Shannon Welch/Photo Editor
The Wesleyan men’s hockey team was unable to emerge with a win from a key weekend against a pair of NESCAC rivals. The Cardinals first fell to the Amherst Lord Jeffs last Friday by a score of 3-2, and then tied Hamilton Continentals at one goal apiece last Saturday.
Amherst forced the Cardinals to play catch-up throughout the Little Three match. Seven minutes into the game, the Lord Jeffs, who hadn’t yet lost in NESCAC play this season, grabbed an early lead when Aaron Deutsch converted his first goal of the season by slipping the puck past goaltender Glenn Stowell ’13 after receiving a pass behind the net. Wesleyan fought back in the second period, when Tommy Hartnett ’14 netted junior Keith Buehler’s rebound while the Cardinals had a man advantage. That counted for Hartnett’s fourth goal and Buehler’s sixth assist of the young season. Just two minutes later, Amherst leading scorer Mike Moher converted during a power play, swatting a puck in the air past Stowell to snatch the lead back for his Lord Jeffs.
Following a two-man advantage in which they were unable to capitalize, Wesleyan managed to claw back into the game once again when Nick Craven ’13 scored his fifth goal of the season, assisted by John Guay ’13 and Jay Matthews ’16. With eight minutes remaining in the tie game, Wesleyan had the opportunity to overtake the lead and upset the reigning NESCAC champions, with the momentum in their favor after a holding penalty put Amherst down a man.
Amherst forward Andrew Kurlandski had other plans, though. Kurlandski emerged from a Wesleyan turnover in his own end with a clear path to the goal, and he was not to be denied as he fired a slap shot from just inside the blue line. Stowell missed on the attempted stop, and Amherst had swept the carpet out from under Wesleyan, converting a shorthanded goal to retake the lead from the threatening Cardinals. Despite a late push from Wesleyan, Amherst held on to improve to 3-0-0 in NESCAC play.
Defense and goaltending were the story of the match between Hamilton and Wesleyan last Saturday, as neither managed a goal through 50 minutes of play, despite 11 power plays between the two teams in that period of time. Finally, after 23 unsuccessful shots on goal, Wesleyan converted, successfully executing their two-man advantage play when Craven scored his team-leading sixth goal of the season off a seeing-eye pass across the crease from Hartnett, his fourth assist of the season. Also assisting on the play was Donald Kleckner ’13, who has compiled six assists thus far. Wesleyan looked poised to come away with a victory after 59 minutes of gritty play, but with just 54 seconds remaining in regulation, Hamilton forward Marko Brelih took a shot from the slot that Stowell swung on and missed at with his left glove.
An eventful overtime passed without a goal, although both teams managed at least three shots on net. The Continentals had the best chance to win the game when a Hamilton forward screened Stowell and attempted to tip the puck past him, but Stowell snatched the puck up and kept the game even.
Looking to push their way back over .500, the 3-3-1 Cardinals will travel to Wentworth Institute in Boston for a nonconference game next Thursday, Dec. 6.