HARTFORD, Conn. – Heading into a pivotal home-and-home with the league leading Bantams, the Wesleyan men's hockey team played one of its best games of the season, landing a 3-0 win in Hartford on Friday night. Wesleyan (14-6-3, 10-4-3 NESCAC) clinches a home game in the upcoming NESCAC Tournament and require a regulation win over Trinity (16-6-1, 13-3-1 NESCAC) in the regular season finale in Middletown on Saturday to clinch the top seed heading into the postseason.
This win for Wesleyan signaled the first time Trinity has lost in the calendar year, as the Bantams came into tonight riding a 13-game unbeaten streak (12-0-1 since December 31). Behind the win was a standout performance from
Erik Voloshin '24 in net as the junior recorded a 34-save shutout, his second of the season and his career. Playing against a Bantam lineup that came in averaging 3.5 goals scored per game, Voloshin's big night kept Trinity off the scoresheet for the first time in 23 games this season.
Voloshin shined in the first period, making 15 of his 34 saves in that frame alone, limiting a Bantam offense that hemmed the puck in the Cardinals' defensive zone all throughout the first. Wesleyan managed only four shots, getting outshot 15-4 in the first period alone.
The physical play amped up a bit in the second period, with six penalties called. As two players skated off, creating a 4-on-4 situation, the Cardinals took advantage of the open ice and pinged several passes in transition.
Emmet Powell '23 looked to his right, finding
Wiggle Kerbrat '23 below the faceoff dot who passed far post for
Go Uemura '23 who stuffed home the opening goal. The goal is Uemura's eighth of the season.
Trinity unraveled in the third period, being whistled for three game misconducts including once from Andrew Troy that came following an elbowing call. Wesleyan took full advantage, scoring on the ensuing power play as
Colin Cobb '23 nudged the puck in after Kerbrat saw his shot blocked in front, making it 2-0 midway through the third.
With the Cardinals again back on the power play, it was
Andrew Pratt '23 who redirected a shot from
Jake Lachance '23 past Trinity's goalie Devon Bobak to add another insurance marker in what finished up as a 3-0 Wesleyan win.
Some combination of Kerbrat, Powell, and Lachance assisted on all three Cardinal goals scored on the night. Each player finished with two assists as Kerbrat brings his season total up to a NESCAC-leading 27 points (15 goals, 12 assists) while Lachance leads all NESCAC blue liners with 24 points (six goals, 18 assists) and his assist total is tops in the league. Powell now has 15 points (three goals, 12 assists) in 17 games played, nearly averaging one point per game.
Wesleyan attempts to sweep the season series against the Bantams for the first time since the 2006-07 season with a 3 PM start on Saturday from Middletown.
