WILLIAMSTOWN, MA -- There was no stopping the Williams College Ephs (8-8-2) today in the path to a weekend sweep in front of their alumni. The Ephs faced off against the Tufts Univeristy Jumbos (7-9-1) and spent the entire evening either trailing or tied right until the very end when they secured victory in OT.
Right out of the gate the Ephs found their rhythm and stuck to it. They were hard on the forecheck, strong through the neutral zone, and responsible in the defensive zone. There were great saves from goalie Cal Sandquist and impeccable leadership by Owen Stadheim. It took until the second period, however, for this game to begin opening up on the scoreboard.
Four goals were scored in the second period, and that would be it for all three periods of play. Eph head coach Bill Kangas mentioned last night, along with the senior class this morning, that being resilient is a vital skill. The Jumbos started off the scoring, but only 45 seconds later, Eph captain Owen Stadheim took charge and stepped up with a huge goal off a great effort from Brady Welsch to keep the puck in the offensive zone. 10 minutes later the Jumbos retook the lead, and once again the Ephs responded. Brady Welsch, with his second point of the night, buried a perfect backdoor pass from David Vieten to tie this game at 2. The score remained the same for the remaining 23 minutes, right to the end of regulation.
Overtime. An Ephs power play. A face-off win from Captain Owen Stadheim. A great controlled entry from Grant Fuchsen. Brady Welsch moving the puck down to freshman Jake McManus who calls game and snipes one home past the Jumbos goalie. An Eph win and a weekend sweep in front of all the visiting William's alumni. What more could you ask for? The final score was 3-2, and the Williams College Ephs move into 4th place in the NESCAC rankings and start to build huge momentum into the final phase of the season.
Coach Kangas had this to say after the game, "The guys played very well today against a talented and well coached Tufts team. The game was well played by both teams, so winning today and earning 5 (of 6) points on our hockey alumni weekend made it even more special. Cal was outstanding in goal and the team earned the win, competing for 60+ minutes as a unified group." Coach Kangas also had this to say in regards to next week's games on the road, "We are looking forward to continue building on our collective effort as we plan our next weekend's trip to Connecticut versus Wesleyan and Trinity."
