Bowdoin College's Jeff Fanning '11 scored two goals, including one with 58.9 seconds left in the third period that lifted the nationally ranked No. 5 Polar Bears to a 3-3 tie against Hamilton College in a New England Small College Athletic Conference men's ice hockey game at Hamilton's Russell Sage Rink on Feb. 5.
Bowdoin (13-5-1 overall, 9-5-1 NESCAC) remained in first place in the conference with 19 points. The Polar Bears are winless in their last three games (two losses, one tie).
The Continentals (10-6-4, 7-4-4) are still in second place in the NESCAC with 18 points. Hamilton has two wins and two ties in its last four games. The Continentals finish the regular season with four games away from home.
Bowdoin pulled goalie Richard Nerland '12 for an extra skater with 1:30 remaining in the third. The move paid off as the Polar Bears applied pressure to Hamilton goalie Cam Gibbar '13, who was making just the second start of his college career. The puck squirted through the crease and Fanning swept it in from the right post. Jordan Lalor '12 and Pierce King '13 were credited with assists on the play.
Nick Anderson '14 and Michael DiMare '14 led the Continentals with one goal and one assist apiece. Gibbar stopped 32 shots.
Bowdoin grabbed a 1-0 lead at 5:34 of the first. Fanning scored on a rebound after Gibbar had made a save during a Polar Bear power play. The goal came three seconds after a 5-on-3 situation ended. Bowdoin leads NCAA Division III with a 34.8 success rate on the power play. The Polar Bears were just 1-for-6 in this game.
Hamilton tied the score with 9:21 remaining in the first and just eight seconds into a power play. Tom Chiappetta '11 put a shot on goal that resulted in a rebound, and Joe Buicko '11 was there to finish off the play for his fifth goal.
The score remained tied at 1-1 until the Continentals got their offense rolling early in the third period. DiMare scored his 11th goal 1:19 into the period to make it 2-1. Anderson shot from the right circle, the puck bounced off Nerland and right to DiMare for the goal.
Anderson gave Hamilton a two-goal cushion at 2:56 with his 12th goal. During a 4-on-4, DiMare skated up ice on a breakaway and passed ahead to Anderson. Anderson launched a wrist shot from the left circle that beat Nerland top shelf.
Daniel Weiniger '13 cut Bowdoin's deficit to one goal at 7:53 with his 17th goal. His tough-angle shot from the bottom of the left circle somehow eluded Gibbar. Both Weiniger and Fanning lead the team with 17 goals.
Both teams took four shots in overtime. Nerland made 44 saves as the Continentals held a 47-35 shot advantage. Hamilton was 1-for-9 on the power play. The Polar Bears lead the all-time series, 41-17-6.
The Continentals travel to Saint Anselm College for a NESCAC/ECAC East crossover contest on Friday, Feb. 11. Bowdoin hosts Trinity College in NESCAC action on Friday as well.
