CLINTON, N.Y. - The Williams College men's ice hockey team won its first NESCAC Championship Sunday afternoon, as the sixth-seeded Ephs outlasted fourth-seeded Middlebury, 4-2, in the title game at the Russell Sage Rink on the campus of Hamilton College.
The Ephs (12-13-2, 8-10-0 NESCAC) received 35 saves from junior goaltender
Harrison Fogel, while junior
Logan Valkama (2 goals) and first-year
Jack Kennedy (2 assists) played vital roles for the Ephs. Nine different student-athletes tallied at least one point for the unit, as head coach
Bill Kangas earned his first NESCAC Championship as the leading voice of the program.
Williams defeated Tufts, 3-1, during the quarterfinals on Saturday, Feb. 28, in Malden, Massachusetts, and then earned a 5-4 overtime victory against top-seed, No. 3-ranked and host Hamilton Saturday afternoon during the semifinal round. The Ephs receive an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament and will be making their first appearance on the national stage since 2016. Williams will learn its opponent and the date and time of its first game during the NCAA selection show Sunday at 9:30 p.m, which will be streamed live from NCAA.com.
The Panthers (15-9-3, 9-7-2 NESCAC) received 35 saves from goaltender Andrew Heinze. Middlebury defeated visiting Wesleyan, 3-2, in double overtime during the quarterfinals on Feb. 28, and then outlasted second-seed and No. 9 Bowdoin, 3-2, in one overtime during the semifinals Saturday.
Williams got off to a fast start in the opening period, scoring two goals. Senior
Conner Fitzpatrick won a puck battle along the boards, and then found Valkama in stride through the neutral zone. Valkama executed a self pass against the boards, and then ripped a shot from the right faceoff circle for a 1-0 lead at the 6:30 mark of the first. Williams extended its lead to 2-0 with 21 seconds remaining in the first, as Valkama buried a rebound goal off junior
Brady Welsch's original shot from the slot during a power play.
Tyler Wishart scored at the 5:26 mark of the second period for the Panthers, trimming Williams' advantage to 2-1. First-year
Ryan Kearney buried a shot from the right faceoff circle off a feed by Kennedy at the point with 8:20 left in the second, as the Ephs regained a two-goal lead.
Jackson Morehouse made things interesting in the third period, as he scored for Middlebury with 8:17 left, making it a 3-2 game in favor of Williams. First-year
Simon Gaul sealed the win on a breakaway goal with 2:27 on the scoreboard off a tremendous lead pass by first-year
Wilson Farrow from the Ephs' defensive zone.
Williams did not commit a single penalty in the game and went 1 for 2 on the power play. Welsch recorded a game-high six shots on net. Williams went 37-32 on faceoffs, as sophomore
Jake McManus and senior assistant captain
Trevor O'Brien led the way with 16-11 and 8-4 records, respectively.
