Wesleyan Makes Tournament Field for First Time Since 2000

HADLEY, Mass. - There were plenty of questions entering the final weekend of the regular season as to which team would finish where in the standings, and also which teams would be participating. A few of those questions were answered on Friday evening after Middlebury, the two-time defending NESCAC Men’s Ice Hockey Champion, earned a 5-2 victory over Hamilton to claim the number-one seed in the 2006 NESCAC Men’s Ice Hockey Championship, and the rest were answered on Saturday when Bowdoin claimed the final home ice slot in the first round with a 7-0 victory over St. Michael’s and Wesleyan the final playoff spot with a 7-0 win over Castleton St.. The 2006 NESCAC Men’s Ice Hockey Championship begins on Saturday, February 25, with quarterfinal round action at the top four teams.

Middlebury (20-2-2, 16-2-1 NESCAC) has held the top spot in the standings since day one this season, putting together an 18-game unbeaten streak at one point. The Panthers will begin their quest for their sixth NESCAC crown on Saturday when they host eighth-seeded Wesleyan (7-12-4, 6-9-4 NESCAC). The Cardinals have been battling in recent weeks just to make the playoffs, and a combination of perseverance and a little luck gave Wesleyan its first playoff appearance since the inaugural tournament in 2000. Wesleyan enters this year’s tournament with a 4-1-1 record in February, using a weekend sweep and a loss by Tufts on Friday to vault over the Jumbos and into the eighth seed. While it was Middlebury that won the lone meeting of the season on January 28, 3-1 in Middletown, Conn., expect a defensive battle this weekend. Middlebury sports the top defense in the league with Wesleyan following closely in second.

Williams (14-6-3, 13-3-3 NESCAC) wrapped up a successful regular season with a win and a tie, securing the second-seed in the tournament this year, the highest seed for the Ephs in the history of the tournament. The Ephs appear to be peaking at the right time, as they have won eight of their last nine, including victories over nationally-ranked Norwich and Babson. Williams’ opponent this coming Saturday will be very familiar, seventh-seed Hamilton (10-11-3, 8-9-2 NESCAC). The two teams skated to a 5-5 deadlock on Saturday, February 18, to close out the regular season. The fan buses in Clinton, N.Y., will be fired up for the trip to Williamstown, Mass., as both the Hamilton men’s and women’s ice hockey teams will be playing at Williams on Saturday, with the women’s game drawing the first match of the day. It will be interesting to see which men’s team advances to the semifinals, as Hamilton boasts a 3-1 quarterfinal record when holding the lower seed in tournament play, while Williams is looking for its first semifinal appearance since 2000.

Third-seed Bowdoin (15-6-3, 10-6-3 NESCAC) finished tied in the standings with intrastate rival Colby (15-8-1, 11-7-1 NESCAC), however the Polar Bears won the league meeting between the two teams on December 9, 3-2, giving them the tiebreaker. Bowdoin made a statement as it entered the playoffs this year, shutting out Norwich (2-0) and St. Michael’s (7-0) this weekend. The Polar Bears will host sixth-seed Amherst (12-11-1, 9-9-1 NESCAC). The Jeffs had arguably the toughest schedule down the stretch, dropping their last six outings after putting together a six-game win streak. Bowdoin took the lone meeting of the year on February 3 in Brunswick, Maine, 4-2. Amherst and Bowdoin have met twice in the playoffs, with the Polar Bears winning both meetings, most recently 6-4 in 2005.

Colby, the fourth-seed in this year’s tournament, is hosting a quarterfinal contest for the fourth consecutive year. The Mules are second only to Middlebury in the number of trips to the semifinals (five), but they will be put to the test when they host the fifth-seeded Bantams of Trinity (12-9-3, 9-7-3 NESCAC). Both teams have momentum entering Saturday’s clash, as Colby has gone 4-1-1 in February while Trinity is 5-1-0. These two teams have met twice in the NESCAC tournament, both times during the semifinals, and both games ending in Trinity’s favor.

2006 NESCAC MEN’S ICE HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP
Quarterfinals - Saturday, Feb. 25 at Higher Seeds
No. 8 Wesleyan at No. 1 Middlebury - 4:00 p.m.
No. 7 Hamilton at No. 2 Williams - 4:00 p.m.
No. 6 Amherst at No. 3 Bowdoin - Time TBA
No. 5 Trinity at No. 4 Colby - 4:00 p.m.

Semifinals - Saturday, March 4
at Highest Remaining Seed, 1:00 p.m./4:00 p.m.
Highest remaining seed vs. Lowest remaining seed
Remaining quarterfinal winners

Championship - Sunday, March 5
Semifinal winners - 1:00 p.m.