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Volume CXXXIII, Number 12 |
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Men's hockey ready to duke it out with Colby
ALISON L. McCONNELL
ORIENT STAFF
After an exciting weekend that included head coach Terry Meagher's 300th
Bowdoin victory, the men's hockey team is gearing up for one of its most
important season matchups, the ever-popular Colby-Bowdoin game. The Bears,
who defeated Skidmore and tied Massachusetts College last weekend, moved
to 4-0-1 on the season and are looking to pick up a big win tomorrow.
A 12-1 blowout of Skidmore started the weekend off with a bang. The Bears
were in control of the contest right from the start, scoring three goals
within 1:18 in the first period.
"I don't think that I can remember a team starting off as sharp
and crisp as we did, scoring three goals that quickly," Meagher said.
"It was just one of those nights; everything went for us."
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| Sean Starke '03 in last week's game against the Mass College Mohawks. (Colin LeCroy, Bowdoin Orient) |
The game saw several Bears notch goals, including Mike Carosi '02, Bill
Busch '02, Andy McNerney '02, Sean Starke '03, Albert Mayer '03, Jared
Porter '03, Mike Stevens '04, Chris Pelletier '04, and Marty Brisebois
'04.
Meagher said that the scoring bonanza reflected some offensive improvements.
"We had some people come through who hadn't gotten on the board yet
this year," he said. "We're getting to the point where we understand
what we have to do to score."
According to him, the defense played a strong game as well. "They
really got the puck up to our forwards," Meagher said.
Aside from the obvious addition to the Bears' undefeated record, the
Skidmore victory was important for another reason as well. "The win
against Skidmore was tremendous, especially because it was Coach Meagher's
300th," senior captain Adam Mantin said.
The next day, the Bears took on Massachusetts College, and came away
with a 2-2 tie. While the score was obviously much different than that
of the previous day's matchup, Meagher felt that his team had performed
admirably again. "We had just as many good chances on Saturday as
we did on Friday," he said. "Mass played a really great game;
you have to tip your hat to them."
The game, which was the first time the Bears had seen overtime play this
season, was tight from beginning to end. Mass got on the board first when
Mike Weiss's attempt eluded Bear goaltender Mike Healey '04. It would
be the only goal of the period.
Five minutes in the second frame, Carosi managed to get one by Mass goalie
Ryan Kiernan to tie the score at 1-1. Carosi found Pelletier in front
about four minutes later, and dealt him a pass that Pelletier finished
for the lead. However, Weiss netted his second goal of the game at the
19:21 mark to re-tie the score.
Meagher indicated that the game tightened down the stretch from there.
"As the game shortens, you have to be careful," he said. "You
can't take too many risks with the chance of them scoring a key goal against
you."
Both goalies held the game scoreless in the third and overtime periods.
Kiernan denied 11 Bear shots in the third frame, and neutralized an important
Pelletier breakaway. He finished with 29 saves, while Healey stopped 16
Mohawk shots.
"We ran into a goaltender who played extremely well," Meagher
said. "We should have been more aggressive and assertive in some
areas; we didn't funnel to the net as much as we should have in overtime."
He added that some defensive tactics would be worked on as a result of
the game's outcome. "There were a couple of breakdowns on defense,
with some veteran guys," Meagher said. "They'll learn from that
game."
"It was an interesting weekend; I thought that we played really
well overall," he added.
The team appears to be playing as a cohesive unit centered on a core
of veteran players. "Our senior leadership has been awesome this
year," Mantin said. "It's carried over into our play, and we've
been focused on our goals."
Team structure seems to be operating smoothly as well. "We've got
pretty strong five-person groupings, and I think that's going to help
us all year," Meagher said.
Today, the men are preparing for tomorrow's important matchup with the
White Mules (4-0). "They're a solid team," Meagher said. "They've
got two or three defensemen that can make a difference in a game."
Tomorrow, the Bears will play on a larger surface than the one to which
they're acclimated. "Having home ice is obviously always an advantage,"
Meagher said. "[At Colby] we have a much bigger ice sheet that will
cause some issues with adjustment."
The Bears aren't sure whom to expect in net, either, as several Colby
players have seen time between the pipes this season.
According to Meagher, that unknown goaltender could make quite a difference.
"It's a goal-oriented sport; really, it all comes down to what kind
of goaltender you've got," he said.
Meagher stated that there isn't much to worry about on the Bowdoin end.
"Mike is ready," he said.
He added that, in his opinion, there are few rivalries in college hockey
as exciting and enjoyable as the Bowdoin-Colby game. "It's developed
into a wonderful tradition," he said. "Each game has its own
character."
Mantin indicated that the team is relishing the opportunity to play the
first Colby-Bowdoin faceoff of the season. "We're definitely gearing
up for the game," he said. "It should be an exciting one."