HARTFORD, Conn. – Five Bantam goals in the final frame lifted Trinity to a 13-11 victory over visiting Williams College in its New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) home opener Saturday afternoon.

With the win, the Bantams open the season 1-0 overall and 1-0 in conference play, while the Ephs fall to 0-1 (0-1 NESCAC).

How It Happened

• The first quarter featured evenly paced play between the two NESCAC foes. Trinity held a 14-10 edge in shots, with both teams placing seven on goal.
• Jake Connors opened the scoring for the Bantams, driving hard toward the cage and slipping a shot past Charlie Medd's back foot into the right side of the net. Jay Ottomanelli earned the assist. Just over a minute later, junior Bo Page made it 2-0, finishing a feed from Andrew Finn while positioned just outside the crease.
• Williams responded quickly, as Will Doran and Davis Miller scored back-to-back goals to tie the contest at 2-2 with eight minutes remaining in the quarter. The Ephs then added two more to close the frame, as Ryan Johnson scored unassisted at 7:27 before netting his second at 4:20 to give Williams a 4-2 lead entering the second.
• Miles Harvey and Johnson traded early goals in the second. Harvey cut the deficit to one just 51 seconds in with a running shot from 20 yards out, but Johnson answered at 10:33 to restore the two-goal advantage. Harvey struck again at 9:22, scooping up a loose ball outside the crease and finishing before Medd could recover, making it 5-4.
• Williams extended its lead to 7-4 with goals from Tucker Graham and Johnson during a two-minute stretch. In the final 30 seconds of the half, Harvey completed his hat trick with an underhand shot in motion from beyond 20 yards. The Ephs owned a 7-5 lead heading into the break.
• After a Trinity timeout early in the third quarter, Page netted his second goal off an assist from Connors. Connors followed with his own second tally just a minute later after a successful clear, tying the game at 7-7.
• Ryan Nagle and Doran kept Williams in front, but Page connected with Colin Sullivan to even the score at 8-8. Doran converted on a man-up opportunity late in the quarter to give the Ephs a 9-8 edge heading into the fourth.
• The Bantams dominated the final frame with a 5-2 scoring advantage to secure the season-opening victory.
• Johnson tallied Williams' 10th goal shortly after the opening faceoff of the fourth. Trinity answered with a four-goal run to claim its first lead since the opening quarter. Conley Bohan, Sullivan, and Ottomanelli sparked the surge, with Sullivan scoring back-to-back goals to tie the game and then give Trinity an 11-10 lead.
• Doran made it a one-goal contest with just under two minutes remaining, firing an overhand shot past two defenders and Diego Gomez to trim the deficit to 12-11.
• With 40 seconds left and Trinity holding possession deep in the Williams zone, Connors was stripped below the goal line by Aidan Housenbold. However, Connors immediately forced a turnover, regained control, and buried the insurance goal to seal the 13-11 win.

Inside the Numbers

• Shots: Trinity 45 (27 on goal); Williams 41 (27 on goal)
• Saves: Diego Gomez (TRIN) – 16; Charlie Medd (WIL) – 14
• Faceoffs (W–L): Trinity 20-8; Williams 8-20
• Extra Man: Trinity 0-1; Williams 1-2
• Clears: Trinity 14-19; Williams 20-20
• Offensive Leaders: Miles Harvey, Colin Sullivan, Jake Connors (TRIN) – 3 goals each; Ryan Johnson (WIL) – 5 goals

Up Next

The Bantams return to action on Saturday, March 7, traveling to Lewiston, Maine, for a NESCAC matchup against Bates at 1 p.m.

TRINITY ATHLETICS