Following a successful weekend away in which the Cardinals earned their first sweep of the season with victories over Tufts (2–0) and Conn. College (6–3) on Friday, Jan. 24 and Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, the team returned to their home ice to take on the No. 8 nationally ranked Hamilton for the second time this season on Friday, Jan. 31. 

The Cards got off to a stellar start, with defenseman Daniel Lurie ’26 and captain and forward Owen Sweet ’25 scoring back-to-back goals a minute apart halfway through the first period. But the Continentals fought back with a goal at the end of the period, cutting the lead to 2–1 going into the second. From there, it was all Hamilton as they fired off four more goals throughout the remaining two periods while Wes was held scoreless, resulting in a 2–5 loss for the Cards.   

“We were definitely feeling good about ourselves coming off that sweep and a good week of practice,” captain and defenseman Patrick Morrissey ’25 said. “We knew we had a big test with Hamilton, and we knew we needed to get off to a good start, and we did in that game. We felt like we were in a good spot, [and] that got away from us a bit, and a team like that who just doesn’t stop and is relentless can do that to you.”

Hoping to shake off Friday night’s results, the Cards then prepared to face their next opponent, Amherst, the following afternoon. Once again, the Cards struck first with a goal from defenseman Han Shin ’28 just four minutes into the game. But the Mammoths were undeterred and fired back just thirteen seconds later with a goal of their own to tie the score before tacking on two more over the next six minutes to assume a 1–3 lead. But the Cards would not go quietly. Forward Jack Marottolo ’26 capitalized on a power play to cut the Mammoths’ lead and, less than a minute later, Sweet tacked on another goal. But once again, the second and third periods proved frustrating for the Cards. They were unable to find the back of the net as Amherst added two more to their total, resulting in a 3–5 Cardinals defeat.

“[In] the Amherst game, we put ourselves in a bad position early, and then we fought back to tie it,” Sweet said. “And then at that point it was a bounce that went their direction, and they scored an empty netter to make it 3–5 at the end. So if we [had] put ourselves in a better position, we probably would have come out with a favorable result. So it was a positive step for our young team to prove that, as they grow and play in these close games, they’ll be really good in the years to come.”

The next weekend, the Cards had another chance to redeem themselves at home, starting with their Friday, Feb. 7 matchup against Williams. The Ephs got straight to business with a goal less than two minutes into the first. From there, it was a defensive battle, and no team scored for the remainder of the period. But at the top of the second, the Cardinals netted their first goal from defenseman Jake Geraci ’28 to tie the score. The Purple Cows added another halfway through the second to retake the lead, but with another period and a half to go, the Cardinals were not ready to give up yet. Seven minutes into the third, forward Zach Stimeling ’27 tied the score with an unassisted goal, which was followed up a minute later with a goal from forward Danny Judge ’26 that gave the Cards their first lead of the game. From there, the defense held strong, and the Ephs could not find the back of the net in those final eleven minutes, resulting in a 3–2 victory for the Cardinals. 

Forward Hayden Hanes ’27 applauded the team’s victory, especially the defensive effort at the end of the third when faced with mounting pressure.

“We did a really good job, because the game-winning goal came with eight minutes left, which is plenty of time for them to score again,” Haynes said. “So that was good maturity in our group, to be able to hold them out, especially in a lower-scoring game.”

The next day, looking to build on their momentum, the Cardinals faced their next NESCAC matchup: Middlebury. Forward Connor Sutherland ’27 scored the first goal of the game on a power play three minutes into the first period. The next goal did not come until fifteen minutes into the second period, when Middlebury tied the score. A flurry of penalties in the final period allowed the Panthers to capitalize on two power plays to go up 1–3 with eight minutes remaining. Unfortunately, the Red and Black were unable to make up the deficit in the final minutes, and the Panthers emerged with the win.

Reflecting on the game, Morrissey saw it as an important learning opportunity for the team.

