NESCAC '13-'14 season

[obserbear]

Re: NESCAC '13-'14 season

Big game on Tuesday first! Rink should be rocking as it is #RockTheRed Night in the Burgh.

Wish I could get up to watch the game in person, but I have to settle for the webcast. The game back in December was a good one; always exciting when #1 hosts #2!

 

[Polar Bear Fan]

Re: NESCAC '13-'14 season

How about a shoutout to the Wesleyan Cardinals clinching their first playoff birth in a decade. Special shoutout to the WES seniors. Well done!

Congrats to WES, they have been a surprise team this year. Good Job Seniors. Good luck the rest of the way! Love the Goal tending WES has been getting. Little # 23 is fun too watch.

 

[dontyelldad]

Re: NESCAC '13-'14 season

How about a shoutout to the Wesleyan Cardinals clinching their first playoff birth in a decade. Special shoutout to the WES seniors. Well done!

Congrats to WES, they have been a surprise team this year. Good Job Seniors. Good luck the rest of the way! Love the Goal tending WES has been getting. Little # 23 is fun too watch.

It's a great milestone, and something they've been working towards, for several years. Good for them. Congrats!

And more work to be done before the season is through.

Great shout out to all of the WES Cards, seniors and all!

Keep it up!

 

[obserbear]

Re: NESCAC '13-'14 season

Congratulations to Coach Houle and the Cardinal players on their 5-2 win at Stafford. Middlebury looked great the 1st period, but were blitzed in the 2nd and did not get anything going again until late in the 3rd. Aveson barred the door when the Panthers had their early opportunities and kept things close until the Plattsburgh offense came alive and dominated the 2nd and much of the 3rd.
Truth be told, it is always tough to beat a quality opponent 3 straight in any season, so the Panthers just have to hope they get another shot in the win or go home round!

 

[HockeyEast33]

Re: NESCAC '13-'14 season

Time for the weekly guesswork:

- Bowdoin at Hamilton - Well, they already rescheduled the Friday night game to Sunday, so Friday bus legs are out. But maybe they'll be Saturday bus legs? I'm gonna say the distance matters and Hamilton is desparate and picks up its first NESCAC win of the season. Split.
- Colby at Wesleyan - Wesleyan riding high and still with a chance to take a home playoff spot (!!??). Colby needs some points to close the door on Hamilton. Wesleyan with a win and a tie at home.
- Trinity at Amherst - Both teams needs the wins, but for different reasons. If the Friday night Amherst from last weekend shows up, easy sweep. If last Saturday's Amherst team shows up, a split. I'm betting on the Friday team at home - Amherst sweeps.
- Williams - Middlebury home and home - On paper, should be a sweep for Middlebury. Wiliiams playing with a lot of heart and need some points to secure at least the 3rd playoff spot. I think they pick up a point at home. Middlebury with a win and tie.

 

[obserbear]

Re: NESCAC '13-'14 season

Trying to get out of the office and off to slog up to Middlebury.
Here is where things stand on Valentine's Day:
http://nescac.com/sports/wice/2013-14/standings
Bowdoin@Hamilton-after a promising start with the back to back wins at Conn College the Polar Bears are a disappointing 2-3-3 in their conference run; Hamilton has been injury plagued all season and needs a win this weekend and sweep at Colby (and a bunch of outside assistance) to avoid being the odd team out come playoffs; I want to 'Dream in Black and White', but something says split
Trinity@Amherst-Bantams were hot heading into Watson last weekend and came home with 1 point; it is time for Amherst to step up and grab the 4 points at Orr before their regular season ending date with the Polar Bears; Lord Jeff sweep
Colby@Wesleyan-Cardinals are hot and hungry for more points; the White Mules just do not score enough; Wesleyan sweep
Williams and Middlebury play home and home-I have been remiss in not watching Williams live this season; they put together a 6 game run before the loss to Amherst, then led before giving up the EA goal and getting a tie with the Lord Jeffs last Saturday; dangerous young team; that said, so is Middlebury; the Panthers need to stop playing like they can always turn it up and grab victory from the jaws of disaster; after period 1 at Plattsburgh they looked ready to win the NCAAs, but period 2 and 3 not so much; time for Midd to play at their potential and sweep

 

[obserbear]

Re: NESCAC '13-'14 season

Quite the drive...anyway... 0-0 after 1 at Kenyon...shots 9-9...Williams better of the chances

 

[obserbear]

Re: NESCAC '13-'14 season

2-1 Midd after 2...shots 19-18 Williams...Thibault 1st career goal...Bravi for Ephs...Bielawski puts Midd ahead

