MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – In a matchup pitting the top two teams in the NESCAC standings, this one certainly lived up to the billing as the Wesleyan men's hockey team overcame a 2-0 first period deficit to earn a 2-2 tie at home against No. 14 nationally-ranked Colby on Friday night. Wesleyan (10-8-3, 8-4-3 NESCAC) sees their five-game win streak come to an end but the 1.5 earned points in the standings keeps the Cardinals in second place. The Mules (13-4-2, 10-3-2 NESCAC) keep hold of their 3.5 point lead atop the league standings. The Wesleyan student body certainly showed out in a big way as hundreds gathered at Spurrier-Snyder Rink to watch the two top NESCAC teams battle it out.
Colby dominated the first period, with their first goal coming less than a minute into play as Michael Morrissey corralled a loose puck off the stick of a Cardinal defender in the slot. He quickly turned and fired a wrister that surprised Wesleyan goalie
Marc Smith '24, finding the back of the net to make it 1-0 Colby.
A second Colby goal came less than eight minutes later as Carter Breitenfeldt sent a lengthy pass up the left boards to Morrissey who chased the puck down in the Cardinal defensive zone. With Justin Grillo skating hard towards the near post, Morrissey's centering pass found the stick of Grillo who slipped the puck past a sprawling Smith to make it 2-0 Mules less than halfway into the first period.
Wesleyan looked to have answered back less than a minute into the second period as
Go Uemura '23 sent a wrist shot towards the net with
Wiggle Kerbrat '23 close to the net. The puck found the back of the net but after a discussion, the referees deemed Kerbrat knocked the puck in with a kicking motion and disallowed the would-be goal.
Later in the second period,
Alex Giummo '23 lit the lamp on the power play to cut the Colby lead down to one. Uemura received a transition pass just outside the blue line and led
Jake Lachance '23 up-ice into the Mules' defensive zone. As Lachance looked up, he spotted Giummo on the opposite end and his centering pass found his classmates' stick. As all three Mule defenders went to Lachance, Giummo was left with an open net to shoot on as Wesleyan now trailed 2-1 heading into the third.
The Cardinals rode that wave of momentum and found the equalizer just under nine minutes into the stanza.
Henry Carlson '24 carried over center ice and dumped the puck deep into the Colby end.
DJ Dixon '24 didn't allow the Mule defenseman to pick up the puck as his forecheck allowed Carlson to possess on the near boards. Carlson looked up and on his backhand, fired to pass to
Danny Sorabella '22 in the slot. With time to shoot, Sorabella fired a shot into the upper left corner, past Colby goalie Andy Beran.
Wesleyan had a great chance to find the game-winner late in the third as the Cardinals had a power play with under two minutes left in regulation. Several great chances came on the man-advantage, including a shot from
Emmet Powell '23 that Beran saved through several bodies in front of the net.
Smith starred in the overtime period, making five of his 23 saves in the OT frame as he preserved the tie as both sides skated off with 1.5 points each.
Six different Cardinals finished with one point apiece including Carlson who registered his first career point on the assist to Sorabella for the game-tying goal. Sorabella's goal is his second of the season while Giummo scored his third. Smith's strong play in net continued as he has allowed two goals or less in five straight games.
Wesleyan wraps up the weekend on Saturday at 3 PM with a game against Bowdoin. The Cardinals are 10-22-5 all-time against the Polar Bears but are 6-2-1 over their last nine meetings dating back to 2016-17.
