MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Hamilton College's Charlie Archer '25 made 27 saves and the Continentals shut out the Wesleyan University Cardinals 2-0 inside Wesleyan's Spurrier-Snyder Rink on Saturday, Dec. 2.
 

Season Update

• Hamilton (5-1, 2-1 NESCAC), which is receiving votes in this week's USCHO.com Division III Top 15 poll, recovered quickly from their first loss this season the night before at Trinity College.
• The Cardinals (2-5, 2-2) have scored a total of just one goal in their last five games – all losses.

 

How It Happened

• The Continentals held a 16-8 shot advantage in the first period but they were still in a scoreless tie after the first 20 minutes.
• Devon de Vries '27 broke the ice for Hamilton 5:30 into the second period. Max Bulawka '26 knocked the puck away from a Wesleyan player as the Cardinals tried to clear their zone and Justin Biraben '27 collected it near the left post. Biraben dropped the puck back to a charging de Vries in the low slot and he stuffed it past the goaltender as he was being pushed to the ice.
• The Continentals made it 2-0 on the eighth shot of a two-minute power play later in the second. A blast by Luke Tchor '27 from the blue line above the right faceoff circle was turned away but Bulawka gained control of the loose puck near the right post. He skated below the goal line towards the boards and threw the puck back towards the crease where it caromed off a Wesleyan player and into the goal with 6:43 remaining.
• Hamilton nearly made it a three-goal cushion with about six minutes to go in the third period when Ben Zimmerman '26 got behind the defense and put a shot on Marc Smith from the slot that Smith kicked away. A wrist shot by Max Wutzke '24 from the bottom of the right faceoff circle banged off the right post a few seconds later.
• The Cardinals pulled Smith for an extra skater with a little less than a minute left and Wesleyan had a 6-on-4 advantage for the final 23 seconds when one of the Continentals was sent to the penalty box for tripping. The Cardinals put two shots on goal in the final seconds that Archer stopped.

 

Notes

• Archer posted his second shutout in four starts as his goals against average dropped to 1.00 and his save percentage improved to .966 with 114 saves.
• Bulawka, who finished with a goal and an assist, has recorded at least one point in four straight games and leads the team with seven.
• Biraben registered two assists for his first multi-point game at Hamilton.
• The goal for de Vries was his first with the Continentals.
• Tchor extended his point streak to five consecutive games.
• Zimmerman won 15 of 26 faceoffs and Logan Greene '24 blocked three shots.
• Smith finished with 49 stops including 24 in the second period.
• Hamilton went 1-for-3 on the power play while Wesleyan was 0-for-1.
• The Continentals have won three of the last four meetings with the Cardinals.

 

Next Game

Hamilton is on the road again in NESCAC play at Middlebury College (1-3-2, 1-2-1) on Friday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m.