC championship in a 2-1 win at Oswego.
Bonus Biscuit
Bobby Pearl – Bowdoin – scored the game-winning goal in overtime to give the No. 7 seeded Polar Bears a 3-2 win over Williams College for the NESCAC championship.
Championship week absolutely did not disappoint as the action was great and continued the season-long trend of exciting contests and results that were far from predictable. Monday brings the NCAA selection show and with it I believe a 9-3 split in the East/West representation for this year’s national tournament. The auto-bids include: Bowdoin (NESCAC) Endicott (CCC), Hobart (NEHC), Plattsburgh (SUNYAC), Plymouth State (MASCAC), and Utica (UCHC). I believe the three at-large bids will include: Curry (CCC), University of New England (CCC) and Norwich (NEHC). We all find out on the NCAA selection show which can be seen live online on NCAA.com at 10 AM EST on Monday, March 6.
Thanks to Russell Jaslow, Mr. SUNYAC for his coverage and quotes from the Plattsburgh v. Oswego championship game on Saturday.
