Contact: Ben Badua
AMHERST, Mass. - Senior co-captain Eddie Effinger (Belleville, Ill.) scored what proved to be the eventual game winner at 8:35 of the third period to power the Amherst College men's hockey team to a 3-2 win over NESCAC rival Wesleyan University Saturday evening at Orr Rink.
The Lord Jeffs improved to 4-1-0 overall on the year and 2-0-0 in conference play, while the Cardinals dropped to 3-3-0 (1-2-0 NESCAC).
Amherst wasted no time getting on the board, finding the back of the Wesleyan net just 3:15 into the first period. Winning the puck near the left circle, junior Dylan Trumble (Calgary, Alberta) fed a pass in front to a charging Mike Cashman '15 (Abington, Mass.), who lifted a hard wrist shot over junior netminder Glenn Stowell's shoulder for his first collegiate tally.
Looking for an equalizer, Wesleyan caused a turnover in the Amherst zone with just under nine minutes left in the first. Moving toward the left corner, junior forward Adam Kaiser flipped a backhanded shot toward the Lord Jeff net, but Amherst senior goaltender Jonathan La Rose (Boyle, Alberta) smothered the attempt to keep the Cardinals scoreless.
The Jeffs responded by nearly adding to their lead just minutes later as junior Mike Moher (Toronto, Ontario) alertly corralled a rebound in front before sliding a shot just wide of the left post. Continuing to go on the offensive, Amherst padded its lead at 16:58 when first-year Aaron Deutsch (Lloyd Harbor, N.Y.) slotted a pass from the left side, finding the stick of oncoming winger Nick Brunette '13 (Chaska, Minn.) for the Jeffs' second score.
Still down 2-0 with under two minutes to go in the second period, Wesleyan nearly cut the Amherst lead in half. Coming across the face of the goal from the right side, junior forward Ryan White flicked a backhanded shot over a sprawling La Rose but was denied by the crossbar.
Amherst, which outshot Wesleyan 12-5 in the first period and 16-5 in the second, nearly extended its margin to three with just seconds to go in the frame, but Stowell slid to cover the left post, kicking out a Jamie Hawkrigg '13 (Waterdown, Ontario) shot from point-blank range.
Kaiser and Nick Craven '13 tested La Rose with a couple of hard shots from the left side within the third period's opening minutes, but Amherst's senior goaltender stopped both tries. Kaiser finally broke through 8:29 into the final frame, tucking a hard shot from just left of the Amherst net inside the near post.
The Jeffs needed only six seconds to regain the momentum, as Effinger deflected a Mike Rowbotham '15 (Stittsville, Ontario) pass from the left circle into the back into the Cardinal netting, making it a 3-1 game.
Entering the game with the league's best power play unit, the Cardinals took advantage of a late man-up situation and made it a one-goal game at the 18:09 mark of the third period. Sophomore Keith Buehler accounted for the goal off a Geoff Mucha '12 assist.
The Cardinals pulled Stowell from their net, but their momentum was killed when they were whistled for holding with 17 seconds on the clock. The Amherst defense held steady the rest of the way and secured the 3-2 victory.
Stowell came up with 37 saves for Wesleyan but suffered his first loss of the season (2-1), while La Rose stopped 16 shots and improved to 3-0. Both teams will return to action Sunday at 3 p.m., with the Lord Jeffs hosting Trinity College and the Cardinals traveling to face Hamilton.
