CLINTON, N.Y. – The Trinity College men's ice hockey team dropped a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) overtime contest to No. 3 Hamilton College, 3–2, Saturday afternoon. The Bantams fall to 9–9 overall and 3–9 in conference play, while the Continentals improve to 15–1–2 on the season and 11–0–1 in the NESCAC.
What Happened
- A scoreless opening period saw the Bantams outshoot the Continentals, 18–16, with Trinity putting 11 shots on goal to Hamilton's eight. Trinity's penalty kill was perfect in the first frame, denying Hamilton on two power-play opportunities.
- Just over 16 minutes into the second period, Trinity's James Barbour broke the deadlock, collecting his own rebound and sending it past the Hamilton netminder for the go-ahead goal. Jason Zaccari and Will Diamond were credited with assists on the play. Bantams goaltender Jake Fialkoff was stellar in the period, turning aside all 12 Hamilton shots.
- Jakob Karpa extended Trinity's lead early in the third period with an even-strength goal at the two-minute mark, giving the Bantams a 2–0 advantage. Hamilton responded midway through the period as Noah Leibl capitalized on a wide shot by John Wojciechowski, redirecting it past Fialkoff to cut the deficit to 2–1 with 10 minutes remaining. Just one minute later, Luke Tchor netted the equalizer to tie the game at 2–2.
- In the closing minutes of regulation, Trinity's Ian Spencer and Nolan Hayes both had shots blocked, while Will Diamond sent an attempt wide. The evenly matched third period saw both teams record 16 shots, 10 of which reached the net, and identical faceoff wins of 11 apiece, sending the contest to overtime.
- In the extra session, Hamilton's Luke Tchor struck again, scoring the game-winning goal to secure the 3–2 conference victory.
Inside the Numbers
Shots: Trinity 53 (35 on goal); Hamilton 57 (31 on goal)
Saves: Jake Fialkoff (Trinity) 28 (.903); Aksel Reid (Hamilton) 33 (.943)
Faceoffs (W–L): Trinity 31–28; Hamilton 28–31
Penalties (Minutes): Trinity 4–8; Hamilton 3–6
Power Play: Trinity 0-for-2; Hamilton 0-for-3
Up Next
The Bantams continue conference road play with a trip to Middlebury College (11–6–2, 7–5–1) on Friday, February 6, at 7:00 p.m., followed by a Saturday matchup at Williams College (6–11–2, 5–8–0) with a 3:00 p.m. puck drop.
All-time, Trinity holds a 30–17–5 record against Middlebury dating back to the programs' first meeting during the 1990–91 season, and a 32–20–2 advantage against Williams, with the first matchup recorded in the 1980–81 season.
