NESCAC

[SoLaxNC]

Would love insight into the Bowdoin/Middlebury game...heard a lot of talk about Middlebury and their freshmen class etc....

Bowdoin dominated at the FO dot (23 of 29) dominated the the gbs (36-13), out shot Midd 49-36 and still barely held on to win 13-12. Thought Bowdoin FY goalie played well especially in the 3rd quarter when the Polar Bears pushed a one goal lead to 13-9. Sloppy clearing and inability to handle the ball in the final 4:00 minutes allowed Midd a chance to tie it up late but Bowdoin FO guy came up bug with :28 seconds remaining. Strong outing for Midd #9 (5g), #29 (3g) and #13 (1,2). Strong effort by Polar Bears #2 at the dot, #16 at attack (3,2), #42 middie (3,1) and FY #1 (4g). 10 saves by FY goalie #49.

[Unknown Participant]

Tufts up 15-1... after the first quarter.

This game is nuts. In 2020 and 2021 Tufts didn’t get up by double digits until the late third/early fourth quarter.

Was 18-1 at 10:00 min mark of 2nd. Colby much more competitive last year. That's the kind of game that can get a coach fired.

[ColonelFastBreak]

Strong outing for Midd #9 (5g), #29 (3g) and #13 (1,2). Strong effort by Polar Bears #2 at the dot, #16 at attack (3,2), #42 middie (3,1) and FY #1 (4g). 10 saves by FY goalie #49.

Agreed on the Middlebury front. Curtis, #13, missed a couple layups (including a breakaway off a broken clear) that made a difference, but overall Midd showed a ton of promise for the future. Thorndike and Curtis will be a challenge for NESCAC defenses over the next four years. If Midd can add a few more talented players they'll have the makings of a contender.

In the Hamilton-Amherst tilt, Amherst underwhelmed, even taking into account all the headwinds the program is experiencing. Nevertheless, the names on the score sheet (Clementi & Brock Gonzalez) are the ones you'd expect. The name that was missing was Juan Gonzalez, who didn't take any FOs. He won 170+ draws in 2019 at a 55% clip. Hopefully, Amherst will get him back later in the season (I'm assuming he's injured) as he could be an enormous piece for the Mammoths, particularly since the NESCAC as a whole may be down this year and an elite FOGO could lift a middling team.

I'm looking forward to seeing Williams play Union this week. It has the opportunity to tell us about the strength of the NESCAC if Williams is clearly the better team (not what I expect, btw). Based on the last 5 games between these two teams, you'd be a bit crazy to bet on anything but a 1 goal game.

[UpperCorner22]

Predictions for Saturday's NESCAC matchups:

Colby @ Tufts: 22-10 Tufts. This score could most likely be whatever Tufts wants it to be. They are the early top team in the NESCAC this year. Colby does look better than most years but Tufts should get up early.

Williams @ Trinity: 13-7 Williams. This should be a good game, but Williams looks relatively deep this year and gains a lot of players who were not on campus last spring. Trinity is a wild card most years with such a large roster, but Williams should hold their ground.

Bates @ Wesleyan: 15-4 Wes. Bates looks down this year with their early loss to Babson. Wesleyan always has a good defense and brings some new players to the offense. They should be a team to keep an eye on this season.

Middlebury @ Bowdoin. 12-10 Midd. This is a game that will shed light on future matchups this year. Midd and Bowdoin did not have teams last year. But, given Midd's history, they should be a top 5 team in the NESCAC this year and should be able to take down Bowdoin given the talent on their roster.

Hamilton @ Amherst: 13-6 Amherst. Hamilton looks like they are having a down year, and Amherst's schemes are yet to be seen with their new coach. While they may have had a bumpy last couple years, Amherst has great talent on their roster and should handedly take down Hamilton.

Any thoughts on what I presume are all OOC games Wednesday night?

[pcowlax]

Though in a close lose, McCormack with 4 goals for UVM vs Dartmouth, showing out well for a great player from a great D3 NESCAC lineage.

[DanBagsy123]

Power rankings after week 1:

1. Tufts
2. Wesleyan
3. Williams
4. Bowdoin
5. Conn/Midd
6. Conn/Midd
7. Trinity
8. Amherst
9. Hamilton
10. Colby
11. Bates

Hopefully this stirs up some conversation. I think this weekend will be a bit more telling. Rankings 5-7 can be completely interchangeable as of right now (imo). Midd vs Conn will be a good one to see which way these programs are going this season.

