Pat Butsch ’06 scored the game-tying goal with just under seven minutes remaining to keep the Cards playoff hopes alive, as the men’s hockey team got a much-needed point this past weekend with a 1-1 tie against Bowdoin College on Saturday afternoon.

Butsch, playing in his final home game, was able to convert on a rebound of Chris Gaceffa’s ’07 shot late in the third period. Following the team’s 1-0 loss to Colby College the previous night, Wesleyan needed to salvage its final home weekend with at least a tie against Bowdoin.

Dave Scardella ’07 continued his strong play, posting 38 saves in the team’s home finale against the Polar Bears. Over his last 350 minutes in goal, Scardella has allowed only seven goals with 191 saves, a remarkable 96.5 save percentage. He is also allowing just 1.17 goals per game.

The draw with Bowdoin moved the Cards within one point of eighth place Tufts, which lost twice over the weekend. Trinity locked up the seventh playoff spot this weekend with wins over Colby and Bowdoin. To move past the Jumbos and secure the final playoff spot, Wesleyan must pick up one point on the Jumbos this coming weekend. The Cards hold the tiebreaker over Tufts with a 4-2 victory earlier in the season.

“With the defense rallying around Scardella and our offense following the lead of our older guys, I think we have a good shot at reaching the postseason,” said Brent Winship ’09, regarding the team’s chances at securing the final playoff spot.

On Friday evening, a very strong Colby team visited Wesleyan, and a season-long pattern continued. While the defense played strong and held the opponent to one goal on 36 shots, the offense was unable to find the back of the net. The Cards had several opportunities to tie the game but never could. Even with three power plays in the third period, the Wesleyan offense remained stifled. The lone goal of the game was scored by Ryan Chrenek in the third minute of the game. He was assisted by Josh Reber, who leads the NESCAC in assists, and Joel Covelli.

“Our defense has been so strong all season,” Winship, a freshman defenseman who has started most of the games this season, said. “If we got a little more lucky on some offensive chances, we wouldn’t be fighting for a playoff birth, we would have already clinched one.”

The Cards will look to secure that final playoff spot this weekend when they travel to Skidmore College Friday night, and then Castleton the following afternoon. Tufts, the team that Wesleyan is chasing for the final playoff spot, takes on Babson Friday night and UMass-Boston on Saturday, two games the Cards will be following closely. Should the men’s hockey team reach the NESCAC tournament, it will be only the second time in the team’s history. The first time was in the 1999-2000 season when the Cards finished 9-11-5.