Wesleyan University's Tim Sestak made 25 saves and the Cardinals recorded a 2-1 win against the Hamilton College Continentals in a 2018 NESCAC Men's Hockey Championship quarterfinal at Hamilton's Russell Sage Rink on Saturday evening.

Fifth-seeded Wesleyan (13-7-5 overall) advances to the semifinals at Trinity College where they will face No. 6 seed Colby College at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 3. The Cardinals will be making their third trip to the NESCAC semifinals with their highest seed since 2007.

The Continentals (15-7-3) were seeded fourth for the championship and were making their 16th appearance. Hamilton and Wesleyan split their season series as each one won on the road. The Cardinals won 5-3 in Clinton, N.Y., back on Dec. 3 and the Continentals posted a 5-2 victory in Middletown, Conn., on Jan. 28.

Andy Espinoza scored the game-winner on his first of the season with 1:46 left in the third period. The Cardinals won the faceoff to the left of Buitenhuis and moved the puck along the boards. Matthew Zandi passed back to Walker Harris in the corner and Harris circled through the zone up to the point. Harris released a wrist shot that Espinoza tipped off the blade of his stick and into the back of the net.

Tyler Wyatt gave Wesleyan a 1-0 lead after one period with his ninth goal of the season. Hamilton attempted to clear the puck out of its zone but Chad Malinowski stopped the puck at the blue line and skated to the top of the left faceoff circle. Malinowski fired a shot and Wyatt deflected the puck past Evan Buitenhuis '18 (28 saves) at 18:29.

Hamilton tied the score at the beginning of the second period. Sean Ross went to the penalty box at 3:14 to give Hamilton a 5-on-4 advantage. Nick Ursitti '20 won the draw to the right of Sestak, dropping the puck back to Bennett Morrison '20 above the left faceoff circle. Morrison snapped the puck inside the right post just five seconds into the power play for his second goal of the season.

Hamilton outshot Wesleyan 11-9 in the first period and 8-7 in the third but the Cardinals ended the game with a 30-26 advantage thanks to a 14-7 edge in the second stanza. Hamilton finished 1-for-4 on the power play and Wesleyan was unable to capitalize on its lone opportunity.