Bowdoin men’s hockey player Austin Ricci (20) skates with the puck against Connecticut College on Saturday at Sidney J. Watson Arena. (Brian Beard / CiPhotography.com)
BRUNSWICK — The Bowdoin College men’s ice hockey team saw its season come to an end with a 5-4 setback to visiting Connecticut College on Saturday afternoon.
The Polar Bears (6-16-2, 3-14-1 NESCAC) and Camels (7-16-1, 3-14-1 NESCAC) both concluded their season with identical conference records and finished outside the postseason.
Bowdoin scored just 30 seconds into the game. Patrick Ault pulled the puck out of the right corner and dropped it onto the stick of Austin Ricci, wristed a laser from the inside edge of the near circle.
The Polar Bears added a second goal three minutes into play off the stick of Christian Capello. Ault took a shot from the right point, and Thomas Dunleavy and Capello poked at the rebound until Capello finally pushed it through.
Midway through the period, Matt Creamer put Connecticut College on the board. Creamer took a shot from the right side and the puck popped up, he skated in and buried his own rebound.
With 2:06 remaining in the period, Greg Pezza tied the game for the Camels. Jeff Thompson banked a pass off the back boards for Pezza to collect for a wraparound to the right post. Alex Zafonte shut down the initial shot, but Pezza quickly tucked his rebound inside the post.
In the final eight seconds of the first period, the Camels took their first lead. Anthony Quatieri fed Brett Stirling in front for a one-timer.
Quatieri added to the goal tally for Connecticut College less than a minute into the second. Ryan Petti controlled the puck high in the offensive zone and found Quatieri at the right post for a quick redirect.
Bowdoin responded a minute and a half later as Cam Berube put a rebound back from the right side.
The Camels went ahead 5-3 1:52 into the final period. Thompson took a shot from the right side and the rebound bounced just outside the crease for Pezza to pop over Erik Wurman.
The Polar Bear offense answered two minutes later. Bradley Ingersoll slid a pass to Cody Todesco skating into the Connecticut zone, and Todesco found Ricci skating towards the left post. Ricci put away his second of the game.
Avery Gobbo made 40 saves in a complete game for the Camels. Zafonte made 14 saves in the first period before Wurman made 19 in the final two. Bowdoin went 0-for-5 on the power play. Connecticut College went 0-for-3.
On Friday, Tufts rolled to a 5-0 NESCAC win at Watson Arena.
The Jumbos (6-15-2, 3-12-2 NESCAC) claimed a 1-0 lead in the first period on a one-timer by Jordan Haney.
In the second frame, Tufts made it a 2-0 contest on a Hayden Smith tally.
Bowdoin’s best chance came on a breakaway by Todesco, with Tufts netminder Drew Hotte (40 saves) making the stop.
Tufts put the game away in the third on goals by Trevor Spence, Smith and Machlan Sawden.
Zafonte turned away 33 shots.
Women’s hockey
Trinity scored with five seconds remaining in regulation to defeat Bowdoin, 3-2, in the Polar Bears season finale.
Bowdoin ended the year at 3-19-2 (2-13-1 NESCAC). The Bantams (11-10-3, 8-5-3 NESCAC) secured a spot in the NESCAC playoffs.
Bowdoin jumped out to a 2-0 lead by the first intermission. Tala Glass scored an early power-play goal at 1:56 off a feed from Izzi Stoddard.
Stoddard found Katie Leininger in the last second of the first period to put the Polar Bears by two.
Trinity chipped away with a goal at 14:53 in the second and an equalizer under two minutes into the third.
While the game looked to be heading into overtime, Caelin Flaherty picked the puck up in Bowdoin’s zone and buried a shot with five seconds remaining in regulation.
Kerri St. Denis made 50 saves for the Polar Bears. Kai-Lilly Karpman turned away 24 shots.
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