 

[obserbear]

Re: NESCAC '13-'14 season

Midd 3 Williams 2 final...Krakower pp goal wins it

 

[HockeyEast33]

Re: NESCAC '13-'14 season

Midd 3 Williams 2 final...Krakower pp goal wins it

Watched it on the internet feed. Great game. Power plays ended up being the difference, Williams scores on 2 to stay in the game (2 of the 3 penalty kill goals Midd has given up in league play this season according to play by play guy), Midd wins it on one (Williams takes their only 2 penalties in the last 6 minutes - first one was a bad one, second one saved a goal at the end of the penalty kill). Still not clear how the Levine effort at the end of regulation didn't go in. Fantastic shot by Krakower to win it.

 

[obserbear]

Re: NESCAC '13-'14 season

Another thriller at Kenyon with the Panthers doing their impression of the Kardiac Kids once again! Williams came out flying in the 1st and had Jones doing some flying of her own around the Panther crease. Eph goalie Billadeau made a nice stop on Ugalde at 5: of the 1st; Ugalde stepped in front of an exit pass in the high slot and was 1x0 at the top of the crease, but Billadeau squared up and the puck flew over the net. Middlebury broke ahead in the 2nd when Thibault scooped up the puck in the neutral zone and went wide down right wing, turning the D and roofing one home from a sharp angle (congrats on her 1st career score!). Williams countered cashing in a PP in a mere :12; collegehockeystats has the play with Vukasin (#18) scoring with the assists to Beattie and Conlon, while my notes had Bravi (#19) making a play at right point off the draw, drifting left and, unmarked, penetrating to the top of the left circle and beating Jones with a low shot through traffic. Midd regained the lead when an Eph D got caught up ice deep in the left wing corner; the puck came out and a 2x1 developed with Sullivan skating down right wing, Mandigo in the slot; Billadeau made the initial save on Sullivan's high drive but the puck was loose with Mandigo crashing the net and Bielawski following and sneaking the puck home. Williams protested Billadeau had the puck covered in the scrum, but the goal stood. Williams drew even early in the 3rd on another PP. Schultz won the draw and Conlon fed Beattie at left point; Beattie had space and walked in for a slap shot from the top of the left circle beating a screened Jones. The Panthers scored the game winner on a PP of their own. Ugalde had the puck on the edge of the left circle, fed back to Watson on left point; Watson walked right and feathered a pass toward Krakower at the top of the right circle for a one timer and the score. Krakower's brother happened to anticipate the play (although I think this is the 7th goal scored in almost identical fashion, so you sort of knew it was coming) and there is video he captured on his cell somewhere on facebook or utube or some such media. The Ephs refused to go quietly and with the puck on the boards behind the Midd goal the Panthers were assessed a penalty. Coach Gillis then got her goalie off for the EA and with the ensuing pressure resulting in another Panther penalty had :32 skating 6x3. Panther goalie Jones responded with some of her acrobatic best and was able to preserve the 3-2 win.
So what does it all mean?
http://nescac.com/sports/wice/2013-14/standings
Basically we know only that Middlebury has clinched another NESCAC regular season title. Beyond that the situation remains fluid and the permutations are mind numbing, and probably remain so until the last OT is over on 2/22! You just have to love the NESCAC regular season!

 

[obserbear]

Re: NESCAC '13-'14 season

Williams 1 Midd 0 after 2

 

[obserbear]

Re: NESCAC '13-'14 season

Ot 1-1

 

[obserbear]

