The teams skated through a scoreless first period with the River Hawks holding an 8-6 edge in shots on goal.

Maine took a 1-0 lead at 7:51 of the second period. On the power play, Ryan Lomberg (Richmond Hill, Ontario) won the face-off back to Devin Shore (Ajax, Ontario). Shore skated to the top of the slot and fired a shot through traffic and past UMass Lowell goalie Connor Hellebuyck. For Shore, it was his sixth goal of the season and 26th point.

UMass Lowell tied the game up at 1-1 when Michael Fallon scored on a wrap around from Scott Wilson at 4:00 of the third period.

Derek Arnold got the game-winner at 1:50 of overtime. Maine goalie Martin Ouellette (St.-Hippolyte, Quebec) made the initial save, but Arnold was able to convert the rebound.

UMass Lowell outshot Maine 37-19 in the game. The Black Bears were 1-for-5 on the power play, while UMass Lowell finished 0-for-5.

Ouellette had another outstanding game for the Black Bears. He tied his career-high with 35 saves. He finishes 9-12-8 on the season. Hellebuyck made 18 saves and improves to 16-2-0.

Maine finishes the season 11-19-8. UMass Lowell improves to 24-10-2.

-U-M-

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Portland, ME –

The Pirates dropped a 5-3 decision on Sunday in Worcester in their last regular season matchup against the Sharks. The Pirates came back from a 3 goal deficit, and Jordan Martinook and Alexandre Bolduc scored just 51 seconds apart in the third period to tie the game. However, Marek Viedensky scored the go ahead and eventual game winning goal 23 seconds after the Pirates tied the game to give the Sharks the victory. Chad Johnson stopped 22 of 26 shots in the loss.

The Phantoms are coming off a 3-2 shootout loss to the Albany Devils to start their 7 game road trip on Sunday. Jason Akeson and Jon Sim had the goals for the Phantoms, while Brian Boucher took the loss in net for Adirondack. The Phantoms will not return home for a game until March 24^th, when they conclude the season series against the Pirates at the Glens Falls Civic Center.

The last meeting between the Pirates and Phantoms was on December 29^th at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, where the Pirates defeated Adirondack by a 2-1 score. Mark Visentin got the win for Portland, stopping 24 of 25 shots, while the offense was provided by defensemen Brandon Gormley and Michael Stone. All three goals scored in the game came on the power play. The season series is tied at 1 after Portland dropped the season opener in Glens Falls by a 6-3 score.

Tonight’s game can be heard on 95.5 and 95.9 WPEI in the Portland area, 92.7FM and 100.7 FM WOXO FM in the Lewiston/Auburn area, and online on the WLOB radio player and AHL Live. The pregame show starts at 6:40 with Jeff Mannix.

Tickets are still available by calling (207) 828-4665 ext. 350 or online at ticketmaster.com.

Official Sponsor of Winter Fun in Maine

PORTLANDPIRATES.COM

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The Soaring Eagles (22-5-1) advance to the NCAA semifinals next week in Superior, Wis. where they will face Gustavus Adolphus on Friday. The Polar Bears end a fantastic season with a mark of 21-5-2, recording the most wins in a season for the program since 2003 and earning the team’s first NESCAC Championship since 2004.

Despite Bowdoin owning a 13-5 shot advantage during the opening period of play, Elmira applied significant offensive pressure during the final ten minutes, resulting in several strong scoring opportunities. With 7:42 remaining, Taylor Steadman hit the post after Bowdoin goalie Kayla Lessard caught a piece of the puck, redirecting it.  Four minutes later Steadman pulled Lessard to the right post before dumping a pass to Ashton Hogan on the left. Hogan’s shot sailed wide of the net.  With just 1:16 remaining in the first, Erin Weston notched Elmira’s first goal of the contest. Ashley Ryan pulled the puck out of Bowdoin’s right corner and connected with Weston as she skated into the low slot and flipped a backhand over Lessard’s glove.

Elmira doubled its lead just 3:43 into the second period.  Brooke Wilgosh ripped a shot from the top of the right circle past Lessard’s glove to go ahead 2-0. The Soaring Eagles had the opportunity to go up 3-0 but were spoiled by a point blank save by Lessard. Steadman skated into a 1-on-1 on Bowdoin’s net and wristed a shot from just outside the crease, but Lessard was able to block and cover the puck. Bowdoin looked to get on the board with 6:23 remaining in the period when Madeline Lane hit the crossbar with a slapshot from the point.

