Williamstown, MA – On a gorgeous day in Williamstown, the Williams College Ephs (6-5, 4-3) hosted the Hamilton College Continentals (6-5, 4-4) in an important NESCAC matchup. Tied 7-7 going into the third quarter, Hamilton would fire home five to put the game out of reach for Williams as they would lose 14-9.
In the first quarter of the game, Williams started off strong by scoring the first goal of the game just under a minute and a half in. Calvin Caputo scored the opening goal, assisted by Finlay MacKnight. Williams continued to control the game, adding another goal at the 13:01 mark, this time from Finlay MacKnight with an assist from Ryan Johnson.
Hamilton fought back, scoring two goals in quick succession at the 11:46 and 8:56 marks, respectively, before piling on three more to finish a five-goal run. Owen Roegge scored a fantastic solo run at the 4:09 mark and Ryan Johnson added another goal, assisted by Calvin Caputo, at 1:54. The Ephs would find themselves down 5-4 after the opening quarter.
The two teams would jostle for full control early on, with the only major play being a massive diving check from Ian Di Pietro to save a breakaway opportunity. On the subsequent Ephs possession, Jesse Shapiro would fire home the tying goal to complete electric play. Hamilton would strike next, bringing the score to 6-5 in favor of the Continentals. Williams quickly answered back, however, as a goal by Will Doran, assisted by Finlay MacKnight, tied the game at 6-6.
Hamilton wasn't about to let Williams pull ahead, though, as they scored a goal to restore their lead once again at 7-6. But with just 16 seconds left in the period, Williams' Ryan Johnson scored his second goal of the game, his 16th of the season, tying the game up at 7-7. With two periods in the books and the score tied, it was anyone's game heading into the second half.
In the third quarter, Hamilton dominated the game, scoring five goals and not allowing Williams to see the opposing net. Hamilton's defense also did a great job in the quarter, preventing Williams from getting on the scoreboard. The Continentals would outshoot the Ephs 21-4 in the quarter and grab a hold of the momentum in the game. At the end of the third quarter, the score was Hamilton 12, Williams 7.
Williams needed goals, quickly, and Nick Bates would deliver. Just four minutes into the quarter, he would find the back of the net to bring the Ephs within four. The Continentals would not let the game slip away, however, and answered with two of their own to extend the lead to 14-8. Cade Shuckman added a goal with a minute remaining to cap the scoring as the Ephs fell 14-9.
Coach George McCormack said this after the loss: "There was a lot of room for improvement in our play, on both ends. I thought we were scrapping with Hamilton most of the game but we got out-executed tonight."
The Ephs will have a huge rivalry matchup on Saturday as they host Amherst College at 1 PM.
