Hamilton’s Men’s Hockey season has come to a close after a narrow defeat against Tufts in the NESCAC Championship Semifinals the Saturday before Spring Break. The Tufts Jumbos scored the only goal of the game with seven-and-a-half minutes left in the second period. The Tufts’ goalkeeper made 45 saves throughout the game, including eight in the final two minutes, securing their 1–0 win after Hamilton pulled its goalkeeper for an additional skater. Hamilton goalkeeper Jack Grant ’24 also had a great performance, allowing just one goal and saving 37 shots. The Continentals fired two shots that hit the post during the game, one just eight seconds after the opening faceoff by James Philpott ’25 The other came at the beginning of the third period by Max Bulawka ’26. Ultimately, the Continentals were unable to equalize and advance to the NESCAC finals.
This season was certainly an overall success, despite Saturday’s loss ending their hopes of making a deep Championship run. Compared to last season, where the Continentals went 13–10–2 and lost in the opening playoff round in the NESCAC Championship Quarterfinals, the team did demonstrably better this season, going 17–8–1 and making it one game further in the playoffs. The Continentals had great games and moments throughout the season to look back fondly on.
The team started the season strong, winning seven of their first eight games. In their fourth game of the season, they shut out Trine University 4–0 to win the North County Tournament. In the game, Grant had 37 saves, and for his performance, he was named MVP of the tournament. In their eighth game of the season, the Continentals defeated Williams 3–1. After going scoreless for the first two periods and letting up one goal to Williams in the first period, they rallied for the win with three goals in the final period, scored by first-year Luke Tchor ’27, Ben Zimmerman ’26 and first-year Devon de Vries ’27.
After their first eight games, Hamilton hit a short rough patch, going 0–2–1 in their next three games. However, they regained their stride against Amherst in a thrilling 7–6 victory. The game saw Hamilton score the most goals in one game that they would score in the whole season, with Alex Danis ’26 leading the team with three goals. Up 7–3 in the second period, Amherst began a comeback, making it a close 7–6 game with one minute remaining, but they were unable to equalize the score. In their next game, the Continentals followed up their victory with a 4–3 win over SUNY Geneseo, ranked second at the time. Grant had a then-season high 41 saves, including 17 in the third period. The end of the game was particularly thrilling as the Continentals fought to maintain their one-goal lead. SUNY Geneseo took eleven shots during the final minutes, but ultimately, they were unable to score.
On Senior Day, the last regular season game of the year, the Continentals finished strong with a tough 3–2 win over Williams. Grant made a season-high 43 saves and made multiple key plays to maintain the lead in the final minute and secure the victory. Continuing their three-game regular season win streak, the Continentals beat Amherst 4–3 in the NESCAC Championship quarterfinals. With a strong offensive start thanks to three goals scored by Jackson Krock ’26 (twice) and Grisha Gotovets ’25, Hamilton preserved their lead throughout the game as Amherst fought back. Matt Gellerman ’24 added another goal in the third period to go up 4–1 after Ryan Brown ’25 forced a turnover, but Amherst kept chipping away at the lead. In the final minute, down by only a goal, Amherst attempted two shots: one was saved by Grant, while the other was blocked by Captain Max Wutzke ’24, sealing Continental victory.
Over the course of the season, several Hamilton players demonstrated statistical excellence as well. Tchor was third in total goals this season among NESCAC players with 13, and Krock was fifth in goals with eleven. Tchor led the conference in assists with 21, and Philpott was close behind with 16. Tchor also led the conference in total points with 34. While the season ended in a tough loss to Tufts, which certainly was a disappointing end of the season, the campaign was still an overwhelming success with many great moments throughout.