The Soaring Eagles opened the final period with their third goal of the game 3:33 in. Samantha Curk sent a long pass from the top of the right circle to the opposite post where Madison Johnston one-timed the puck to the same side of the net. With 12:07 remaining on the clock Lessard denied Elmira a fourth goal with a split save at the right post.

Bowdoin had 1:22 5-on-3 advantage following a pair of Elmira penalties. The Polar Bears pulled their goal to pressure the Soaring Eagle defense with six players, but were unable to convert. Elmira sealed the win with 2:09 remaining on the clock. Ryan sat on the right post where she received a quick pass from Cassidy Delainey just beyond the crease.

Lessard made a vailiant effort in goal with 21 saves for the Polar Bears. Bowdoin was 0-for-5 on the power play for the night while the Eagles went 1-3.

http://athletics.bowdoin.edu

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The Polar Bears (23-4-2) finish their year with a program-record 23 victories, the NESCAC Championship and third NCAA Quarterfinal appearance in the last four seasons. Utica advances to the Division III semifinals next Friday night in Lake Placid against Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

Bowdoin got off to a great start, skating to a two-goal, first-period lead on scores just two minutes apart. Ollie Koo found the back of the net at 11:38 before Harry Matheson doubled Bowdoin’s lead at 13:55.

Utica was able to get one back just 45 seconds into the second period as Jordan Hobaica brought the Pioneers within one goal. Bowdoin was able to kill off three penalties in the period, however, and maintained a 2-1 lead heading to the final frame.

Trevor Hertz  knotted the game for Utica 3:28 into the final period but then the contest settled into a back-and-forth heavyweight bout as the teams traded great chances. Finally, with just 4:24 remaining, Ridge Garbutt put Utica ahead for good. Eric Peterson added an empty-netter with 53 seconds remaining to seal the win.

Matheson had an assist as well for Bowdoin. Evan Chlanda had three assists for Utica. Max Fenkell had 21 saves in goal for Bowdoin while Mark Therrien stopped 27 for the Pioneers. Bowdoin held a 29-25 edge in shots as the teams combined to go 0-8 on the power play (Bowdoin 0-3, Utica 0-5).

http://athletics.bowdoin.edu

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Though winning the 1st NESCAC Championship in 2011 was amazing, the 2^nd NESCAC Championship is just as momentous for Alexander.  “This championship is a little more special because we were the first team to do it at home in the new building.  Playing in front of a full house at home in the playoffs is something you never forget.”

Alexander got his first goal of the season which also happened to be the final goal of the game, and gave the Polar Bears a 5-2 win over U-Mass Dartmouth, in the first round of the NCAA Div. III playoffs. “It’s been a few years since I’ve scored.  To be honest I did not even know the puck went in the net, I thought someone else put it in.  Downey won the draw clean all I did was take a few steps, settle the bouncing puck, and try to get it through the defenders.  Luckily it went in.”

The Polar Bears got an unbelievable 56 shots on goal in the game against U-Mass Dartmouth. “Well you have to shoot to score.  The coaching staff has been harping on playing the percentages and shooting for rebounds’ which is exactly what we did and it paid off.”

This weekend Bowdoin will face off against Utica, the Polar Bears need to get the win to move onto the semi-finals of the National Championship. “As everyone knows to win you have to score goals and keep the puck out of your own net which is what our plan is.  We need to play team defense and get a lot of shots on net.”

Coach Terry Meagher has been coaching the Polar Bears Hockey team for the last 30 years. “It’s been a privilege to play for Coach Meagher.  He is passionate and knowledgeable about the game and works his hardest for the team.”

The Polar Bears have had an amazing season, so what is the secret to their success, “I’d say we have a good group of guys, no one takes themselves too seriously and for the most part we all get along on and off the ice.”

A spectacular career playing hockey at Bowdoin College, 2 NESCAC Championship, scoring the final goal against U-Mass in the NCAA playoffs but Alexander’s most memorable moment was in his freshman year. “Probably beating Colby at home in the playoffs my freshmen year.  That particular year we lost the two regular season games against them so to beat them at home in the playoffs in overtime was a special feeling.”

A senior this year and Alexander will graduate with a degree in economics, the world is full of opportunity’s.   So what comes next for Alexander, “Ask in a few months and hopefully I’ll have an answer then.  Hockey is a great game so I hope to stay involved with the sport any way I can.”

The post Milley gets the final goal as Polar Bears win 1st round of NCAA Playoffs appeared first on Maine Hockey Media.

