Middletown, CT – With just over 11:00 left in the third period, the #8 Williams Ephs trailed the #1 seed Wesleyan Cardinals by a score of 3-0. In front of a packed Wesleyan arena, the Ephs marched back to tie the game at three apiece before
Jonah Gold would complete the dramatic comeback with 51 seconds remaining.
The Ephs were in for a challenge today as they entered the home of a rolling, first-seed Wesleyan squad. The Cardinals would show why early on, wasting no time and capitalizing on an opportunity just four minutes into the game. The Ephs chased for much of the opening frame and
Evan Ruschil needed to be huge in goal to keep Wesleyan out. Williams struggled to get anything going offensively but exited the ice only down one.
The second proved to be more fluid from the Ephs, generating several chances but lacking the finishing touch. Despite this offensive surge, the Cardinals would find the back of the net next. A turnover deep in the Cardinals zone would be quickly turned up ice and Wesleyan would hammer home the second of the game.
The Ephs needed a flying third period if they wanted to keep their season alive. Unfortunately, Wesleyan would add another just a minute into the period. Momentum was flowing in the home team's direction, a raucous fan section cheering them on. With the pressure mounting, the Ephs became careless and took a penalty just seconds after the goal. Chance after chance was fired at Ruschil, but the senior was determined to keep his career alive. After killing the penalty, Williams slowly picked up steam.
At the twelve-minute mark, the Ephs broke the puck out and Conner Berg found
Owen Stadheim streaking down the wing. The sophomore would rip a puck short side, finding a hole and squeaking through to give the Ephs some hope. Three minutes later,
Mac Carso would pick up a loose puck, dangle the defenseman, and pick the corner on his backhand to add more fuel to the Williams' fire. Just two minutes after the Carso goal,
Faisal Al-Saif and
Owen Stadheim would set up the senior again, stepping out of the corner and burying his second consecutive goal.
Momentum swung and crowd silenced, Williams had the game in their grasp. A rattled Wesleyan team woke up after the third goal, throwing everything they had at the Williams goal. The Ephs would weather the storm and set themselves up for a storybook finish. Nick Rashkovsky picked up the puck in the neutral zone, game on his stick. A few nifty moves beat the defensemen, and suddenly Rashkovsky and Gold found themselves on a 2v1 with 55 seconds on the clock. One more feint opened the space to find Gold back door, and the team-leading goal scorer made no mistake. A fired-up Williams' bench erupted, but the job was not done. A resilient group withstood the remaining seconds, securing the #8 seed Ephs a place in the semi-finals next week.
Coach Kangas had this to say after the emotional win: "Wesleyan had an outstanding season and performed like a #1 seed, challenging us throughout the game. I'm especially proud of the overall effort from our team, collectively maintaining our focus, and demonstrating a level of resilience and determination in methodically chipping away at the 3-0, third-period deficit. The team's winning belief was contagious and it was especially fun to enjoy the experience with
them."
Williams awaits the results of Hamilton/Colby and Tufts/Amherst to see who they will face next Saturday.
