Box Score
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA - Connor Olvany's goal with less than three minutes remaining sent the game into overtime and earned the Williams College men's hockey team (9-3-2) a 2-2 draw against conference opponent St. Anselm (6-5-1).
Williams took the ice Friday night looking to move up in the NESCAC standings with a conference win over St. Anselm. The Hawks would give the Ephs all they could handle in the first period, however. While Williams got a number of opportunities to score early in the game, the St. Anselm defense did a good job blocking shots and deflecting passes to keep the puck out the net.
The first goal of the game went to the Hawks at the ten-minute mark of the first period. After goaltender Ryan Purdy '12 made a great save on a St. Anselm breakaway attempt and stopped the puck again on the rebound, the puck came free in front of the net and Hawk forward Mike Richard pounced on it to give St. Anselm a 1-0 advantage.
The Ephs would respond with scoring chances of their own, the best one coming late in the period when Ben Contini '11 skated into the offensive zone on the left side and flipped the puck in front of the net to Eric Rubino '13. Rubino tried to flick it into the net, but St. Anselm goaltender Robert Kang made the save to preserve the 1-0 lead heading into the second period.
Determined to tie the score, the Ephs came out strong early in the second period, playing high-energy hockey and getting a flurry of scoring chances. Less than five minutes into the period, co-captain Matt Masucci '11 skated into the left corner and found a wide-open Ryan Young '11 in front of the net, but Young's scoring chance was thwarted by Kang.
Both teams continued to keep up the pressure as the period went on, and defenseman Ryan Scott '12 made a statement for the Ephs when he laid a huge hit on St. Anselm captain Nick Wheeler in front of the Hawk bench. This led to a number of big hits from both the Ephs and the Hawks along the boards.
Williams controlled the puck for a large portion of the period's second half and continued to pound shots on net. They got a golden opportunity to take the lead when defenseman Justin Troiani '11 passed the puck to Young who fired a shot from about ten feet away. The goalie deflected the puck to the right side of the net, where it bounced around for several seconds before he covered it to avoid the Williams goal.
Williams put an amazing 44 shots on net in the game, including 17 in the second period alone. Freshman goaltender Robert Kang was solid all night though, making 42 saves in 65 minutes of play. Purdy had a good game as well, turning away 29 shots in 65 minutes of play.
The constant Eph pressure finally paid off at the 17-minute mark of the second period, however, as Masucci scored on a rebound attempt to tie the score at 1-1. The goal was set up by Brian Malchoff '11, who blasted a slapshot past the right side that deflected off the boards and back in front of the net. Olvany hopped on the loose puck and moved it to Masucci, who flicked it into the right side of the goal to even the score heading in to the locker room.
The third period saw more scoring opportunities for both sides, most notably the Hawks, who threatened to score a number of times early in the period but were stopped by several nice saves by Purdy. The Hawks finally caught a break midway through the period after a Williams turnover in the neutral zone, and this time they capitalized. St. Anselm forward John Hyslip took the puck down the left side of the ice and passed it in front to Nick Wheeler, who dove and poked the puck into the net and put St. Anselm up 2-1.
While things looked bleak for Williams heading into the final minutes, a timeout by St. Anselm with about three and a half minutes remaining allowed the Ephs to regroup. The timeout was effective, as less than a minute later the Ephs tied the score at 2-2. The goal was set up by a great individual effort from Malchoff, who managed to ward off several Hawk players and keep the puck in the offensive zone. The puck then found its way to Masucci, who fired a high shot to the right side of the net. The shot hit Young on the chest and slid across the crease to Olvany, who sent the game into overtime by quickly stuffing the puck into the net.
The best chance in overtime came from Mike Brofft '13, who fired a nice wrist shot from near the blue line, but Hawk goaltender Kang made a great glove save to preserve the tie.
Added Head Coach Bill Kangas, "We got a lot of chances to score, but we just couldn't capitalize. It's nice to come away with a point, especially on a late goal, but a win would have been ideal."
The tie moves the Ephs to 9-3-2 on the season. They will have another conference battle Saturday afternoon when they host New England College at Lansing Chapman Rink. Game time is 3 PM.