With the win, the fifth-ranked Polar Bears (23-3-2) establish a new single-season school record for victories and move on to play seventh-ranked Utica in the quarterfinals on Saturday evening at 8:30 p.m. in Utica, N.Y. More information on the game will be available on Thursday.

The win came despite the efforts of UMass Dartmouth goaltender Ryan Williams, who stopped 51 shots in the loss. The Corsairs end their campaign with a record of 12-8-7.

The Polar Bears dominated the opening period, taking the first 17 shots of the game, but could only break through for a single goal. On the power play, Jay Livermore blasted a low slap shot from the point that slipped through the pads of Williams at 9:21. Williams kept his team in the game, however, making 18 saves in the frame to keep it a 1-0 Bowdoin lead after one period.

UMass Dartmouth drew even on just their sixth shot of the game just six minutes into the second period. A shot from above the right circle by William Colclough handcuffed Bowdoin goaltender Steven Messina. The rebound bounced left to the waiting stick of Evangelos Stefanou, who deposited the game-tying score at 6:19.

Bowdoin regained the lead just three minutes later when Livermore took a hard shot from the blue line that deflected to the right of Williams. Dylan Shamburger pounced on the rebound and backhanded it into the goal at 9:40 to give the Polar Bears a 2-1 edge.

The Corsairs drew even again with under six minutes left in the period as a scramble in front of the Bowdoin net saw Casey Skolnik slide a backhanded rebound past Messina at 14:32. The Polar Bears took advantage of a late hooking call to grab the lead before the second intermission, however, as Kyle Lockwood snapped a shot from above the left circle that slipped inside the left post with just 25 seconds left in the stanza.

UMass Dartmouth opened the third period on the power play but it was Bowdoin who converted for a key insurance goal. Colin Downey picked off a pass at the blue line, skated to the slot and fed John McGinnis in front. McGinnis flipped the puck under the crossbar at 1:18 to make it a 4-2 game. With 7:53 remaining, Bowdoin created more breathing room as Colin Downey won a faceoff back to Al Milley. Milley snapped a shot that skipped through traffic and into the cage for a 5-2 Polar Bear lead.

Livermore and McGinnis had a goal and an assist apiece for Bowdoin while Downey pitched in two assists. Messina finished with 20 saves and improved to 13-3-1 on the season. Williams’ 51 saves were just shy of the Division III Tournament single-game record of 54.

The victory was Bowdoin’s second all-time in NCAA Tournament play as the team improved to 2-0 in NCAA games at Watson Arena. UMass Dartmouth falls to 1-4 all-time in NCAA Tournament play.

http://athletics.bowdoin.edu

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Polar Bears forward Colleen Finnerty, recalls the final moments of the game, “It was all a little surreal. The time seemed to pass quickly in the third after we scored the second goal, but once the clock hit 3 minutes, time froze. A thirty-second shift on the ice felt immensely longer. When Middlebury called the time-out with just under 5 seconds on the clock, we could taste the win. All we had to do was tie up and win the face-off and that was it. When the buzzer finally sounded, there was this feeling of happiness and a sense of relief. We had finally done it.”

The score was tied 1-1 at the end of the 2nd period. Then just under 3 minutes into the 3rd period Colleen, scored the game winning goal, and the Polar Bears win their first NESCAC Championship, in almost 10 years. “I had been on the ice for about thirty seconds, working low and fore-checking hard on the Middlebury defense with the other forwards. After a series of small battles, Middlebury gained control of the puck. They were in the midst of breaking the puck out of the zone when Kayte Holtz intercepted their pass up by the tops of the circles. She quickly sent a backhand pass over to me in front of the net, and I took the shot. With 17 minutes still left in the third period, we knew that the game was far from over. I don’t score many goals for our team so scoring always feels special to me, but this one in particular carries a lot of emotion with it. I was happy to give our team that boost of confidence, but the win was a true team effort. Everyone played their role on the ice and trusted that their teammates would do the same.”

Though the Polar Bears were playing the most important game of the NESCAC season to the ladies on the ice, it was just another game of hockey.  “During the Semi-Final game against Amherst, my nerves were all I could think about, and my heartbeat was all I could feel. I knew that before this championship game I was going to have to calm myself down and relax. In order to do that, I didn’t treat this game any differently from the 26 other that I had played this season. I put on my headphones, sharpened a couple pairs of my teammates’ skates, and taped my stick. It was just another game of hockey with my team.”