[Dave]

Agree with your list for the most part, but not a believer in Bowdoin i'd slide them down. Trinity looked bad this weekend, and if they played Middlebury relatively even in the scrimmage the week before - then Midd can't be that good. By the all powerful transitive property, the Polar Bears can't be that good. Weekend will be telling for sure. Agree with Williams behind Wes - Williams didn't look great either IMO against Trinity. The Ephs look like they have another good goalie to replace thier All Conf goalie from last year.

1. Tufts
2. Wesleyan
3. Williams
4. Conn
5. Bowdoin
6. Midd
7. Trinity
8. Amherst
9. Hamilton
10. Colby
11. Bates

[Laxwizard]

Do all 11 teams seed into the post season NESCAC tourney or do the bottom few miss the boat?

[AOD]

Do all 11 teams seed into the post season NESCAC tourney or do the bottom few miss the boat?

Top 8 only.

[ColonelFastBreak]

1. Tufts
2. Wesleyan
3. Williams
4. Conn
5. Bowdoin
6. Midd
7. Trinity
8. Amherst
9. Hamilton
10. Colby
11. Bates

1. Tufts
2. Wesleyan
3. Williams
4. Bowdoin
5. Conn/Midd
6. Conn/Midd
7. Trinity
8. Amherst
9. Hamilton
10. Colby
11. Bates

Not sure why these two are giving Connecticut College so much credit. They struggled to beat Endicott, a program that has not beaten a NESCAC team in their last 18 attempts (last win was April of 2015 over Bowdoin). Further, Conn struggled in 2019, got off to a rough start before cancellation in 2020 and was not particularly impressive last year. Trinity at least showed something last weekend against a quality NESCAC team. And Bowdoin and Midd, who were equally matched for the most part, have been better teams than Endicott for the last half decade, so what makes someone think Connecticut College is currently or will be superior or even equal to either one? Even Amherst, who likely has more talent on hand than the Camels despite their performance against Hamilton, should probably be listed ahead of Connecticut College after last weekend (though their argument is the weakest as far as I'm concerned, for now). It's early in the season and the sample size is super small, so there may be a legitimate reason for ranking CC above these teams. Perhaps, CC played poorly or Endicott is especially good this year, but either of those explanations deserve a bit of supporting evidence.

[Unknown Participant]

1. Tufts
2. Wesleyan
3. Williams
4. Conn
5. Bowdoin
6. Midd
7. Trinity
8. Amherst
9. Hamilton
10. Colby
11. Bates

1. Tufts
2. Wesleyan
3. Williams
4. Bowdoin
5. Conn/Midd
6. Conn/Midd
7. Trinity
8. Amherst
9. Hamilton
10. Colby
11. Bates

Not sure why these two are giving Connecticut College so much credit. They struggled to beat Endicott, a program that has not beaten a NESCAC team in their last 18 attempts (last win was April of 2015 over Bowdoin). Further, Conn struggled in 2019, got off to a rough start before cancellation in 2020 and was not particularly impressive last year. Trinity at least showed something last weekend against a quality NESCAC team. And Bowdoin and Midd, who were equally matched for the most part, have been better teams than Endicott for the last half decade, so what makes someone think Connecticut College is currently or will be superior or even equal to either one? Even Amherst, who likely has more talent on hand than the Camels despite their performance against Hamilton, should probably be listed ahead of Connecticut College after last weekend (though their argument is the weakest as far as I'm concerned, for now). It's early in the season and the sample size is super small, so there may be a legitimate reason for ranking CC above these teams. Perhaps, CC played poorly or Endicott is especially good this year, but either of those explanations deserve a bit of supporting evidence.

Other than Williams, Conn College gave Tufts the best conference game in 2021.

