Hamilton College defenseman Bennett Morrison '20 scored two goals and the Continentals cruised to a 5-1 win over the Bowdoin College Polar Bears in a 2020 NESCAC Men's Ice Hockey Championship quarterfinal at Hamilton's Russell Sage Rink on Saturday.

The third-seeded Continentals (12-9-4 overall) advance to the championship semifinals and a date with second-seeded Trinity College at Williams College on Saturday, March 7 at 1 p.m. Hamilton is in the conference semifinals for the third time in four years. The Continentals and Trinity met in a 2019 semifinal and the Bantams pulled out a 2-1 win in overtime.

Hamilton and sixth-seeded Bowdoin split their season series with both teams winning on their home ice. The Continentals have won five of their seven NESCAC championship meetings. Hamilton was hosting a quarterfinal for the fifth consecutive year.

Fred Allaire '23 and Jordi Jefferson '22 posted a goal and an assist apiece and Nick Ursitti '20 and Sterling Bray '20 picked up two assists each for the Continentals. Jefferson tops the team with 11 goals and he and Ursitti share the lead with 18 points.

Sean Storr '22 made 29 saves and won his fifth straight start. Storr has allowed just seven goals during that stretch. He has a 1.61 goals against average and .937 save percentage with two shutouts in 10 starts this season. Hamilton is 7-2 in its last nine games.

The Polar Bears (12-12-1) had won their last three games. Ronnie Lestan scored his fifth goal and Alex Zafonte turned away 24 shots.

Morrison scored the first goal of the afternoon with 3:44 left in the first period. Ursitti won the faceoff back to Morrison in the Continentals' offensive zone and he played the puck around the right-side boards to Jefferson behind the net. Jefferson passed the puck back to Morrison for a one-timer from above the right circle that beat Zafonte low on the glove side.

Hamilton put the game out of reach with three goals in the second period. Cameron Radziwon '20 scored his second goal this season at 2:59 of the second. Cade Groton '23 threw a centering pass into the slot to Allaire but he couldn't control it. He kicked the puck to Radziwon, who by now had also skated into the slot, and he swept it past the sprawling Zafonte.

Jefferson made it a three-goal lead 6:58 into the period. He quickly advanced the puck up ice and passed to Ursitti who burst into the offensive zone, made a nice move to get around a defender and put a shot on Zafonte from the slot. Zafonte stopped it but didn't control the puck and Jefferson crashed the crease and shoved in the rebound.

Allaire gave the Continentals a 4-0 advantage with 6:04 remaining in the second. Bowdoin turned the puck over at the red line and Bray entered Hamilton's offensive zone. He gave up the puck to Joey Moore '22 who skated into the left circle and rifled a pass across the slot to a waiting Allaire in the right circle. Allaire blasted a one-timer top shelf for his fourth goal.

Storr lost his shutout bid with 6:29 to go in the third period when Lestan tapped in a shot by Cam Berube that had been kicked away by Storr. Albert Washco was credited with a secondary assist.

Morrison provided the final margin on a power-play goal with 3:43 left only a few seconds after Zafonte was whistled for roughing. Jon Beniers '21 passed to Morrison and his one-timer from above the left faceoff circle beat a screened Zafonte high on his blocker side. Morrison has four goals this season and 16 for his career with the Continentals.