The men’s ice hockey team (7-16-0) finished up its season over the weekend with two road games, taking on the University of Southern Maine on Friday and concluding the season at the University of New England on Saturday. The team was already out of playoff contention heading into these games, after being beaten out for the eighth spot in the NESCAC tournament by Tufts the previous weekend. The two matches did not go the Cards’ way, and although the team will miss the playoffs for the second straight year, there is big upside for the program moving forward, as the top three point scorers for the Cardinals are underclassmen, and two of the top five are freshmen.

The Cardinals had a tough task in taking on the Huskies of Southern Maine, who had notched impressive victories over the course of the season, including a stunning upset over NESCAC leader Bowdoin on Jan. 15. The Cards fell behind early in the contest as the Huskies scored at the 1:47 mark of the first period. The Husky lead expanded from there as they scored two more goals in the period, which gave them a 3-0 lead heading into the second period. In the second the home team struck once again at the 13-minute mark, but the Cardinals got on the board just two minutes later as Sam Robinson ’10 lit the lamp with the assistance of A.J. Ferraro ’12 and Tom Salah ’12. The third period was quiet on the scoring front, and the Cardinals fell to the Huskies by a final score of 4-1.

Concluding their season at UNE, the Cardinals came out strong, and after a goal from Ryan White ’13, with assists going to Anthony DePietto ’11 and Brett Bandazian ’12, the match was tied 1-1 at the end of the first. This parity, however, did not last long, as the Nor’easters notched five more goals in the remaining two periods and ended the game with a 6-1 advantage, just their third win of the season and first against a NESCAC team.

The Cardinals improved their overall win total from last year from four to seven, and the young squad performed admirably all season long. There were many highlights during the season, but the Cardinals’ 6-2 win over Williams on Jan. 15 may go down as one of the top five wins in program history. While Amherst defeated both Wesleyan and Williams to secure the Little Three title outright, the Cardinals’ victory over the Ephs allowed the Cards to finish a solid second in the Little Three. In what many viewed as a rebuilding year, the Cardinals have set themselves up for future success, and we have not yet seen the full capability of this young squad.