Coach O’Neil gives words of inspiration before the game. “Marissa acknowledged how confident she was in the talent and heart of our team, and she reminded us of how hard we battled all season to make it this far, but in reality she didn’t need to give us any words of inspiration. Playing Middlebury at their home rink for the NESCAC Championship is enough inspiration in itself. Looking back on the journey that our team took to make it to the Championship game, it is clear that we deserved to be there. We worked hard every day at practice, and that hard work translated into wins. Sure we had some bumps along the way, but they only brought us closer as a cohesive unit and made us more determined to let nothing stop us.”

The last time the Bowdoin Women’s hockey team won the NESCAC Championship, Coach O’Neil was actually the team Captain for the Polar Bears. “Marissa obviously made an incredible impact on both the field hockey and ice hockey programs during her four years as a student at Bowdoin. As a coach she has had an incredible impact on me both as a player and as a person over the past two years. The time and work she put into our team did not go unnoticed this year as she earned NESCAC Coach of the Year. It’s special for us to be able to bring the NESCAC crown back to Brunswick with her as our head coach.”

Not only did the Bowdoin Women win the NESCAC Championship, the Bowdoin Men hockey team also won the NESCAC Championship. “This is a unique moment for the Bowdoin Hockey programs. The school community really rallied behind both teams to show great amounts of support for us. I know that both teams were rooting for each other, and we feel very fortunate to share this championship win with them.”

Coming up next the Polar Bears will face-off against Elmira, in the first round of the NCAA Div III playoffs. “While we did win the NESCAC Championship yesterday, our season is not over. We still have some unfinished business that we need to take care of before we can think about heading home for spring break. On Tuesday, we are back on the ice for practice, gearing up for our first national tournament game in quite some time, and we couldn’t be more excited.”

Colleen passes along some word for all the Polar Fans. “Thank you for Dreaming in Black and White with us.”

The post Irish eyes are smiling, as Colleen Finnerty and, the Polar Bears win the NESCAC Championship!!! appeared first on Maine Hockey Media.

Bowdoin had faced off against Williams twice in the regular season, “Those games showed me that we matched up well against Williams, but also showed us that Williams was a very good team. I also saw that our forwards could score even though Williams had the top defense in the NESCAC. More importantly, I also knew our defense could keep them off the board as well.”

This NESCAC Championship game was the first time that Max had been between the pipes this season against Ephs. Did Max’s have any concerns, “No not really. In our two prior meetings Steve Messina was in net and only allowed one goal in two games. Being able to watch their tendencies and see them play in some ways gave me an opportunity to understand Williams game a bit more and prepared me for the final.”

The NESCAC semi-final and the championship games were held at Sidney J. Watson arena, Home ice for the Bowdoin Polar Bears. “I know every player says that they have the best fans in the league, but I believe that we truly have them. At Bowdoin there is a long and deep hockey tradition. It was not just the students supporting us. It was the faculty and staff of the college. It was the alumni and it was the local residents. Alumni who I never met before came up to me after the game and told me how happy our team made them this year. That gives you a pretty special feeling to know you are part of this tradition and really made having home ice advantage worth it.”

In the third period Williams scored a goal making the score 2-1, “You’re not going to keep a team like Williams from scoring too often, especially in a championship game. I try not to think too much about the last shot against me. I am focusing more on the next shot that is about to come. As a team, we knew it was going to be a hard fought battle for 60 minutes and the job was not finished. There were still 18 minutes to go, and they were coming on strong.”

Coach Meagher gives the team words of inspiration before the game. “Coach Meagher is in many respects a player’s coach. He seems to know just what to say and when. After Saturday’s game against Middlebury he told us that they don’t hand out trophies on Saturday. Everyone in the locker room got the message. Then when we got there on Sunday he just told us to enjoy the moment, have fun and play loose.”

Next for the Polar Bears is the NCAA Div III playoffs, where they will face off against U-Mass Dartmouth. “We don’t know that much about UMass Dartmouth, but whenever you are playing at this point in the season it’s exciting and everyone deserves to be there. We have to come out ready for a hard game and play Bowdoin hockey for 60 minutes.”

Not only did the Men’s Polar Bear hockey team win the championship, but the Lady Polar Bears also won the 2013 NESCAC Championship as well.  “The short answer is that I am not surprised. They are a very good team and deserved the championship. It was awesome to see that when the score was announced at the game, the cheer was one of the loudest of the day. The longer answer goes back to the tradition of Bowdoin hockey whether it be the men’s or women’s. It’s neat to be a part of a program like this, and hopefully we can both put more tradition and accomplishments into the program this year.”

