Wesleyan men’s hockey earned their first playoff berth in three years this past weekend, clinching the eigth and final spot via a loss by Connecticut College and demolishing the University of New England for good measure.
Last Tuesday, the Cardinals played Trinity College, for the first time this season, on the outdoor rink at East Hartford’s Rentschler Field. The Cardinals fell to the Bantams, 3-1, with the lone goal coming from Geoff Mucha ’12. Despite the loss to Trinity, the Cardinals still had an excellent chance for a playoff berth, which could be secured by a win in one of the two weekend games against Southern Maine or University of New England.
The Cardinals had a strong start against the Huskies from Southern Maine, holding a 3-1 lead after two periods of play. Keith Buehler ’14 had goals in the first and second periods, while Anthony Depietto ’11 added another tally in the second.
As the third period began, however, the Cardinals lost some of their momentum, allowing a goal on a power play that reduced the lead to one. The Huskies struck again, just four minutes later, to tie the game at three, and neither team was able to find the net in the remainder of regulation time. One minute into overtime, the Huskies netted their third unanswered goal, winning the game 4-3.
Despite their loss on Friday, the Cardinals clinched a spot in the playoffs, as Connecticut College lost to Norwich, eliminating itself from the race for the eighth playoff spot. Nevertheless, the Cardinals played with tenacity and trampled the University of New England Nor’Easters 14-1. Nik Tasiopoulos ’14 tallied a team-high six points on the day, recording three goals and three assists.
The playoff spot for Wesleyan men’s hockey is the program’s first in three years. The Cardinals will faceoff against the number one seed, the Hamilton Continentals, this Saturday in Clinton, NY. Wes hopes to defeat the Continentals for the second time this season, despite being the lowest seed in the NESCAC playoff tournament. The Cardinals have never won in the first round of the playoffs, but hope to make history this weekend at Hamilton.
Leave a Reply