This year, the NESCAC men's hockey tournament will be entering unchartered territory — there will be no defending champion, since Bowdoin's title was vacated after a violation of institutional policy. Nevertheless, the puck will drop this weekend, and No. 4 Tufts will take on No. 5 Williams at home after its best season in the NESCAC era.
To get you ready, the Daily breaks down the tournament team by team, starting with top-seeded Amherst.
No. 1 seed: Amherst (20-3-1 overall, 17-1-0 NESCAC)
Unquestionably the most dominating squad in the conference this year, Amherst comes into the NESCAC tournament looking to cap off a tremendous regular season in which the team nearly went undefeated in conference play. The Lord Jeffs have the most balanced squad in the league, finishing second in goals per game and first in goals allowed.
Interestingly, though, the Lord Jeffs have nobody in the top 10 in the league in individual scoring, a testament to the depth that brought them success during the course of the regular season. Between the pipes, the strong performances have all come from senior goaltender Jonathan La Rose, who leads the league in goals against average and has played over 1,000 minutes this season. Amherst will be the squad to beat this year, and if the Lord Jeffs continue their impressive regular season form, they should walk away with the title.
No. 2 seed: Bowdoin (15-5-3, 12-3-3)
Bowdoin responded nicely from the specter of the scandal that caused last year's title to be vacated and finished the season on a nice roll, winning its last four games. The Polar Bears are led by senior goalie Richard Nerland — who is second in the league in goals against average, behind La Rose — as well as sophomore forward Colin Downey, who is tied for fourth in the league in points per game.
Bowdoin also was the only squad in the NESCAC to beat Amherst, notching a 7-4 victory over the Lord Jeffs on Jan. 6. However, that game was played in the friendly confines of Sidney J. Watson Arena, and Bowdoin lost the return leg 3-1 at Amherst on Feb. 3, suggesting that the Polar Bears might need a bit of luck to upset the odds-on favorite in the tournament.
No. 3 seed: Middlebury (12-9-3, 11-6-1)
Middlebury finished just a peg below Bowdoin and effectively rounds out the list of elite squads in the NESCAC this year. Without question, the Panthers' weakest facet was their offense; they are tied for last in the league in goals per game with Conn. College, a team that did not even qualify for the tournament. However, they also boast the second-best defense in the conference, an achievement made more impressive by the fact that they have two goalies — senior John Yanchek and freshman Dan Fullam — in the top five in the league in goals against average.
But Middlebury will have to rely on more than just defense and goaltending if it wants to surpass Amherst and Bowdoin in the tournament. The Panthers will need a big effort from senior forward Charlie Strauss, their leading scorer, as well as improved play from several underperforming forwards, to make a run to the championship game.
No. 4 seed: Tufts (12-10-2, 9-8-1)
The Jumbos had an excellent bounce-back season. One year after a miserable 6-16-1 campaign that saw them finish dead last in the conference, they ended this season in fourth place. In fact, this is the first time in the NESCAC era that the team has finished in the top half of the league standings.
The squad was undoubtedly led this year by senior tri-captain goalie Scott Barchard, who faced an incredible 835 shots in over 1,300 minutes of playing time, the most in the conference. In comparison with last year, though, the Jumbos were much more potent on offense, with sophomore forward Kyle Gallegos building on a strong freshman season to finish with 16 goals and nine assists. This will be considered a successful year for the Jumbos no matter their results in the tournament, but Tufts will be looking to at least reach the semifinals.
No. 5 seed: Williams (11-8-5, 8-8-2)
The Ephs finished the year leading the bottom half of the bracket, a disappointing result for a team that was second in the conference and reached the championship game last year. Everything about this season was middling for Williams, as the squad finished fourth in the conference in both goals for and goals against.
The Ephs do not have a player in the top 10 in scoring, a fact that underscores their lack of explosiveness. The Ephs might upset the Jumbos, but they will be hard-pressed to get past the semifinals.
No. 6 seed: Wesleyan (12-10-2, 7-9-2)
Despite finishing in the sixth position, Wesleyan boasts the best individual scorer in the conference, sophomore forward Nik Tasiopoulos, who has a 1.42 points per game average. Junior goalie Glenn Stowell has also performed admirably, allowing 2.8 goals per game in almost 1,000 minutes of action.
If any squad has the potential to pull off a first-round upset, it is the Cardinals, as they will face a vulnerable Panthers team. However, even if it reaches the semis, Wesleyan lack of balance makes a trip to the title game unlikely.
No. 7 seed: Trinity (9-12-2, 6-10-2)
Trinity slogged through the season, posting a sub-.500 record and losing four of its last five games, all against conference opponents. To their credit, the Bantams narrowly lost an away game to the powerhouse Lord Jeffs by just one goal, showing that the team has what it takes to at least compete with the NESCAC's best.
In order to have a chance of getting past the first round, Trinity will need big performances from sophomore goalie Benjamin Coulthard, who struggled for parts of the season, as well as junior forward Jeffrey Menard, who led the team with 12 goals.
Bowdoin will be a tough challenge in the first round, but Trinity has at least a fighter's chance of pulling off the upset.
No. 8 seed: Hamilton (8-13-3, 4-12-2)
In the school's debut season as a full NESCAC participant, the Continentals handled the tough conference opposition fairly well. Still, they should consider themselves lucky to be in the tournament because they only edged out Conn. College based on the head-to-head record tiebreaker. Regardless, Hamilton will have to hope for a miracle against Amherst. Sophomore goalie Joe Quattrocchi had a decent season, and the Continentals have some solid individual scorers, but they will probably make an early exit at the hands of the Lord Jeffs.
