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Volume CXXXIII, Number 12 |
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Wesleyan and Trinity up next for #12 Bears
ALISON L. MCCONNELL
ORIENT STAFF
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| Bowdoin defenders fight for possession in the crease. The twelfth-ranked team, which has a record of 10-4-0, has a few tough weekends ahead of it as it takes on Norwich, the number one-ranked team, next weekend at home. (Brian Dunn, Bowdoin Orient) |
It's been a long semester already.
While most Bowdoin students are readjusting to campus life after a lengthy break, the men's hockey team has been here since December 26, playing a series of NESCAC and non-conference games.
Junior Adam Mackie said that getting back to campus so early for training was all right. "It wasn't too bad, being here with all the guys," he said. "No complaints here."
It seems as though the men's effort was worth it. The men were number 12 in Monday's U.S. College Hockey Online Division III poll and have compiled a 10-4-0 record on the season.
"It's a great start, especially since we're such a young team," sophomore Jon Landry said.
Most recently, the Polar Bears faced Connecticut College and Tufts at home after a long stint on the road. They emerged with 5-3 and 4-1 victories in Dayton Arena.
"It's always nice to play in your own rink," Landry said. "Even thought there weren't too many people around, it was still really good to have the home crowd cheering for us."
Before last weekend, the team had mixed success. On December 27, they dropped their first Salem State Tournament game to Curry College, a small school in Milton, Massachusetts that currently shares the Polar Bears' spot at number 12.
"We ran into a hot team in Curry," head coach Terry Meagher said. "We played well, but what happens more and more in goal sports is that the goaltending is a huge factor. We've been going up against some pretty good goaltenders this season."
Nick Dunn '07 and Mackie scored in the 5-2 loss. "We started off quite strong, got a 2-0 lead, and then sat back a little," Mackie said. "We played extremely well on the offensive end, but struggled on defense."
After big wins over John and Wales, Babson, and UMass Boston, defeat came at the hands of a tough Middlebury team.
"We had a heartbreaking loss in overtime," Meagher said. "But it was a midseason loss, and we certainly can recover from that."
Sophomore Andy Nelson netted Bowdoin's first goal early in the second period, and Greg McConnell '07 kept the Bears alive, tying the score at 2-2 with less than four minutes to play in the third frame. Kevin Cooper '05, who recently set a record for all-time goal scoring at Middlebury, sealed the deal for the Panthers as the overtime neared its end.
"They got lucky and got the puck in," Landry said. "The bounces were going their way, and it was disappointing."
The strain of playing so many games on the road was evident in a 4-1 loss at Williams the following day. "We played our only flat periods of the season," Meagher said. "We lost our character in those last two periods."
Getting back to Dayton seemed to revitalize the men. They first rebounded with a win over Connecticut College in which five different Polar Bears scored. Sophomore goaltender George Papachristopolous made nine saves, and it was evident that the Bears had gotten things back together.
"Our shot-save percentage had been down at a level at which it's very hard to be successful," Meagher said. "We've worked hard on that, and it is improving each time we play."
Offense strength-including a 50-shot total-was the name of the game against Tufts. Jesse Minneman '06, James Gadon '07, and Dann scored for the Bears and senior captain Mike Healey stopped 16 shots.
Meagher said that the men have adjusted to position changes very well. "We've had some forwards move back, and they've really accepted the change," he said. "That's what it comes down to. It's your ability to adapt to the variables-illness, injury, a long season."
He added that the stretch of away games, while trying, were key learning experiences. "A young team learns on the road," he said. "It could be the youngest team I've ever had when you look at the core players. Those are the ones you look to for production, and it's a lot of responsibility. But outside the Williams game, I think we've been pretty consistent."
The Polar Bears may face some challenges on the road this weekend. "Wesleyan and Trinity are both right there with us; we're only separated by a couple of points," Meagher said. "Wesleyan has one of the top goaltenders in the league, and Trinity was picked as the preseason favorite to win the league."
Landry indicated that a change in the men's training schedule has them feeling prepared. "We started a new workout program that's really getting us stronger," he said. "And we're just taking it one weekend at a time."
The Polar Bears will face St. Michael's and number one-ranked Norwich at home next weekend.
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