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Volume CXXXII, Number 14 |
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Men's hockey tops ranked foe
MIKE BALULESCU
STAFF WRITER
If teams were judged by how they performed on paper, then there would be no reason to play the games; last Friday the men's ice hockey team showed a near capacity crowd at Dayton Arena exactly why we play the games.
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| In an intrasquad scrimmage, three Polar Bear skaters turn to break out of their defensive zone. (Hans Law, Bowdoin Orient) |
Despite taking on a dangerous and nationally ranked foe, Trinity College, Bowdoin made the visiting Bantams look less like a first place team and more like the Hartford High School JV squad, as the Polar Bears skated circles around their opponents and rocked Trinity for eight goals in outstanding fashion.
Trinity arrived under the Dayton rafters Friday afternoon not only ranked ninth in the country in Division III hockey, but also sitting atop the NESCAC in first place, ahead of Bowdoin and Middlebury College.
"This was a huge game for us," said coach Terry Meagher, who tied Bowdoin coaching legend Sid Watson's record of 326 career wins last Friday. "But this is a very special group of young men. They practice hard, and they play hard every game." In addition to reaching his pinnacle win mark, Coach Meagher was recognized for his record and coaching skill by Jim McCabe in the Boston Globe sports section last week.
The Polar Bears scored first Friday night on a goal by John Landry '06 and never looked back. Trinity brought the game to a 1-1 tie by the end of the first period, but Bowdoin broke out with four goals in the second period and carried the game the rest of the way.
The highlight of the match came late in the third period when first-year Adam Dann scored with three men against a full-strength Trinity line. Supported by only two teammates on the ice, Dann took on all five Trinity players and embarrassed them with an unassisted shot past Bantam goaltender Douglas Kiselius, putting the Polar Bears up 7-2. Bowdoin added one more goal on the night from Landry, who finished the evening with a hat trick.
The following afternoon did not bring the same dazzle for the Polar Bears, as they played host to the last place Wesleyan Cardinals and only managed a tie in overtime against a stubborn and frustrating Cardinal defense.
Despite outshooting Wesleyan 51-19, the Polar Bears only managed one goal from senior captain Sean Starke. The match ended in regulation in a 1-1 tie, and the overtime period produced the same result. The visiting Cardinals refused to play offense and packed their players around the net, preventing any Polar Bear shots from getting into the net.
"Wesleyan didn't play to win, they played to tie us," said Captain Jared Porter '03. "And for their sake, it worked. It was a game we should have won, but they shut down our power plays, and their goalie came through for them. The bounces didn't go our way, but I'd rather they go our way down the road in a few weeks."
Perhaps the only highlight of the game came in OT, when goalie sensation Mike Healey '04 made a diving save to preserve the tie and keep the Polar Bears in the game. Healey made 18 saves on the afternoon.
Although the Wesleyan tie certainly dampened spirits across campus after the spectacular Trinity win, coach Meagher was all smiles this past week. "This team really competes, and I am so proud of them," he said. "This is where I get joy and satisfaction, contending for significant playoff spots." He added, "This is college athletics at its best."
At 12-2-2, the Polar Bears have already mathematically qualified for the Division III postseason, and they now battle on for home ice advantage, as well as the coveted first place crown of the NESCAC.
They face a tough road trip this weekend, as they travel to Vermont to take on Norwich University and St. Michael's College. Norwich is currently ranked second in the country, with an impressive 17-1-0 record. Bowdoin returns home next weekend to take on the University of Southern Maine and Salem State College.
GO U BEARS!
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