Connecticut College Sports Roundup

Saturday was a mixed bag for Connecticut College, as the Camels picked up two wins in hockey against Western New England University and Bowdoin College and lost both basketball games to Amherst College. The following information was provided by William Tomasian, sports information director at Connecticut College:

Men's Ice Hockey: Conn College 2, WNEU 0

Senior Andrew Margolin (Mahwah, N.J.) made 25 of his 29 saves in the final two period of play en route to his first collegiate shutout to lead the Connecticut College men's hockey team past Western New England University in a 2-0 blanking at Dayton Arena Saturday.

Mike Sinsigalli (Wilton, Conn.) accounted for both goals while senior Julien Boutet (Amos, Quebec) and freshman Steven Victor (Montreal, Quebec) added two assists each for the Camels, who extended their unbeaten streak to three games with the triumph.

Connecticut College improves its mark to 4-7-1, while the Golden Bears fall to 7-4.

Western New England sophomore net-minder Eric Sorenson (Fairport, N.Y.) made 26 saves in the setback for the visitors.

With 6:56 remaining in regulation, Sinsigalli buried a one-timer from just below the left circle. Boutet was the feeder with Steven Victor (Montreal, Quebec) chipping in with an assist.

The Golden Bears emptied their net with 1:32 remaining, but Margolin and the Camels kept the door shut to close out the victory.

Sinsigalli added some insurance, potting an empty-net goal with 44 seconds remaining in regulation.

Marc Roper (Moncton, New Brunswick) provided a nice boost at the defensive end to lead a stout Camel defense that was a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill.

Women's Ice Hockey: Conn College 4, Bowdoin 2

The Connecticut College women's hockey team skated to a 4-2 victory against Bowdoin College in a NESCAC game played at Dayton Arena Saturday. Courtney Dumont (Lewiston, Maine) scored 1:10 into regulation to set the tone early and senior captain Molly Murphy finished with two goals and one assist for the winning side.

The Camels improve their record to 4-5-1 with a 2-4 mark in the NESCAC. Bowdoin slips to 4-4-2 with a 2-2 mark in conference play. Ariel DiPasquale (Whitestone, N.Y.) chipped in with her fifth goal of the season for the Camels. Rookie net-minder Kelsie Fralick (West Chester, Pa.) stopped 32 shots for the hosts.

Bowdoin College received goals from Chelsea MacNeil (Moncton, New Brunswick) and Stephanie Ludy (Shrewsbury, Mass.).

Kayla Lessard (Enfield, Conn.) finished with 27 saves in the setback.

Murphy buried a shot from near the right point with 7:49 remaining in regulation to put the Camels on top 3-1. Lauren Posillico (Nesconset, N.Y.) assisted on the goal that proved to be the difference. Bowdoin responded though and after a timeouts, Ludy scored from inside the right circle to make it a 3-2 game. Dominique Lozzi (Reading, Mass.) and Maddie Baird (Dudas, Ontario) assisted on the score.

But the Polar Bears could not get any closer and Murphy buried an empty-netter with 24 seconds remaining to put the game out of reach.

The two teams exchanged scores in the second period with the Polar Bears holding a 15-to-10 advantage in shots.

Dumont opened the scoring at 1:10 of the first period when she broke free and flipped one in from her backhand. Andrea McRae (Stittsville, Ontario) assisted on the goal and was a key contributor in all three zones of the ice.

Amanda Bogue (Glastonbury, Conn.) and Posillico made nice contributions on the Camel penalty kill.

Bowdoin out-shot Connecticut College 34-to-31 in the contest.

Men's Basketball: Amherst 74, Conn College 62

Sophomore point guard Aaron Toomey poured in 23 points and added seven assists to help the sixth-ranked Amherst College men's basketball team pull away for a 74-62 win over Connecticut College Saturday afternoon in LeFrak Gymnasium.

Toomey scored 16 points in the first half and recorded six assists in the second, helping the Lord Jeffs (12-1, 2-0 NESCAC) overcome a 5-for-25 performance from behind the arc. Amherst increased its home winning streak to 22 games.

Connecticut College (5-8, 0-2 NESCAC) got 21 points and eight boards from Matt Vadas '14, the reigning NESCAC Player of the Week, and led by as many as five early in the second half, but they would lose the lead for good with 14:45 remaining.

"We played a good game against an excellent team but couldn't finish it off," Connecticut College Head Men's Basketball Coach Tom Satran said. "We took a few bad shots and they got us inside a few times but I'm hopeful we can build on this effort as we progress through league play."

The game featured four lead changes in the early going, but Amherst led for the final 12:53 of the opening half after Toomey gave the hosts an 11-10 advantage on a layup. The Jeffs were never able to pull away, as the Camels shot 6-for-10 from long range and 9-for-11 at the line in the first period.

The visitors closed the first half on a 12-6 run thanks to three-pointers by Rob Harrigan '13 and Vadas. Harrigan and Boris Jeremic '13 each had a pair of threes before halftime, as the Jeffs carried a 39-37 lead into the locker room.

Vadas quickly gave his team a 40-39 lead with a three-point play on the Camels' first possession of the second half. Harrigan followed with a beautiful bounce pass into the lane that led to a layup from Brian Mahoney '12, and Mason Lopez '14 followed with a lay-in of his own to give the visitors a 44-39 advantage.

After Amherst's Willy Workman '13 buried a three from the left corner and Connecticut's John Bullitt '14 knocked down a jumper, the Jeffs put together an 8-0 run that gave them the lead for good. The Camels cut their deficit to one after a Jeremic three (50-49) and again on a Vadas layup (52-51), but Amherst led by at least five points for the final 10:16.

Toomey helped Amherst maintain its lead by scoring all seven of the team's points during a 2:10 stretch, and David Kalema '14 helped seal the win with a made free throw, a steal and an electrifying breakaway dunk in the final minute.

Amherst made 66.7 percent of its two-point field goal attempts (22-for-33), making up for its poor shooting from beyond the arc by utilizing its size advantage and Toomey's driving. Pete Kaasila '13 had 10 points and Jeff Holmes '12 added 11 off the bench, as each big man was 5-for-6 from the floor. Workman added 12 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and a pair of blocks.

Vadas led the way for the Camels with his 21 points, while Harrigan and Jeremic added 11 apiece. Harrigan also had six assists, two steals and the team's lone block.

Both teams will resume conference play next Friday. The Lord Jeffs will host Hamilton College in their lone game of the weekend, while the Camels will kick off their weekend by welcoming Middlebury College to town.

Women's Basketball: Amherst 93, Conn College 42

The top-ranked Amherst College women's basketball team got 45 points from its bench and used another outstanding defensive effort to earn a 93-42 victory over Connecticut College Saturday afternoon at LeFrak Gymnasium.

The Lord Jeffs (12-0, 2-0 NESCAC) tied a program record with their 31st consecutive win, while the Camels (10-2, 1-1 NESCAC) snapped a seven-game winning streak with their first road loss of the season.

Amherst's bench was 16-for-29 (.552) from the floor and accounted for 45 points, while Connecticut's bench players totaled four points after a 0-for-17 performance. The Jeffs and Camels entered the game as the top two rebounding teams in the NESCAC, but it was Amherst that held a 54-39 edge on the glass.

Jenn Shinall '12 and Tara Gabelman '14 each matched Hardy's 14 points to lead the Camels, who shot 22.6 percent overall and were held below 50 points for the first time this season. Gabelman added 10 rebounds to maintain her double-double average on the season.

The Camels will resume conference play next Friday when they host Middlebury College.