Williamstown, MA – The Williams College Ephs (5-7-1) played their local rivals the MCLA Trailblazers (1-12-0) in Lansing Chapman Rink tonight. After a slow start, the Ephs regrouped behind the freshman Cale DePape, the freshman goaltender, to secure victory in the third period.
There was something fighting against the Ephs tonight in the first two periods. Despite more shots, shot attempts, offensive zone presence, and puck possession, the Ephs were held at 0. Earlier this week, Williams head coach
Bill Kangas was pushing his players to fight through adversity and maintain focus on the team's keys. This was a huge test for Williams as they continued to demonstrate that they deserved to be leading this game, but they found themselves down 1 after 40 minutes of play.
Walking into the third period there was a sense of desperation in the Ephs composure. The team knew they needed to win, and they weren't going to let victory slip away. Who else besides captain
Owen Stadheim to start to Ephs scoring off? After fighting his way into the zone, he would park himself in front of the net and be in the perfect spot when the rebound came his way. Soon after, the Junior, Connor Fitzpatrick would bury the second Eph goal of the night with a beautiful one-timer to beat the MCLA goalie across the crease. This came after a great effort from
Mel Mortarelli on the forecheck, finding
David Vieten in the high slot, who slid a perfect pass across the zone to Fitzpatrick. The final goal for Williams came after a great defensive zone effort from the well-structured Ephs.
Jake McManus continued his strong performance this year with an unassisted goal to secure victory for the Ephs.
Eph head coach
Bill Kangas had this to say after tonight's victory, "I thought it was a very well-played game, both teams competed hard. Their goalie made some outstanding saves, building confidence as the game progressed, and making it more difficult on us. It was nice for our guys to stay focused, continuing to work together. It's definitely a game we can build on, especially as we travel north to Plattsburgh on Saturday."
