Amherst, Mass. - Junior Regnars Alksnis (Talsi,
Latvia) second career goal was a big one, as it gave the
No. 5-seeded Trinity College Bantams a 2-1 overtime win over the
No. 4-seeded Amherst College Lord Jeffs in the quarterfinal round
of the New England Small College Athletic Association (NESCAC)
Championship Tournament tonight at Orr Rink. The win puts the
Bantams (15-8-2, 12-6-2 NESCAC) in the semifinal round of the
NESCAC Championship Tournament, while Amherst ends their season at
16-5-4 and11-5-4 in the league.
The teams battled to a 1-1 tie in regulation, and 7:13 into
overtime, Alksnis snuck up the right side of the ice and gave the
Bantams the win with a rebound goal after Amherst junior goalkeeper
Cole Anderson (Sylvan Lake, Alberta) deflected a
shot by freshman Chris Menard (Burlington, Mass.).
Amherst had led most of the game, jumping out to an early 1-0
lead, courtesy of senior Ted Vickers (Chilliwack,
BC), who scored a power play goal with 1:19 remaining in
the first period. Amherst had two goals called back in
regulation, one early in the first period, and another midway
through the second period, before Trinity tied the game at 1-1 on a
goal by senior co-captain Richard Hollstein (Pembroke,
Mass.), who deflected a slap shot off the stick of senior
Ryan Crapser (Paxton, Mass.) with 1:56 remaining
in the period.
With the score tied at 1-1 with 4:17 remaining in the third
frame, Anderson came up with a key stop, before junior goalkeeper
Wesley Vesprini (Lexington, Mass.) would come up
with a clutch glove save of his own on the other end, to preserve
the tie in regulation, setting up Alksnis' game-winner.
Vesprini finished the game with 19 stops for the Bantams, while
Anderson collected 26 saves on the night for the Lord Jeffs.
Trinity will face No. 2-seed Middlebury, which topped Tufts 6-2
earlier in the evening. Middlebury has made the NESCAC Championship
game every season this decade, and has won the league title seven
of the last ten years. Trinity met Middlebury in four of the last
ten Championships, taking the title in 2003 and in 2008, as the No.
6-seed. The game time is yet to be determined.
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