Ephs Rally, Defeats Hamilton in Overtime
 |
CLINTON, N.Y. — With their backs against the wall in their last game of the regular season, the Williams men's hockey team (15-6-3) staged a furious comeback in the final minutes of regulation to force overtime against the Hamilton Continentals (6-15-3) on Saturday.
Trailing by 3-0 with just six minutes left in regulation, the Ephs struck with back-to-back goals from David Jarrett and Greg Johnson. With just 1:34 left in regulation, Paul Steinig added a power-play goal to tie the score at 3-3 and send the contest into extra time.
In the overtime period, Cody Skinner took a pass from Evan Dugdale on a 2-on-1 rush and buried a wrist shot from the left side just 11 seconds before the final buzzer to lift the Ephs to a dramatic 4-3 win and catapult them into sole possession of second place in the New England Small College Athletic Conference standings.
"Dugdale skated into it and made a real good play on the 2-on-1," coach Bill Kangas said. "He just delayed it for a second and was able to open up a passing lane to Skinner, and he fired it on the ice and it squeaked through the goalie's pads."
The game's drama certainly fit the circumstances, as Saturday afternoon's contest had major playoff implications for both squads. The Ephs were fighting to improve on their third-place seed in the NESCAC and earn a second-place spot with a win, while the Continentals hoped to avoid being shut out of the NESCAC tournament with a loss.
It seemed to be the Continentals who wanted it more in the game's early stages, as the Hamilton offense put considerable pressure on the Ephs and goaltender Sean Dougherty right out of the gate.
The Ephs will most likely face seventh-seeded Colby College (7-14-3) at home on Saturday, although it has not been announced.
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Prudential Committee on Wednesday signed off on more than $1 million in cost cutting measures for the planned Main Street fire station.