“Middlebury is, in my opinion, one of the most complete teams we played,” Morrissey said. “And when we were in that 1–1 game, we knew it was going to be close, and it’s just tough to let the third period get away from us, especially playing [a] man down for most of it. When you give a team that’s that good chances like that, they’re going to capitalize. So that was a learning point for our team. We can’t expect to win if we’re playing short-handed for the third period in a tight game.”

The Cardinals returned to the road the next weekend, heading first to Waterville, Maine to take on Colby. Unlike most of their recent games, it was not a high-scoring affair, as neither side managed to find the back of the net during regulation despite the two teams totaling 52 shots. But overtime proved a different story; less than two minutes in, the Mules managed to net the game winner, handing the Cardinals a 0–1 OT loss. 

“Colby, they’re a really good defensive team, and so it was hard for us to generate [offense],” Sweet said. “But we had chances and shots, and then same thing for them on their side. We were bearing down, and it was kind of a stalemate of a game. So we were able to push overtime. But overtime is honestly a toss-up, so we were kind of happy with our effort, though we would have liked to sneak a goal in earlier and grab three [points].”

The next day saw a total reversal in fortune for the Cards as they faced off against Bowdoin. The Polar Bears scored first, five minutes into the second period, but the Cards responded with a power-play goal by Judge five minutes later to tie it up. Bowdoin then tacked on another, but once again the Cards stayed on them with a goal from Haynes less than a minute later. Captain and forward Jack Kane ’25 gave the Cards their first lead with a second power-play goal at the top of the third, but the Polar Bears were quick to answer with another, tying the game 3–3 and sending it to overtime. Despite being outshot by Bowdoin 4–2 in the period, the Cardinals emerged from OT victorious thanks to a goal by Geraci less than three minutes in. 

Haynes reflected on what he thought accounted for the difference in overtime outcomes between the Colby and Bowdoin games.

“I think we had more of a hungry attitude to win in overtime,” Haynes said. “I thought we did a really good job of possessing the puck and playing smart and making good changes. So those things all contributed to the difference in overtime.”

The next weekend, the Cards faced their final two games of the year, both against no. 14 ranked Trinity (They did not qualify for the NESCAC Championship). On Friday, Feb. 17, the Cards made their way over to Hartford for the first game of their doubleheader weekend. Unfortunately, the night did not go their way, and the Bantams defeated the Cardinals 0–5. 

But the following day, the Cardinals fought back hard in a much more back-and-forth matchup. Though Trinity scored in the first four minutes of the game, the Cards responded with back-to-back goals by forward Danny Markham ’28 and Sweet, and took a 2–1 lead at the end of the first. But the Cardinals were unable to sustain the good momentum in the second period. After the teams traded goals, with Wesleyan’s scored by Marottolo, a series of costly penalties helped Trinity retake and extend the lead, bringing the final score of the game to 3–5.

With that, the Cardinals’ season came to an end, making their overall record 6–15–3 and 5–12–1 in conference. Additionally, Sweet was awarded Second Team All-NESCAC honors for the first time in his career, making him the first Cardinal in two years to earn All-Conference.

Though the Cardinals were frustrated with how this season concluded, they remain optimistic about the team’s future, especially because they are graduating just four seniors and will be returning 28 players.

“All of our seniors were captains, so we’ll definitely be losing a lot of strong leadership,” Haynes said. “But the three classes coming back are all massive, so we have a really great group to build on, and the existing group is really tight. So I’m excited for next year.”

As for seniors graduating this year, despite the season’s frustrating results, they still look back on the year and their Wesleyan careers fondly. 

“The people I’ve come across in my four years here have become like brothers,” Sweet said. “I can’t remember a time that I’ve walked into the locker room and not laughed or smiled immediately. And there’s little things—inside jokes that have been born over the years—I’ll always remember. I’m just gonna miss that.”

Erin Byerly can be reached at ebyerly@wesleyan.edu.