Wesleyan Athletics is set to revisit the department's top moments of the 2019-20 season over the new few weeks. This week, we'll look back at men's hockey's NESCAC Championship win over Trinity.
On March 7th, 2020, the fifth-seeded Wesleyan men's hockey team faced off against top-seeded and No. 9 nationally-ranked Williams on the Ephs' home ice in the NESCAC Semifinals. It was the fourth-straight semifinal appearance for the Cardinals as they eyed their first-ever trip to the conference championship.
During the regular season, the Little Three rivals split the series with Williams. The Ephs claimed a 4-2 win on January 10th at home while Wesleyan took the second game 3-1 on February 7th in Middletown. On this fateful Saturday, however, it was the Cardinals that came out on top as they took down the top-seeded Ephs 3-2 when freshman Jake Lachance scored the game-winner in overtime. After three-straight gut-wrenching losses in the conference semifinals, Wesleyan had gotten over the hump and advanced to the NESCAC Championship Game for the first time in program history.
"If there's anything we learned during the regular season, it was how to be resilient and how to deal with adversity," said senior co-captain Spencer Fox. "In the semifinal game against Williams, we played a near perfect 55 minutes of hockey and led 2-0 with five minutes to go. Williams cut the lead in half and then tied it up with 30 seconds left in front of their huge home crowd. We regrouped before OT by drawing on the adversity we already faced and the experience from last year's devastating 2OT semifinal loss.
"One of our goals from the beginning of the year was to earn a chance to redeem ourselves from last year's loss -- and there we were in the exact same position one year later. Even though we'd just given up a late lead, there was no doubt we knew we were winning that game."
The finals paired in-state rivals Wesleyan and Trinity against each other. For the Bantams, who were seeded second in the tournament and ranked eighth in the country, this marked their fifth-straight finals appearance as they looked to capture their fourth title since 2016. In the regular-season series, the weekend prior to the NESCAC Tournament, Wesleyan claimed the first game 4-1 on the road (Feb. 21) while Trinity responded with a 3-1 victory the following day in Spurrier-Synder Rink. That loss occurred on 'Senior Day', nonetheless, which very well may have fueled the incredible postseason run by the Cardinals.
"We came out of the gates flat in the championship game," added Fox. "We almost played like we were scared to lose rather than playing to win. It may sound odd, but Trinity scoring the first goal really settled us and we started to play the right way after that."
The Bantams controlled the opening period and outshot Wesleyan 14-6. With 9:03 expired, the Bantams scored the first goal of the game and held a 1-0 lead entering the second.
Fox continued, "from there, without a doubt the biggest key to winning the championship game was our execution. We were generating lots of scoring opportunities and taking advantage of them better than we had all year. I also think how we scored our goals was very important; perfect passing plays and beautiful shots in short succession seemed to increase our confidence and destroy Trinity's. Because of this, the game was over even before the score got out of hand."
In the ninth minute of the second period, Fox evened the score with a highlight-reel tally. With the puck in mid-air, he swung and connected perfectly, sending it to the back of the net. Just over seven minutes later, the Cardinals took their first lead of the game with a goal by Jordan Rose '21, and they would never look back as they outscored Trinity 3-0 in the second frame.
"Watching these guys lose in the semifinals three years in a row was tough," said Head Coach Chris Potter, the 2019 NESCAC Coach of the Year. "It was fun to see their excitement in the celebration when they won. As I watched them celebrate, you start to remember all of the hard work they put in, all the sacrifice that goes into it. It's hard enough to get into the playoffs, especially this year, but then to make a run and win three games in a row on the road was special."
It took only nine seconds in the third for the Cardinals to increase their lead as Tyler Levine tallied his second goal of the day and second-consecutive, just one-minute and 21-seconds apart. After a Trinity goal just over two minutes later cut the deficit to two (4-2), Wesleyan rallied with three unanswered to put the game away. And as the clock expired, the Cardinals celebrated their first NESCAC Championship in program history with a commanding 7-2 win over Trinity. The five-goal differential was the largest margin of victory in conference finals history and Wesleyan's seven goals set a new championship record.
"The feeling of winning a NESCAC Championship is something I'll never forget," said senior co-captain and two-time All-American Walker Harris. "The heartbreak of coming up just short in the last three seasons made it that much sweeter. Winning the final game of my college career, against Trinity especially, and celebrating with those 29 guys was the perfect way to go out. I can't thank the program enough for everything over the last four years."
In addition to the team records Wesleyan set that day, Harris also tied a single-game NESCAC Finals record with four points. He scored once and assisted on three others, while his only marker came on a pass from classmate and fellow All-American, goalie Tim Sestak. The empty-netter occurred with 24 seconds remaining and was a fitting end to the careers of two of the most decorated athletes in Wesleyan men's hockey history.
Added Potter, "it was great to see the staff enjoy the moment as well. Lots of little things go on behind the scenes to make sure the players are ready and prepared to be at their best. I can not give Coach (David) Lun and trainer Evan Davis enough credit for all the work they do. I also enjoyed watching and sharing with some of the special people in the program. First, the players' parents and seeing how special it is for them to celebrate with their sons. Secondly, for Coach (Dave) Snyder and his wife to be there was great. He is Wesleyan Hockey.
"Lastly, some of the people who have been important parts of the program (behind the scenes) were there to watch; Mike Whalen (Athletic Director), Bob Chiapetta (Head Equipment Manager), and Joe Fountain (Head Athletic Trainer). A lot goes into a program and it is important for everyone to enjoy moments like that."
OTHER TEAM NOTES FROM 2019-20
- Walker Harris racked up several awards by the end of the season. He was named a Third Team All-American, the Joe Concannon Award winner (presented to the best American-born college hockey player in New England at the Div. II/III level), an All-NESCAC First Team selection, and a New England Division II/III All-Star. On February 21st, he also joined the 100-point club as he recorded a hat trick in a 4-1 win over then-No. 7 Trinity.
- Tim Sestak, the 2019 NESCAC Player of the Year, capped off his career with All-NESCAC Second Team honors.
- The Cardinals were set to play at No. 10 Babson in their first-ever NCAA Tournament game before the NCAA canceled all winter and spring championships due to the pandemic.
- Wesleyan defeated UMass Boston 6-2 on January 4th to claim the 55th Annual Codfish Bowl Tournament.
