The men’s hockey team will host their first ever NESCAC tournament game on Saturday at 3 p.m., when Amherst College visits Spurrier-Snyder Rink. Wesleyan sports the best winning percentage in team history (.587), plus the most victories (11) since the 1988-1989 campaign when they won 13. Co-Captain Will Bennett ’07 leads the Wesleyan offense with 35 points, just one shy of 100 for his career. Goaltender Mike Palladino ’09 anchors the defense, allowing a league low 2.18 goals per game and a .917 save percentage, second best in the NESCAC.

Amherst will rely on forwards Joel Covelli ’09 (10 goals, 23 assists) and Sean Ellis ’07 (11 goals, 15 assists) to compensate for their goalie, Josh Fillman ’07, who has the highest goals against average of all starting goaltenders in the conference, allowing 3.49 goals per game.

When the two teams met earlier this season, Wesleyan jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead before Amherst came back and eventually tied the game at three at the end of the second period. Amherst used two power play goals in the third period to build a two goal lead that the Cards were unable to overcome, and the Lord Jeffs left with a 5-4 victory. Covelli lead Amherst with five points (one goal, four assists) and Kyle Schoppel added four assists. For the Cards, David Layne ’10 opened his freshman campaign in impressive fashion, scoring two goals and adding an assist.

Despite the strong senior leadership that the Cards get from co-captains Bennett and Ryan Hendrickson ’07, they are still a very young team. Freshman have accounted for 40 percent of the team’s goals this season. Layne (13), Jeff Beck ’10 (six), Sam Robinson ’10 (four), and Woody Redpath ’10 (six) have all contributed to the Cards’ offensive success this season.

If the Cards limit defensive miscues and penalties and play good team hockey on offense, Amherst will have a difficult time defeating them in front of their home crowd.
The first line of forwards should have a field day against an inferior Amherst defense that yields 3.48 goals per game. Look for Bennett to eclipse the 100-point plateau for his career, and for the Cardinals to advance to the semi-finals of the NESCAC tournament for the first time in the team’s history.