By Scott Kinville/315 Hockey
The Hamilton College Continentals Men’s Hockey Team is hosting the Amherst Mammoths on Friday night for a game that has huge implications in the NESCAC standings. Hamilton is currently four points behind the Mammoths for first place in the conference, and a regulation win will pull the Continentals within one point of first place with eight conference games remaining after Friday for both teams. The teams have already met once this season, with the Mammoths skating away with a 3-1 victory on opening day in their rink.
The Continentals enter Friday night’s game having won three straight games – all of them away from the friendly confines of Russell Sage Rink. When asked about his team’s play on a recent episode of 315 Hockey Live, Hamilton Head Coach Rob Haberbusch commented “I really like the way we’ve been playing. We had the winter break where classes aren’t in session and that’s a time we can just devote more time to hockey, and we’ve really taken advantage of that”. The coach also noted that after dealing with several injuries and illnesses throughout the first half of the season, his Continentals are finally at full strength.
On offense, Hamilton has been getting contributions from up and down the lineup, but it’s Ben Zimmerman who leads the way in points with thirteen and goals with five, while tied for most assists on the team with senior co-captain Nick Hawkins. Both Zimmerman and Hawkins have eight assists each, and defenseman James Philpott’s stellar play on the blue line has him leading his team in +/- at +8.
The Continentals also have one of the best goaltending duos in the NESCAC. Charlie Archer and Jake Grant have been outstanding between the pipes for Hamilton this season, with Archer ranking in the top thirty in all of Division III in GAA and save percentage.
The Mammoths have also won three straight games. Strong special teams have been a calling card for Amherst this season, as they have killed nearly 90% of the penalties they have given up and have been dominant on the power play. With the man advantage, they are operating at a 25% efficiency rate which is the best in the NESCAC and tied for eighth in all of Division III.
With three extremely important NESCAC points on the line, let’s take a look at how the Hamilton College Continentals and Amherst Mammoths match up against each other.
Hamilton College Continentals Team Records
- Overall Record: 8-6-0.
- Conference Record: 6-2-0-1, 19 points – 2nd place in the NESCAC.
- Home Record: 3-1-0.
- Head Coach: Rob Haberbusch.
Amherst Mammoths Team Records
- Overall Record: 9-3-2.
- Conference Record: 7-1-1-1, 23 points – 1st place in the NESCAC.
- Away Record: 4-1-1.
- Head Coach: Jack Arena.
Hamilton College Continentals Team Offense
- Goals For: 45.
- Goals Per Game: 3.2 (4th in the NESCAC).
- Shots: 372.
- Shots Per Game: 26.6 (9th in the NESCAC).
- Power Play: 18.8% (12 for 64 – 5th in the NESCAC).
Amherst Mammoths Team Offense
- Goals For: 44.
- Goals Per Game: 3.1 (5th in the NESCAC).
- Shots: 451.
- Shots Per Game: 32.2 (3rd in the NESCAC).
- Power Play: 25.0% (1st in the NESCAC, tied for 8th in Division III).
Hamilton College Continentals Top Five Scorers + Individual Leaders
1.) Ben Zimmerman: 5 goals + 8 assists = 13 points.
2.) Fred Allaire: 4 goals + 7 assists = 11 points.
3.) James Philpott: 4 goals + 6 assists = 10 points.
4.) Nick Hawkins: 2 goals + 8 assists = 10 points.
5.) Max Bulawka (4 goals + 5 assists) and Jackson Krock (4 goals + 5 assists) = 9 points each.
- Shots Leader: Fred Allaire with 31.
- Power Play Goals Leader: Fred Allaire, Alex Danis, and Logan Greene with two each.
- Game Winning Goals Leader: Ben Zimmerman and Sean McAvoy with two each.
- +/- Leader: James Philpott at +8.
Amherst Mammoths Top Five Scorers + Individual Leaders
1.) Ben Kuzma: 8 goals + 7 assists = 15 points.
2.) Matt Toporowski: 7 goals + 5 assists = 12 points.
3.) Josh Burke: 4 goals + 8 assists = 12 points.
4.) Tyler Bourque: 5 goals + 6 assists = 11 points.
5.) Quinton Fox: 3 goals + 7 assists = 10 points.