[InsiderRoll]

1. Tufts
2. Wesleyan
3. Williams
4. Conn
5. Bowdoin
6. Midd
7. Trinity
8. Amherst
9. Hamilton
10. Colby
11. Bates

1. Tufts
2. Wesleyan
3. Williams
4. Bowdoin
5. Conn/Midd
6. Conn/Midd
7. Trinity
8. Amherst
9. Hamilton
10. Colby
11. Bates

Not sure why these two are giving Connecticut College so much credit. They struggled to beat Endicott, a program that has not beaten a NESCAC team in their last 18 attempts (last win was April of 2015 over Bowdoin). Further, Conn struggled in 2019, got off to a rough start before cancellation in 2020 and was not particularly impressive last year. Trinity at least showed something last weekend against a quality NESCAC team. And Bowdoin and Midd, who were equally matched for the most part, have been better teams than Endicott for the last half decade, so what makes someone think Connecticut College is currently or will be superior or even equal to either one? Even Amherst, who likely has more talent on hand than the Camels despite their performance against Hamilton, should probably be listed ahead of Connecticut College after last weekend (though their argument is the weakest as far as I'm concerned, for now). It's early in the season and the sample size is super small, so there may be a legitimate reason for ranking CC above these teams. Perhaps, CC played poorly or Endicott is especially good this year, but either of those explanations deserve a bit of supporting evidence.

Other than Williams, Conn College gave Tufts the best conference game in 2021.

That’s a crazy way to rationalize them being a good team. They lost 24-16.

[Dave]

Its early - week 1, way to early power rankings - I'm not saying they will be in the same spot in 2-3 weeks, just initial thoughts on super small sample size.

[SoLaxNC]

Bowdoin v Endicott played in a blizzard, or that's what is looked like from the live stream, so hard to draw any strong conclusions but it was a tough night to be a Gull in Polar Bear weather!
Bowdoin dominated the whole way en route to the 19-5 win. Lots of unforced turnovers by both teams. #2 was strong at the face-off dot again going 15-20. Goal scoring came from the same cast as previous game v Midd. Attack: #16 (3,2), #6 (4g), #14 (6g). Mids: #8 (3,1), #1 (2,2). Polar Bears out-shot the Gulls 49-26 and won the gbs battle 53-31. Saves were 10 for Bowdoin, 12 Endicott. Shouldn't draw any strong conclusions via comparative score vs CC given the weather but if Bowdoin can clean up it's turnovers and clearing game it seems capable of scoring and should be able to contend for spots 4-7 in the NESCAC standings.

[Unknown Participant]

1. Tufts
2. Wesleyan
3. Williams
4. Conn
5. Bowdoin
6. Midd
7. Trinity
8. Amherst
9. Hamilton
10. Colby
11. Bates

1. Tufts
2. Wesleyan
3. Williams
4. Bowdoin
5. Conn/Midd
6. Conn/Midd
7. Trinity
8. Amherst
9. Hamilton
10. Colby
11. Bates

Not sure why these two are giving Connecticut College so much credit. They struggled to beat Endicott, a program that has not beaten a NESCAC team in their last 18 attempts (last win was April of 2015 over Bowdoin). Further, Conn struggled in 2019, got off to a rough start before cancellation in 2020 and was not particularly impressive last year. Trinity at least showed something last weekend against a quality NESCAC team. And Bowdoin and Midd, who were equally matched for the most part, have been better teams than Endicott for the last half decade, so what makes someone think Connecticut College is currently or will be superior or even equal to either one? Even Amherst, who likely has more talent on hand than the Camels despite their performance against Hamilton, should probably be listed ahead of Connecticut College after last weekend (though their argument is the weakest as far as I'm concerned, for now). It's early in the season and the sample size is super small, so there may be a legitimate reason for ranking CC above these teams. Perhaps, CC played poorly or Endicott is especially good this year, but either of those explanations deserve a bit of supporting evidence.

Other than Williams, Conn College gave Tufts the best conference game in 2021.

That’s a crazy way to rationalize them being a good team. They lost 24-16.

Probably, but just my observation. It was close at the half, and through 3Qs. In any event, I am by no means a CC fan and last year was weird for many teams.

[Dave]

Agreed. CC vs Midd now Friday at 3:30 due to weather

[Laxxal22]

Is Raba injured? Didn't seen his name in either box score for Wesleyan.

[Dave]

yes - that's what i've heard - but not confirmed

[dirtydannyc]

Conn vs Midd should be a good tilt. I am not sure if midd has anyone to cover 14 on conn. From what I saw against Endicott that kid really has a nose for the game.

[laxxer27]

Colby at Williams bumped to 11am Saturday for weather.