MIDDLETOWN, CT- Men's hockey fell to Hamilton 3-2 in the NESCAC Quarterfinals Sunday afternoon at Spurrier-Snyder Rink. Hamilton got on the board first, scoring less than three minutes in. From there the teams alternated scoring the next four goals through the 1^st and 2^nd periods to get to the final score of 3-2 in favor of the Continentals. The two teams faced off twice in the regular season with Wesleyan taking both, however it was the Continentals who emerged victorious in the quarterfinals.
Wesleyan ends their season 10-12-3, advancing to the quarterfinals of the NESCAC Conference Tournament. Hamilton keeps their season alive by advancing to the Semifinals of the conference tournament where they will travel to Waterville, Maine to face off against #1 seeded Colby who defeated 8^th seeded Tufts 5-1 earlier today.
 
HIGHLIGHTS:

• Hamilton struck quickly in their first game of the NESCAC Tournament. After the Continentals won a faceoff, the puck found Nick Rutigliano who ripped a long-range slapshot from near center ice that snuck by Marc Smith '24
• Wesleyan responded nicely with a late 1^st period goal to tie the game heading into the first intermission. After taking the puck in their defending zone, the Cardinals used a series of passes to get the puck up the ice. Wiggle Kerbrat '23 and Owen Sweet '25 executed a perfect give-and-go that resulted with Kerbrat finding the back of the net. Matt Zandi '22 also assisted on the play
• The Continentals bounced back with another early period goal in the 2^nd. After dumping the puck in Wesleyan's zone, Matt Gellerman dropped off a pass for Cade Groton who had his wrist shot find its way through the many bodies in front of the net to give Hamilton a 2-1 lead
• Nine minutes later, Wesleyan found another answer. With less than 10 seconds left on the Cardinals' power play Kyle Anderson '24 and Jake Lachance '23 worked the puck to Go Uemura '23 who found an opening and ripped a shot past the Continentals' goalie
• Only two minutes after Uemura retied the game for the Cardinals, Hamilton took the lead right back. Gellerman carried the puck over the blue line before dropping it off for a cutting Sean Thompson who was able to put through Hamilton's 3^rd goal of the game
• Wesleyan had multiple scoring opportunities in the 3^rd period to tie the game once again, but were unable to put through the equalizer. Their best chance might have come at the 14:45 mark when Vaclav Hes '24 found an open Rob Dysart '22 in front of the net, however his one timer was off right and the score remained 3-2. Wesleyan would pull Smith with two minutes remaining in favor of an extra skater, but the Continental defense held strong

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Go Uemura scores his 7^th goal of the year, tying Emmet Powell '23 for most on the team
• Matt Zandi contributes his 10^th assist on the year
• Marc Smith made 16 saves
• Team leaders: Goals (Powell + Uemura, 7), Assists (Colin Cobb '23, 13), Points (Cobb, 17), Blocked Shots (Lachance, 28)