Rinkside Video Highlights
WILLIAMSTOWN -- With NESCAC playoff implications on the line, the Williams Men's Hockey Team (13-5-3) put forth a strong team effort Saturday night, exploding for four goals in the second period en route to a convincing win over the Panthers (10-9-2).
The Ephs now stand in sole possession of second place in the NESCAC with a 10-3-2 conference record, trailing only Bowdoin (11-2-1 NESCAC) with three conference games remaining in the regular season.
"I thought we played both ends of the rink pretty well today," noted head coach Bill Kangas after the win. "All three zones: our forecheck was good, our neutral zone back pressure was good, and defensively we did a good job, so to do that we gave ourselves a chance to win."
Leading the charge offensively were Eph co-captains Mark Lyons '13 and John Wickman '13, as Lyons led all point scorers with three assists and Wickman added two goals on the night. On the other end of the ice, the Eph defense held firm in support of goaltender Sean Dougherty '15, who made 34 saves on 36 Panther shots in 59:58 minutes of play.
After a week off from game action, the Ephs came out strong in the opening minutes and got a great scoring chance as a result just a minute and a half into the contest.
Forward Cody Skinner '13 set up the opportunity with a nice saucer pass to Lyons, who skated in on net unchallenged. Lyons fired a wrist shot to the left side, but his attempt was denied on a nice save by Middlebury goaltender Dan Fullam.
Fullam made 16 saves on 19 shots in 33:16 minutes of play before giving way to junior netminder Nick BonDurant, who recorded 15 saves on 18 shots in the final 26:44 minutes of regulation.
The Panthers responded with a chance of their own a minute later, when defenseman Ronald Fishman corralled a pass on the right circle and snapped a wrist shot on goal. Dougherty was up to the challenge, however, moving to his left to make a sprawling save and deny the goal.
The Ephs picked up their offensive intensity midway through the first period, and their pressure finally paid off with eight minutes left in the frame. Lyons started the rush by moving the puck to Paul Steinig '14 in the neutral zone, who skated up the right side and flipped it forward to Evan Dugdale '13. The senior forward carried the puck in close and beat Fullam with a quick wrist shot that snuck under the top left crossbar to put his squad up 1-0.
The Eph offense carried their momentum into the second period, taking advantage of a Middlebury penalty to notch their second goal of the night. The power play score was set up by defenseman Zander Masucci '16, who blasted a shot from the blue line that was initially saved by Fullam. A rebound attempt from David Jarrett '15 was also denied by Fullam, but Steinig swooped in from the right side and tapped in the loose puck to give Williams a 2-0 lead.
Just two minutes later, the Panthers cut the Eph lead in half when forward Louis Belisle took a pass from linesmate Jake Charles at the right circle and fired a wrist shot into the top right corner of the net to narrow the score to 2-1.
After that, though, it was all Ephs.
Wickman started the late-period scoring barrage with 6:45 left in the second by taking a pass from Skinner and unleashing a wrist shot from the right side. Fullam got a piece of Wickman's shot, but the puck just trickled by him and into the net to put Williams up 3-1.
Two minutes later, the Ephs extended their lead to 4-1 on a nifty 2-on-1 opportunity. Lyons was the set-up man on the goal, making a sharp cross-ice pass to Nick Anderson '14 on the left side who tapped the puck in for the score.
The Ephs refused to take their foot off the gas as time wound down in the second period, adding yet another goal with just 1:28 left in the frame. This time it was Anderson playing the role of set-up man, as the assistant captain threw a shot on net that was tipped in by Craig Kitto '15 to give Williams a commanding 5-1 lead heading into the final twenty minutes.
Despite their four-goal advantage, the Ephs refused to get complacent in the final period. With 9:52 left in regulation, Wickman added his second goal of the night after winning the battle for a rebound and poking the puck in to extend the Eph lead to 6-1. Evan Dugdale added the assist for his second point of the night.
The Panthers cut the lead to 6-2 with three minutes remaining when defenseman Robbie Donahoe deposited a wrist shot from the left slot through a screen of defenders, but it was too little too late.
Dougherty and the Williams defense held firm in the closing minutes, blocking shots and clearing rebound attempts to deny any thought of a Middlebury comeback.
"We played a good team," added Kangas. "We can enjoy for a little while, but we have to be ready to go tomorrow afternoon."
The Ephs will not have long to celebrate tonight's victory, as they travel to Middlebury, VT on Sunday afternoon to take on the Panthers once again. Game time is 4 pm.