- Shots Leader: Ben Kuzma with 62.
- Power Play Goals Leader: Zachary Murray with three.
- Game Winning Goals Leader: Ryan Corcoran and Josh Burke with two each.
- +/- Leader: Ben Kuzma at +13.
Hamilton College Continentals Team Defense
- Goals Against: 37.
- Goals Against Per Game: 2.6 (5th in the NESCAC).
- Shots Allowed: 419.
- Shots Allowed Per Game: 29.9.
- Penalty Kill: 82.0% (41 for 50 ).
- Shorthanded Goals Scored: 0.
Amherst Mammoths Team Defense
- Goals Against: 29.
- Goals Against Per Game: 2.1 (2nd in the NESCAC).
- Shots Allowed: 321.
- Shots Allowed Per Game: 22.9.
- Penalty Kill: 89.7% (52 for 58).
- Shorthanded Goals Scored: 2.
Hamilton College Continentals Goaltending
- Charlie Archer: Record: 5-3-0 / GAA: 2.14 / Save Percentage: 0.927 / Saves: 216 / Shutouts: 0. Archer is 26th in Division III in save percentage and 29th in GAA.
- Jack Grant: Record: 3-2-0 / GAA: 2.33 / Save Percentage: 0.923 / Saves: 155 / Shutouts: 1.
- Josh Nadler: Record: 0-1-0 / GAA: 12.02 / Save Percentage: 0.688 / Saves: 11 / Shutouts: 0.
Amherst Mammoths Goaltending
- Alex Wisco: Record: 7-3-0 / GAA: 2.11 / Save Percentage: 0.907 / Saves: 206 / Shutouts: 1.
- Connor Leslie: Record: 2-0-1 / GAA: 1.61 / Save Percentage: 0.919 / Saves: 57 / Shutouts: 1.
- Dan Dachille: Record: 0-0-0 / GAA: 2.77 / Save Percentage: 0.906 / Saves: 29 / Shutouts: 0.
Friday night’s game is scheduled to begin at 7:00 pm EST from Russell Sage Rink in Clinton, NY. For more information about Hamilton College Continentals Hockey, visit https://athletics.hamilton.edu.
- Mike Harder ’97 Named Head Men’s Hockey Coach
HAMILTON – Mike Harder ’97 has been named the Donald F. Vaughan Head Men’s Hockey Coach, announced Friday by Colgate University Interim Vice President and Director of Athletics Yariv Amir ’01. Harder makes his return to Colgate after spending six years (2013-2019) as an assistant coach for his alma mater. As a coach for the […] - Utica University Mens Hockey Has Strong Start to the Recruiting SeasonPhoto credit: Scott Kinville/315 Hockey. By Scott Kinville/315 Hockey. The Utica University Men’s Hockey Team enjoyed another successful season in 2022-23, rising all the way to the number one ranking in the USCHO poll during the regular season. They went undefeated in the UCHC, winning the regular season crown and the tournament championship. The Pioneers […]
- LABERGE RETURNS TO COMETS IN 2023-24 SEASON | Utica Comets Official WebsiteMay 23, 2023 Utica, NY. – Utica Comets General Manager, Dan MacKinnon, announced today that the team has signed forward Samuel Laberge to a one-year AHL contract for the 2023-24 season. Sam Laberge, 26, played in 43 games for Utica during the 2022-23 season and scored eight goald and eight assists for 16 points. Spending […]
- AHL Off-Season Primer: Explaining Contracts, Waivers, and the Development RulePhoto credit: Scott Kinville/315 Hockey. By Scott Kinville/315 Hockey. In most of the American Hockey League, the off-season has begun (in a few weeks the off-season will begin for the rest of the league). For some, the off-season means a time to “unplug” from hockey and forget about the game until September. For others, it […]
- Danielle Slominski Named Women's Ice Hockey Assistant Coach – Oswego State AthleticsOSWEGO, N.Y. – Oswego State Athletics Assistant Vice President/Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Wendy McManus and Head Women’s Ice Hockey Coach Mark Digby have named Danielle Slominski the next Assistant Coach of the Women’s Ice Hockey program. “I’m really excited to see someone with Dani’s experience and personality join our program” Digby said. “It was very […]
