Williams Reaches Semifinals for First Time Since 2000

HADLEY, Mass. - Top-seeded Amherst College will look to secure its first conference crown this weekend when the Lord Jeffs host the 2009 NESCAC Men’s Ice Hockey Championship at Orr Rink in Amherst, Mass. Action gets underway Friday afternoon when third-seeded Williams battles second-seeded Middlebury in the first semifinal at 4:00 p.m., followed by host Amherst taking on fourth seed and defending NESCAC champion Trinity at 7:30 p.m. The 2009 NESCAC Men’s Ice Hockey Championship concludes on Saturday, March 7 with the title tilt getting underway at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for this weekend’s championship are $5 for adults and $2 for students.

Amherst (19-4-1, 16-2-1 NESCAC) is not only the hottest team in the conference but also one of the hottest teams in the country at the moment, as the Lord Jeffs have won their last 11 games and posted a 15-1-0 record since falling to Nichols in the championship contest of the St. Michael’s tournament on Jan. 3. Amherst claimed the number-one seed for the first time in tournament history on Feb. 20 with a 4-3 win over Middlebury - the first over the Panthers since the 1999-2000 campaign - then used a six-goal third period to topple rival Williams 6-0 the next afternoon on Feb. 21. The Jeffs continued to roll in the quarterfinals last Saturday with another third period outburst in a 4-1 win over Tufts. Part of the Jeffs' success this season has been the production of the offense, scoring at least three goals in each of their 19 victories and ranking third in the conference with a 3.54 goals per game average. Special teams have also played a pivotal role, as the Jeffs power-play and penalty-killing units both lead the NESCAC. While these components have been impressive, the defense has been the backbone of Amherst’s run with a league-low 1.50 goals allowed per game, nearly a full goal less than last year. At the heart of the Lord Jeff defense is the goaltending tandem of sophomores Cole Anderson (Eckville, Alberta) and Jonathan La Rose (Boyle, Alberta). The duo have split time in net, with Anderson (9-3-1) pacing the NESCAC in both goals against average (1.45) and save percentage (.955). La Rose (10-1-0) isn’t far behind his teammate, holding second among conference netminders with a goals against average of 1.55 and a save percentage of .946. Powering the Lord Jeffs offense this season is senior defender Jeff Landers (Hanover, Mass.). The blue liner, an All-NESCAC Second Team honoree along with La Rose a year ago, is in the midst of a career season, scoring eight goals and a NESCAC-best 27 assists for 35 points. 31 of Landers’ 35 points have come during Amherst’s 15-1-0 run, as he has been absent from the stat sheet in only two outings over that stretch.

If the Jeffs wish to reach the final for the first time since 2001 they will need to get past defending NESCAC Men’s Ice Hockey Champion Trinity (16-8-0, 12-7-0 NESCAC). The Bantams made a remarkable run during last year’s playoffs as the sixth seed, winning the 2008 title in thrilling fashion over Middlebury by a 3-2 margin in double-overtime. This season, Trinity opened with a 2-3-0 mark before reeling off nine straight victories, culminating with a 4-2 decision over Norwich on Jan. 23. After the victory over the Cadets, the Bantams went 4-5-0 to close out the regular season but managed to reach the semifinals for the seventh time in the last eight years with a 3-1 win over fifth-seeded Connecticut College last Saturday. Trinity heads into Friday’s matchup at Amherst with an offense and defense that rank second among all conference teams, scoring 3.75 goals per game while giving up on average 2.46. The power-play is fourth in the NESCAC with an 18.5-percent conversion rate, while the penalty kill is second only to the Lord Jeffs at 87.5 percent. Backstopping the Bantams is sophomore goaltender Wesley Vesprini (Lexington, Mass.). The 2008 All-Conference Second Team selection is 13-5-0 with a goals against average of 2.30 (4th NESCAC) and a save percentage of .917 (6th). Up front, forwards Adam Houli (Howell, N.J.) and Paul Jaskot (Methuen, Mass.) share the team lead for goals with 10 so far this season. The sophomore Houli also has 21 points, one point ahead of rookie Jaskot for the squad’s scoring lead. These two teams met all the way back at the start of the season on Nov. 21 in Hartford, Conn. The Jeffs tallied twice in the third period to break a 3-3 deadlock en route to a 5-3 victory. The lone previous championship meeting went to Trinity in the quarterfinals of the 2004 tournament, 3-0.

