UP NEXT: 3/4 NCAA Tournament First Round vs. University of Rochester @ St. John Fisher
2/23 Middlebury W 86-71
2/27 @Williams L 88-83
The Continentals took on two New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) rivals in their final two games of the regular season this past week. Hamilton broke a four-game losing streak on Tuesday with an 86-71 win over Middlebury, followed by a disappointing loss to Williams, 88-83, Saturday.
Senior forward Michael Schantz (Sharon, MA/Sharon) scored 39 points against Middlebury to extend his streak of consecutive games with 30 points or more to five. Then on Saturday he fell just three points shy of making it six games, scoring 27 points. For the week, Schantz averaged 33 points and 10.5 rebounds per game and was named Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association (UCAA) Player of the Week.
Schantz completes the regular season averaging 26.3 points and 12.8 rebounds per game. Both statistics lead the NESCAC and UCAA. For the second consecutive season, Schantz earned the UCAA Player of the Year honor, in addition to being named first team All-UCAA.
Senior center Jon Schmiegel (Wantagh, NY/Calhoun) also earned first team All-UCAA honors as he finished the season with a 17.8 ppg and 12.2 rpg. He ranks 3rd and 2nd respectively in those categories. In the win on Tuesday night, Schmiegel scored 17 points and grabbed 19 boards.
Along with Schantz and Schmiegel, the Hamilton coaching staff also earned postseason honors. They were named Co-Coaching Staff of the Year along with Rensselaer for their outstanding work all season. The Hamilton coaching staff is comprised of head coach Tom Murphy, and assistants Stan Evans, Karl Radday, and Matt Stowell.
On Saturday, senior co-captain Max Stroman (Syracuse, NY/Bishop Ludden) played an inspired game. With clutch shooting and stellar defense, he kept Hamilton in the game and helped stage a late comeback. Stroman scored 17 points, hitting 4-8 from three-point land.
Hamilton now sets its sights on the NCAA Tournament. They take on the University of Rochester Thursday night at St. John Fisher in the first round.
Women's Basketball (2-22, 0-12 UCAA)
UP NEXT: SEASON COMPLETE
2/23 @Middlebury L 70-61
2/27 Williams L 83-35
The women's basketball squad wrapped up its season this past week with two tough games against NESCAC opponents. On Tuesday night, they lost to Middlebury 70-61 and on Saturday they lost to perennial powerhouse Williams, 83-35.Freshman point guard Jenny Russell (Pawling, NY/Pawling) continued her recent success, scoring 27 points while Amanda Siepiola (Clinton, NY/Clinton) added 11 points in the losing effort. Russell (16.6 ppg) ends the season as the team's leading scorer and second-highest scorer in the UCAA.
On Saturday, 11 different Williams' players scored as Hamilton lost its regular season finale, 83-35. Playing in her last game as a Continental, senior Jen Moran (Leonia, NJ/Leonia) scored 12 points and had four steals. She finished the season scoring 11.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Moran was recognized for her outstanding play, as she was named second team All-UCAA.
Men's Ice Hockey (12-9-2)
UP NEXT: SEASON COMPLETE
2/27 ECAC East Quarterfinals @ Trinity L, 5-1
Men's hockey set out to defend their 1998 ECAC East Championship this weekend as they took on Trinity in the quarterfinals. The Continentals peppered Bantam goaltender Jeff Blair with 33 shots but could only come away with one goal as the defending champions lost 5-1.
Trinity jumped out to an early two-goal lead before sophomore Sean Smith (Ottawa, ONT) scored the lone Hamilton goal. Scott Grenier (E. Taunton, MA/Governor Dumner Academy) stopped 27 shots and Brent Davey (Brampton, ONT) made two saves for the Continentals.
Before the loss, Hamilton had gone 7-1-1 in their last nine games. The Continentals end the season with a 12-9-2 record.
Women's Ice Hockey (11-10-1)
UP NEXT: SEASON COMPLETE
2/27 Conn. College W 5-3
2/28 Sacred Heart L 4-0
The Hamilton College women's ice hockey closed out its season with a win over Connecticut College and a loss to Sacred Heart.
Saturday against Connecticut, the Continentals jumped out to a 2-0 first period lead behind goals by Kathleen Lubin (McLean, VA/The Potomac School) and Amy Williams (Potsdam, NY/Potsdam). Hamilton continued to stifle Connecticut's offense in the second period, holding the Camels to only three shots. Lubin notched her second goal of the game, the lone goal of the second period, and Hamilton headed into the locker room with a 3-0 lead after two periods.
But the Camels battled back, pouncing on a power-play opportunity and knocking in a loose puck in front of the net to cut the Hamilton lead to two. Forward Jenne Atherton (Nantucket, MA/The Lawrenceville School) countered 21 seconds later off a pretty passing play from Williams and Lydia Heenan (Chicago, IL/Brooks School). With five minutes to go, Hamilton looked poised for an easy win, but the Camels responded with two more goals. Williams scored an empty net goal with 54 seconds left to put the game away. Andrea Cecchinato (Thomastun, CT/The Gunnery) made 16 saves in net for the Continentals.
On Sunday, Hamilton outshot Sacred Heart, 38-21, but the Pioneers came away with a 4-0 victory.
