BRUNSWICK, MAINE - The Saint Anselm men's ice hockey team travelled to Brunswick, Maine this evening to take on the No. 12 Bowdoin College Polar Bears in inter-conference play.  The game was neck-and-neck through the first two periods, but the Polar Bears scored five unanswered goals in the final 17 minutes of play, to earn an 8-4 victory.  The win and a tie this evening by Middlebury, gives the Polar Bears sole possession of first place in the NESCAC conference with a 16-5-1 (13-4-1 NESCAC) record.  The loss drops the Hawks to 12-10-1 (9-8-1 ECAC East), and since Babson also lost this evening, they both remain tied for second place in the ECAC East. 

Bowdoin's Jeff Fanning did not waste any time, netting the first goal of the game just 1:23 after the opening puck drop.  Midway through the period at 12:49, Owen Smith knocked in a second goal for the Polar Bears to give them an early 2-0 lead. 

At 16:15 in the first period, freshman Tucker Mullin (Andover, Mass.) was set up by Ryan Holley (Owings, Md.) and Coleman Noonan (Norfolk, Mass.) during a power play, to put the Hawks on the board.  Early in the second period, at 6:17, freshman John Hyslip (Andover, Mass.) tied the game at two, converting passes from Noonan and John Hennessey (Westwood, Mass.).

The game did not remain tied for long, as Graham Sisson took back the Polar Bears' lead at 10:51 in the second.  However, Hawk tri-captain Coleman Noonan went on to score two more goals for the Hawks to give them their first lead of the game.  He scored the first goal at 17:58 in the second during a 5-on-3 power-play situation, assisted by freshman Timothy King (Weymouth, Mass.).  He then netted an unassisted breakaway goal just 34 seconds after the opening faceoff in the third period.

Nevertheless, the Polar Bears' offense went on a five-goal run through the end of the third to take an 8-4 victory.  Sisson netted his second goal of the game at the three minute mark in the third, tying the game at four.  Aaron O'Callahan then gave the Polar Bears the last lead of the game at 7:13.  Leland Fidler made it 6-4 at 8:51, and Alexander Milley netted an unassisted, breakaway goal at 16:38 for the Polar Bears' seventh goal.  Finally, the Hawks pulled goaltender Alex Wyse (Amherst, N.Y.) at 18:59 during a Hawk power play to give the Hawks a 6-on-4 advantage, but Daniel Weiniger won the puck near the blue line and drove in an unassisted, shorthanded empty-netter, to secure the Polar Bears an 8-4 victory.

Both Alex Wyse and Bowdoin goaltender Chris Rossi made 25 saves in the game.  Rossi picked up his 11th win to remain undefeated on the season with an 11-0-1 record.  The Hawks return to action tomorrow night, when they take on the Colby College Mules in their final ECAC East/NESCAC inter-conference game of the season.  The game will begin at 7:00 pm.