Re: NESCAC '13-'14 season

Saw a real battle between the Panthers and Ephs last evening at Lansing Chapman in Williamstown. Hats off to the Moreaus and Ugaldes for the ride down and Robin Krakower for bring me back to Middlebury (my previously trusty '99 Jetta having developed engine issues). The refs called 5 penalties through the 1st period and both goalies, Jones for the visiting Panthers and Billadeau for the Ephs), were on their respective games keeping things scoreless. Williams got on the board late in the 1st when Bravi came off the Eph bench, stepped into a clearing pass at the blue line and with Midd D heading up ice, knifed down the left side of the slot to the top of the crease; with the puck on her forehand Bravi deked Jones to defend the forehand, stickside and then deftly inserted the puck with a backhand as she skated right across to Jones' gloveside. Middlebury saw a great chance carom off the post on the only powerplay of the 2nd (one of those 'if they hadn't painted the goal frame it was in' shots) when Krakower rifled a slap shot from the top of the right circle off Billadeau's gloveside post. Following the choppy, penalty filled 1st the game settled down to fast paced, end to end fire wagon hockey. Billadeau made a dazzling stop at 10:50 of the 3rd when, on a shot deflected at the top of the crease, she was tracking to her gloveside and flicked her right pad, steering the puck wide of the stickside post. Middlebury finally evened the score with time winding down. Joyce fielded a high flipped pass in front of the Eph bench and was in behind the Williams D, down to the right circle; Billadeau parried Joyce's drive and Mandigo's put back of the rebound, but Schulman found the puck and snuck it through traffic for the equalizer. The OT saw both goalies make great stops. Jones was her acrobatic best facing a 2x0 Eph rush at 2:17 of OT and Billadeau was equally strong in net for the Ephs.
So I guess we all knew things would come down to the last weekend of regular season play without having a clear picture of the pairings for the NESCAC playoffs:
http://nescac.com/sports/wice/2013-14/standings
Middlebury (12-0-4) is the #1 seed. Bowdoin (5-5-3) takes the ice at Hamilton (0-11-2) at noon today and with a win will move into possession of the #4 spot (and the Polar Bears own the tie breaker with both Trinity and Wesleyan, should they all finish at 6-7-3). The Continentals appear to be the odd team out of the playoffs and after that almost any number of changes may occur. The final weekend sees Amherst (8-2-4) at Bowdoin, Conn College (3-8-3) at Williams (8-3-3) and Hamilton at Colby (4-9-1). Trinity (5-6-3) and Wesleyan (5-6-3) play home and home, in Hartford Friday and Middletown Saturday.

 

[dontyelldad]

Re: NESCAC '13-'14 season

So I guess we all knew things would come down to the last weekend of regular season play without having a clear picture of the pairings for the NESCAC playoffs:
http://nescac.com/sports/wice/2013-14/standings
Middlebury (12-0-4) is the #1 seed. Bowdoin (5-5-3) takes the ice at Hamilton (0-11-2) at noon today and with a win will move into possession of the #4 spot (and the Polar Bears own the tie breaker with both Trinity and Wesleyan, should they all finish at 6-7-3). The Continentals appear to be the odd team out of the playoffs and after that almost any number of changes may occur. The final weekend sees Amherst (8-2-4) at Bowdoin, Conn College (3-8-3) at Williams (8-3-3) and Hamilton at Colby (4-9-1). Trinity (5-6-3) and Wesleyan (5-6-3) play home and home, in Hartford Friday and Middletown Saturday.

By my calculation, with the loss yesterday, Hamilton was eliminated. Note, I believe the Trin-Wes game is in Middletown Friday night and Hartford Saturday.

Amherst has assured itself a home quarterfinal game, and could finish 2 or 3, the rest seems to be wide open, with the Colby early wins over Bowdoin potentially having an impact on tie breaking scenarios.

 

[dontyelldad]

Re: NESCAC '13-'14 season

Keeping things interesting early, Hamilton converts on a 5 on 3 to take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission...

... Make that 3-1 after 2.

 

[obserbear]

Re: NESCAC '13-'14 season

Po Bears looking up at the Continentals and down 1-3 after 2.
I should have checked, but the home and home is correctly in Middletown Friday and Hartford Saturday.
A Bowdoin loss today will probably cost them the #4 seed unless they plan on sweeping Amherst next weekend.

 

[obserbear]

Re: NESCAC '13-'14 season

4-1 Hamilton early in 3rd

 

[obserbear]

Re: NESCAC '13-'14 season

Congrats to Hamilton players and Coach McNamara on their first NESCAC win of the season, 4-1 over Bowdoin.

 

[dontyelldad]

Re: NESCAC '13-'14 season

Congrats to Hamilton players and Coach McNamara on their first NESCAC win of the season, 4-1 over Bowdoin.

Which clarifies the playoff scenario, only to a limited degree.

Midd -- locked 1st

Amh and Wms -- assured home 1/4 game, and will be playing this weekend for positions 2 and 3

Colby and Conn, with 9 points, could catch "the pack," at 13 points, with weekend sweeps, if Bow (13 pts) is swept by Amh, but Trin and Wes (13 pts each), play each other, so at least one of them won't be "caught" ...

So, for those making travel plans ... the Quarterfinals will be played in 1) VT, 2 & 3) MA and 4) in either ME or CT ...

What a league!

With one weekend remaining, there's one undefeated team (4 teams have tied them), 3 teams with winning records, and 13 ties out of 128 games to date (within a rounding error of 10%) ...

8 games to go in the regular season!

Good luck to all.