No. 15 Gulls lose two-straight, fall to No. 19 Bowdoin
March 25, 2008
BEVERLY, Mass. - Bowdoin College senior goalkeeper Alex Gluck (Chevy Chase, Md.) and the Polar Bears' defense held 15th-ranked Endicott College to just one second half goal, as No. 19 Bowdoin pulled the upset and knocked off the Gulls, 7-5, on a frigid Tuesday evening in Beverly, Massachusetts. The win ups the visitors record to 4-2 (1-1 NESCAC), while the hosts slip to 5-2 overall (1-0 TCCC).
Bowdoin College came out on fire to open the game, quickly streaking its way to a 4-1 cushion after one quarter of play. Harry Ashforth (Ridgefield, Conn.) got the night started as he found the back of the net off a feed from Ben York (Mercer Island, Wash.), giving the visitors a 1-0 lead. The Polar Bears would double their advantage just nine-seconds later as Max Key (Greenwood Village, Colo.) won a clean face-off that resulted in a quick transition strike from Mike Giordano (Washington, D.C.). Russell Halliday (Sudbury, Mass.) was credited with an assist.
Endicott was quick to respond as the Gulls cut the lead in half just under a minute later. John Ortolani (Billerica, Mass.) won his first draw of the night, giving the Blue and Green possession. Nick Cosco (Londonderry, N.H.) made that possession count as he notched an unassisted tally to make the score 2-1.
Ashforth and Giordano put the Gulls in a three-goal hole as the duo once again scored consecutive goals for the visitors. Ashforth, sweeping to his left off goal-line extended, used a quick change of direction towards the crease to elude Endicott midfielder Joe Gugino (West Hartford, Conn.). One-on-one with EC netminder Eric Hagarty (Sudbury, Mass.), Ashforth was able to slip a shot past the lefty's stick for the 3-1 lead. Giordano made it a 4-1 game as he stuck a nice feed from fellow attackman Adam Tracy (Providence, R.I.), who was able to get his hands free at the back x.
Endicott came to life in the second quarter as the Gulls outscored Bowdoin, 3-1, in frame number two. Brandon Dube (Danvers, Mass.) notched a man-up tally to make it a two goal game. Sophomore Brad Lipkvich (Madison, Conn.) buried a seed from 15-yards out just 42 seconds later to bring the Gulls back within striking distance. Nick Cosco and Bowdoin's Cullen Winkler (Milton, Mass.) would trade goals before the end of the half, sending Bowdoin into the break with a 5-4 lead.
Relieving senior classmate Gordon Convery (Far Hill, N.J.), Alex Gluck took over the Polar Bear net for the second half. Gluck and the Bowdoin defense shutout the Blue and Green in the third quarter as Gluck made five saves, two of which came point blank on the crease, to keep the visitors in the lead. Ashforth grabbed his third of the night and the game winner with just 1:18 left in the third frame, giving Bowdoin a 6-4 advantage.
Eddie O'Reilly (Beverly, Mass.) would get the Gulls back within one at 13:36 of the fourth, but Adam Tracy closed out any comeback thoughts as he drove from x and stuck a one-handed diving shot into the upper-left hand corner to end the game, 7-5.
Ashforth's three goals paced the Polar Bears' offense. Mike Giordano ended the night with two tallies, while Adam Tracy had a goal and an assist. Max Key went a solid 10-of-16 (62.5%) in the face-off category, grabbing the visitors several timely possessions. Gordon Convery and Alex Gluck combined for 16 saves in the win. Gluck made nine saves and only allowed one goal in 30 minutes.
Endicott was led by Nick Cosco's two goals. Six other Gulls posted a point in the losing effort. Goaltender Eric Hagarty, who exchanged blow-for-blow with his counterpart(s), suffers the hard-luck loss with 15 saves and seven goals against.
Bowdoin (4-2, 1-1 NESCAC) returns to action as it travels to NESCAC and top-20 foe Wesleyan University for a 1:00 p.m. face-off in Middletown, Conn. on Saturday. Endicott jumps back into The Commonwealth Coast Conference play on April 1st, as the Gulls head to Dudley, Mass. for a night game with the Bison of Nichols College.