Courtesy Bowdoin Sports Information

Box Score

BRUNSWICK, Maine - The Bowdoin men's hockey team scored two third period goals and hung on to defeat Amherst 3-2 in tonight's NESCAC tournament first-round matchup. The Polar Bears (18-3-3) advance to play in the NESCAC Semifinals next Saturday against a yet-to-be decided opponent in Middlebury. Amherst ends their season at 6-14-5.

The Polar Bears struck first taking a one goal lead at 4:25 of the first period when Bill Busch took a pass from Peter Nasveschuck at the blue line, skated into the zone and fired a shot past Amherst goalie Justin Jagher for 1-0 Bowdoin lead. Bowdoin netminder Mike Healey was strong between the pipes keeping Amherst at bay during a torrid first period, which saw him make nine saves.

Amherst knotted the score at one at 10:05 in the second when Beau Kretzman weaved through the Bowdoin defense and beat Healey for a short-handed goal and a 1-1 tie. The scored stayed locked at one goal a piece until Jared Porter put the Bears back on top at 5:37 in the third period when he took a Mike Carosi pass and netted a backhander for a 2-1 lead. The Polar Bears went up by a pair at 12:05 in the third when Brian Shuman beat Jagher with a wrist shot for 3-1 lead. Amherst answered just five seconds later, at 12:10 in third, as Mike Kreger took the puck off the face off, raced into the zone put a move on Healey and slid a backhander into the net to make the score 3-2.

Amherst applied late pressure, pulling their goalie at 19:10, but Mike Healey and the Bowdoin defense were up to the task preserving the 3-2 lead and securing a Bowdoin win. Mike Healey made 24 saves for Bowdoin in the victory. Justin Jagher made 27 stops in the loss.