The Polar Bears will play U-Mass Dartmouth in the NCAA Division III Tournament

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The Polar Bears (22-3-2) claim the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament and will make their third appearance in the national tournament in the last four seasons. With the win, Bowdoin ties the program record for victories set in 1985-86. The team will learn the pairings for the NCAA Tournament when the bracket is announced on Sunday evening at 10:00 p.m. Williams ends its season with a record of 17-7-3.

Bowdoin took advantage of the game’s first power play as John McGinnis found Colin Downey on the left circle. Downey ripped a shot inside the right post at 11:46 to give the Polar Bears a 1-0 advantage. Bowdoin added a key goal just moments before the first intermission as Ollie Koo fed Harry Matheson in front. Matheson settled the bouncing puck and wristed home the game’s second score with just 4.9 ticks left in the period to give the Polar Bears a 2-0 advantage.

The teams combined for seven penalties in the second period, but neither team could find the back of the net. Williams killed off four penalties in the frame, including a brief 5×3 chance for the Polar Bears as netminder Sean Dougherty stopped all 13 shots he saw in the period.

Williams returned to the ice in the third stanza and scored just 1:14 into the frame. Mark Lyons fed a pass to Evan Dugdale who snapped off a shot towards the Bowdoin net. The puck deflected off a defender’s stick and slipped inside the left post to move the Ephs within one.  Williams’ offense continued to pressure the Polar Bears with several major opportunities, including a shot by Greg Johnson that careened off the post with 13 minutes to go.

The Ephs continued to push the Bowdoin defense, and garnered another great chance with ten to go when a slapshot by Zander Masucci caromed high into the air, where Fenkell made a sprawling catch to preserve the advantage. Fenkell continued to stand tall and made two more clutch saves on a Williams power play with under six minutes on the clock.

In all, Fenkell made nine stops in goal for Bowdoin, and saved 23 in the game. Dougherty was outstanding in net for Williams, stopping 36 shots in the loss.

Fans can watch Sunday night’s NCAA selection show on http://www.ncaa.com.

The post Bowdoin Men’s Hockey Claims NESCAC Championship, Earns NCAA Bid appeared first on Maine Hockey Media.

The Polar Bears (21-4-2) earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and will find out their fate at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow when the selections are announced. Bowdoin last claimed the NESCAC crown in 2004 when current head coach Marissa O’Neil was a senior captain. Bowdoin also claimed the title in 2002.

The Panthers finish with a 18-7-2 record and will look for an at-large bid during the selection show.

Bowdoin jumped on the board just 58 seconds into the first period. Chelsea MacNeil intercepted a pass in the Bowdoin zone, quickly finding Ariana Bourque on the right side. Bourque’s shot was stopped by Annabelle Jones with MacNeil pouncing on the rebound and finishing for her 13th of the year.

Middlebury tied the game midway through the period with a power play goal at the 10:23 mark. Madison Styrbicki made a slap pass to Sara Ugalde on the right side, before she made a quick centering pass to Lauren Greer in the slot. Greer quickly one-timed a shot into the back of the net for her 10th of the season to tie the game at 1-1. Middlebury put a lot of pressure on the Bowdoin net with two more power play opportunities, but Kayla Lessard kept it a 1-1 tie with 11 first period saves.

Middlebury had two great chances in the second period, but Greer missed high at 7:15, while Lessard made a partial glove save on Mackenzie Martin just over a minute later. Bowdoin turned up the pressure in the second half of the period with several shots on goal, but Jones turned them all aside leaving the game in a 1-1 tie.

Bowdoin scored the game-winner 2:49 into the third period, taking advantage of a Panther turnover. Kayte Holtz intercepted the puck and made a nice backhanded pass to Colleen Finnerty, who scored from the left side with her fourth of the season.

Middlebury turned up the pressure at the 13:30 mark, as Hannah Bielawski walked in and was stopped by a nice save from Lessard. Moments later, Jennifer Krakower was denied with Katie Sullivan’s second attempt on a great look going just wide. Middlebury continued the flurry as Krakower’s blast from the right side hit the pipe 10 seconds later.

The game settled as the Panthers were looking to tie the game late in the contest. Jones left the net with 1:10 remaining, but Middlebury was unable to muster up a quality scoring chance as Bowdoin held on for the victory.

Bowdoin finished with a 38-25 shots advantage in the game, as Lessard made 24 saves in goal. Jones made 36 stops between the pipes for the Panthers.

The Polar Bears will learn their pairing for the NCAA tournament tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m.

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