BRUNSWICK, ME – Three goals in the final eight minutes of the third period doomed men's ice hockey team on Saturday, Feb. 7. In their second game in Maine in 24 hours, the Mammoths took on Bowdoin in the away leg after grabbing a big 2-1 win back on Jan. 10. This one, however, did not go the Mammoths' way, the Polar Bears putting the puck away late to win 3-0.
With the loss, the Mammoths slip to 10-8-2 (5-8-1 NESCAC) on the year while the Polar Bears improve to 14-5-1 (10-3-1 NESCAC). Amherst hits the road again next weekend, traveling to New London to face Conn. College on, Friday, Feb. 13. The Mammoths will face the Camels looking to for a victory in their second matchup of the campaign, with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
* Though Bowdoin dominated much of the early portion of the first period, Amherst seized the momentum with a stellar defensive possession: on four total sots, Amherst notched two big blocks, by
Cristobal Tola and
Caden Olenczak, and two saves by
Andrew Palena at the 13:08 mark. From that point until the end of the first stanza, Amherst held a 20-0 advantage in total shots, including 9-0 in shots on goal, but could not convert.
* With the score still standing at 0-0 in the second frame, the game followed many of the same patterns as the first. Bowdoin again controlled the first five minutes, before Amherst had all the offensive opportunities for the next five. The best chances that the Mammoths got were in a 90-second span about 8 minutes into the period. Shots by
Magnus Gadowsky,
Ryan Corcoran, and Tola were all saved on a delayed penalty.
* The ensuing power play also afforded Amherst dangerous scoring chances, with both
Oliver Flynn and
Andrew Carmody getting bites at the apple after great puck movement by the Mammoths, but Bowdoin goaltender
Jacob Osborne was up to the task on both shots, keeping them both out.
* The game kept swinging back and forth, with Amherst next holding control at the end of the period, but the game stayed tied at zero heading into the final period of play.
* However, Bowdoin took over in the third, scoring three times in the final 8 minutes of play. The first came from
Louie Marcellino on a Bowdoin power play with just over seven minutes to go.
* As Amherst pressed for an equalizer, the Polar Bears got two more; the first with 2:57 to go, and the second coming on an empty net with 55 seconds to go to shot the door on the Mammoths' hopes for a win. The horn sounded, with Amherst dropping the contest 3-0.
BY THE NUMBERS:
* Amherst outshot Bowdoin 29-26 in shots on goal, and 60-51 overall.
* A lack of execution on special teams doomed the Mammoths: they went 0-7 on the power play and gave up a goal on the penalty kill, as the Polar Bears went 1-3.
* Netminder Palena made 23 saves.
