traveled to Maine this past weekend looking to bolster its resume heading into the NESCAC tournament. The opportunity presented itself on Friday against an 11th-ranked Bowdoin squad. The game turned into a high-scoring affair, both teams netting a total of ten goals and 34 shots. Unfortunately for Wesleyan, the final result was a 6-4 loss for the Cards.
Despite the loss, the Wes squad should be proud of its efforts. In parts of the game, the Cardinals outplayed a team who was not only ranked nationally, but also second in the NESCAC conference. The shot tally, usually a great indicator of team success, was completely even. Had Wesleyan not dug itself into a tough predicament by going down 4-0, the game surely would have had a more favorable outcome. Keith Buehler ’14 notched a short-handed goal for the first score of the game, followed by the first of two goals by John Guay ’13 to make the game 4-2. Guay’s two goals during the game improved his tally to ten goals on the season. Additionally, Geoff Mucha ’12 converted on a power play goal to again cut the difference to two goals. But the four-goal deficit meant the Cardinals could not afford to be trading goals with Bowdoin. Ultimately they fell 6-4 after a determined effort to get back in the game.
The next day the Cardinals traveled to Colby, where they would finish off their trip through Maine. Wesleyan went ahead early after an impressive goal from Adam Kaiser ’13 just 6:25 into the first period. This served as a nice change of pace compared to previous games when the squad found itself behind early on. Colby tied the game later in the first period, and went ahead 2-1 with less than eight minutes to go in the contest. The Cardinals remained resolute and focused on the task at hand. After a great showing in the first 59 minutes, goaltender Glenn Stowell ’13 was pulled with just over a minute remaining in favor of an extra skater. 50 seconds later, Tommy Hartnett ’14 proved the decision was the right one, as he scored with only 15 seconds remaining in the game. Good teamwork between Nik Tasiopoulos ’14, Buehler, and Hartnett was responsible for the timely goal. In the overtime period, both teams mustered three shots on net, but the game ended in a tie—a welcomed outcome considering the circumstances in the third period.
Wesleyan has two games remaining in its regular season before the NESCAC tournament begins. Both games are against conference rival Trinity, and have large implications for the seeding in the conference tournament. Based on current standings, Wesleyan is ranked sixth in the conference and has guaranteed a spot in the tournament. However, Trinity sits only two points below Wesleyan in seventh place, while Williams holds fifth place by only two points.
A good performance this weekend will most certainly contribute to a more favorable draw in the conference tournament. The Cardinals will play Trinity away on Friday night at 7 p.m. and conclude the regular season home on Saturday at 3 p.m.