Maine Hockey Journal

Endicott doubles Polar Bears, 6-3

WATERVILLE – The Bowdoin College Polar Bears fell in a two-goal deficit and couldn’t climb out of it in the 6-3 loss to the Endicott Seagulls Saturday afternoon at the Alfond Rink on the campus of Colby College in Waterville.

“I thought today, our younger players, you have to crawl before you walk, and you have to walk before you have to run, run before you skate,” Bowdoin coach Terry Meagher said. “I thought they grew today, and that’s a good sign.”

The Seagulls controlled the play early on at one point outshooting the Polar Bears 5-1. On the sixth shot, Ross Olsson put Endicott up 1-0 6:54 into the opening frame with Alexander Bonito and Thomas Daniels setting the goal up. They kept the pressure on and Josh Bowes gave the Seagulls a 2-0 lead with Lloyd Hayes notching the assist.

Endicott started off the second period strong when Thomas Daniels stretched the lead 3-0 with Ross Olsson getting one assist and Bonito the other 1:17 into the period.

“Just to have that game plan of discipline and stick to what gave us that jump and dictate play,” Endicott coach R.J. Tolan said of his first intermission message to his players. “It’s all (about) managing momentum and somehow finding that energy again for the second.”

The Polar Bears fought back when Chris Wallace found the back of the net at the 2:24 mark of the second period. Defensemen Cody Todesco and Mitch Barrington picked up the assists 49 seconds later when Matt Sullivan won the offensive face-off back to Austin Ricci, who fired the puck past Kevin Aldridge.

The Seagulls stretched the lead to 4-2 just before the intermission when Bowdoin iced the puck. Endicott wouldn’t give Bowdoin an opportunity to get over center ice off the face-off and Josh Bowles found Cam Bleck with 1:10 remaining. Hayes picked up his second assist with Connor Costello also getting a helper.

“Hockey is an amazing sport. It’s ultimately a player sport,” Tolan said. “Coaching is done 90 percent during the week, and these guys have to go out and compete.”

Bowdoin tried to work their way back in the third when Camil Blanchet’s point shot gave the Polar Bears their first power play tally of the season. The goal came 4:10 into the third period.

They were 1-for-4 with the man advantage while Endicott was 0-for-1.

Endicott retook the two-goal lead when John Caricato fired a shot from the slot 6:36 into the third period. Hayes found the back of the net to make 6-3 with 8:34 remaining in the contest.

Mark Schiller made 27 saves for Bowdoin while Aldridge made 28 saves for Endicott.

“We need to get our save percentage where it needs to be,” Meagher said. “It’s in the mid to low 80’s. That’s not going to win any lacrosse games. I am not faulting the goalies. I am just saying it’s not the goalies fault. It’s that we are giving too many prime scoring chances.”

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