MANCHESTER, NH – The Williams College men’s hockey team used three power play goals to power past Division 2 foe St. Anselm’s 6-2. Senior Captain Alex Smigelski led the way with three goals and an assist, while Junior Ben Contini pitched in two goals, and freshman Mike Broft had three assists. The Ephs jumped out to a 4-0 lead midway through the second period and held on the rest of the way for the win.
The Hawks came out strong to open the game, and sophomore goalie Ryan Purdy came up huge on two breakaway attempts early to keep the game tied. Williams generated some offensive chances of their own and appeared to have the game’s first goal when Smigelski flew to the net off a pass from freshman Evan Dugdale. The whistle blew with the puck buried underneath the Hawk’s goalie Alex Wyse. Smigelski netted his first goal a few minutes later when he fired a pass intended for Dugdale that was redirected off a St. Anselm skate into the net. Contini extended the Eph lead just over four minutes later. Freshman Eric Rubino stole the puck deep in the Hawk’s zone and found Contini on the far circle. Contini fired a shot over Wyse’s near shoulder to give the Eph’s a 2-0 lead.
The Ephs got on the board again with two quick goals early in the second period. Contini got his second goal on the power play when he buried a rebound off a shot by Broft. Smigelski scored again less than thirty second later when Dugdale stick-handled past two defenders, leaving Smigelski with an open net. St. Anselm’s got on the board midway through the period when John Hennessey skated into the zone on a 3 on 2 rush and slid the puck past an outstretched Purdy. The Hawks scored again late in the period, converting on the power play when Brendan Carroll buried a rebound off a shot by Hennessey. Williams answered on another power play goal when Junior Connor Olvany scored on a rebound after Junior Brian Malchoff made a great effort to keep the play alive.
Williams finished the game with a strong third period. Smigelski completed the hat trick on the power play when he sniped a shot from the top of the circle over Wyse. Purdy wound up with 23 saves, including a couple of huge glove saves late in the game. Head Coach Bill Kangas was pleased with the team’s performance: “I thought we came out with the same level of effort and defensive support as we did against Plattsburgh on Monday. We moved the puck and took shots when we had to and it was nice to get three power play goals tonight. It’s a game we can build on going into tomorrow’s game.”
The Ephs conclude the weekend tomorrow when they take on New England College at 4 PM. View the game online by CLICKING HERE.
