Courtesy of Hamilton Sports Information
CLINTON, N.Y. - The top-seeded Hamilton men's hockey team will host the semifinal and final rounds of the NESCAC Championship after beating No. 8 Bowdoin, 4-2, Saturday afternoon at Russell Sage Rink.
The Continentals (18-3-4) stretched their winning streak to six with Saturday's victory.
Jason Brochu scored twice for the hosts, putting Hamilton ahead to stay early in the second period and sealing the victory with an empty-net goal.
After the teams traded early goals in an opening period that ended 1-1, the Continentals took the lead for good on Brochu's 11th goal of the season. On a Hamilton rush, a pass from Rory Gagnon in the left circle was deflected to Brochu for a one-timer from the right side of the slot. Sterling Bray picked up his 11th assist on the play.
With just 25 seconds left in the second, Tyler Bruneteau netted the game winner. Truman Landowski carried the puck over the blue line along the left-side boards then passed to Bruneteau in the high slot. Bruneteau scored his ninth goal of the winter on a wrist shot.
Evan Buitenhuis finished with 25 saves, including 13 stops in the third period when Bowdoin (8-16-1) outshot the Continentals 14-6, to earn the win.
Ronnie Lestan and Neil Conway traded goals in the opening seven minutes.
Lestan put the Polar Bears ahead 4:02 into play with his third goal of the year. Matthew Lison picked up by a loose puck above the right circle and took a shot that was Lestan collected below the right circle then wristed into the net.
The Continentals tied the score on their first power play opportunity. Conway passed to Bruneteau at the bottom of the left circle then took the return pass, skated from the left circle across the slot to the right circle the scored on a wrist shot after faking a couple shots. Conway's goal was his eighth of the season; he leads Hamilton with 24 points.
Brochu netted his 12th goal of the season, tying for the team lead, with 74 seconds left after Bowdoin had pulled Peter Cronin for an extra skater. He intercepted a centering pass in his defensive end and flipped the puck high into the air, where it bounced and rolled into Bowdoin's empty net.
Matt Sullivan won the ensuing faceoff and picked up the loose puck along right-side boards, skated into zone and scored from the right circle.
Cronin finished with 27 saves for the Polar Bears, who were making their 17th straight postseason appearance, won the ensuing faceoff and Sullivan cut Hamilton's lead to two goals with his seventh goal of the season.