After falling short of earning the top seed due to the 4-3 loss at Amherst, second-seeded Middlebury (18-6-1, 14-4-1 NESCAC) rebounded with a 5-1 win at Hamilton in the regular season finale, then skated to a 6-2 victory over the Continentals during the quarterfinals. The Panthers are the only team besides Trinity to have won the NESCAC championship, holding a 23-2 tournament record and claiming seven of the nine conference crowns, the most recent occurring in 2007. Middlebury’s offense is at the front of the pack this season, scoring 4.52 goals per game and outscoring opponents by two goals, as the defense is third among conference teams at 2.52 goals allowed. The power-play has been potent while clicking along at an even 25.0-percent conversion rate, however the penalty killing unit ranks ninth in the league at 78.6-percent. With an offense as strong as the Panthers, it may come as no surprise that four of the top 10 scores in the NESCAC hail from Middlebury. Senior forward Jamie McKenna (Lake Placid, N.Y.) currently leads the league in points with 36 on 14 goals and 22 assists. Rookie forward Martin Drolet (Lachine, Quebec) is third among all skaters in scoring with a league-leading 19 goals and 14 assist for 33 points. 11 of Drolet’s 19 tallies have come in Middlebury’s last 12 outings. Rounding out the Panthers among the top 10 are junior forward John Sullivan (Delmar, N.Y.) in fifth with 15-14-29, and sophomore forward Ken Suchoski (Bear Creek Township, Pa.) who is tied for ninth at 6-19-25.

Third-seeded Williams (15-8-2, 12-5-2 NESCAC) reached the semifinals this year for the first time since the inaugural 2000 Men’s Ice Hockey Championship. The Ephs punched their ticket by overcoming an early 1-0 deficit to sixth-seeded Bowdoin and winning 3-2 in overtime. After going 7-2-2 to start the New Year in January, Williams scratched out an even 4-4-0 record in February, falling in its final two regular season contests on the road at Hamilton (3-2 OT) and Amherst (6-0). The Ephs and the Panthers met on Jan. 13 in Middlebury, Vt. and skated to a 4-4 draw in a roller-coaster affair. Middlebury held a 1-0 lead after one, however back-to-back tallies by Williams just over five minutes into the second put the Ephs up 2-1. The Panthers responded with two goals of their own less than a minute apart midway through the second stanza and had a 4-2 advantage early in the third, but the Ephs would not go away as they collected two more goals, the game-tying score coming at 17:26 of the third frame. Overall this season, Williams is tied for sixth in the NESCAC in scoring with an average 2.84 goals per game and the defense is fifth at 2.80 goals allowed. These two travel partners have faced each other on three previous occasions in the championship. The Panthers won the first meeting in the 2000 final by a 3-2 score in overtime and more recently dispatched the Ephs in the quarterfinals, 5-1 (2007) and 6-0 (2008). Scoring has been truly a team effort for the Ephs this season. Among the 16 skaters that have scored at least one goal not one has reached double-digits. Senior forward Matt Draheim (Cota De Caza, Calif.) and sophomore forward Ryan Young (Medford, Mass.) pace Williams with nine tallies each, while sophomore forward Matt Masucci (Winthrop, Mass.) leads his club in points with seven goals and a team-best 12 assists for 19 points. In net, rookie Ryan Purdy (La Jolla, Calif.) has emerged as the everyday starter for Williams and ranks third among conference netminders with a goals against average of 2.25 and a save percentage of .929. At 10-4-0 with two shutouts, Purdy and the rest of the Ephs will be in search of their first win over the Panthers since the 2004-05 campaign.

2009 NESCAC MEN’S ICE HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP
Quarterfinals - Saturday, Feb. 28 at Higher Seeds
at No. 1 Amherst 4, No. 8 Tufts 1
at No. 2 Middlebury 6, No. 7 Hamilton 2
at No. 3 Williams 3, No. 6 Bowdoin 2 - OT
at No. 4 Trinity 3, No. 5 Connecticut College 1

Semifinals - Friday, March 6 at Amherst
No. 3 Williams vs. No. 2 Middlebury - 4:00 p.m.
No. 4 Trintiy at No. 1 Amherst - 7:30 p.m.

Championship - Saturday, March 7
Semifinal winners - 7:30 p.m.