BIDDEFORD, Maine – Hamilton College bridged the first and second periods with three straight goals, and the Continentals pulled out a 4-2 win against the University of New England Nor'easters in a 2025 NCAA Division III Men's Hockey Championship first round game inside UNE's Harold Alfond Forum on Saturday night, March 15.
 

Season Update

• Nationally ranked No. 8 Hamilton (21-6-1 overall) has won four straight and six of its last seven. The Continentals set a team single-season record with their 21^st victory. Hamilton advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals for the second time (2017).
• The ninth-ranked Nor'easters (18-8-1) finished second in the Conference of New England. UNE finished its season with losses in three of its last four games.

 

How It Happened

• Ryan Kuzmich scored on a breakaway and gave the Nor'easters a 1-0 lead 7:13 into the first period.
• Devon de Vries '27 drew the Continentals even with 2:34 left in the first. Jackson Krock '26 forced a turnover in the left faceoff circle in Hamilton's attacking zone and batted the puck to de Vries in the slot. He went from his forehand to his backhand and back to the forehand, scoring on a low shot from close range.
• Ryan Sordillo '27 made it 2-1 on a fantastic individual effort with 30 seconds remaining in the period. Sordillo gained control of the puck near the red line and sped into the offensive zone along the right-side boards. He moved around a defender in the right faceoff circle and scored on a high wrist shot from the slot on the goaltender's blocker side. The Continentals led the rest of the way.
• Hamilton held on to its one-goal edge until Justin Biraben '27 gave the Continentals a two-goal cushion with 5:45 to go in the second period. Hamilton broke out from its defensive zone and Ryan Brown '25 passed ahead to Biraben at his offensive blue line. He skated into the left faceoff circle and his high wrist shot sailed inside the left post into the back of the net.
• Jayden Price cut the Continentals' lead back to one on a power-play goal at 3:19 of the third period.
• UNE pulled its goaltender for a sixth skater with a little more than a minute left and Hamilton made the Nor'easters pay for the decision 10 seconds later. Ben Zimmerman '26 was fighting for possession of the puck along the left-side boards and knocked it into an open space near the Continentals' defensive blue line. Krock picked up the puck in the neutral zone, outraced a defender and deposited it into the empty net with 57.5 seconds remaining. 
• Krock's empty-net goal touched off a wild celebration on the Hamilton bench as the Continentals knew they would be moving on to the next round.

 

Notes

• Krock finished with a goal, an assist and 13 faceoff wins. Krock has eight multi-point games this season. He has 30 points on 15 goals and 15 assists.
• Sordillo scored his first goal since Jan. 4 and lit the lamp for the fifth time this season.
• Devon de Vries has a point in six of the last seven games. He notched his eighth goal this season.
• Biraben scored his fifth goal this season and has a point in eight of the last nine contests.
• Zimmerman posted his second multi-assist game this season. He recorded his 50^th career point.
• Brown's assist was his first point since Nov. 23.
• Hamilton's Charlie Archer '25 made 21 saves.
• UNE's Joey Stanizzi stopped 19 shots, including 16 in the first period.
• The Nor'easters won 38-of-68 faceoffs.
• UNE went 1-for-3 on the power play.
• The Continentals held an 18-7 shot advantage in the first period.
• Hamilton is 3-0 all-time against the Nor'easters.
• The Continentals are 13-3-0 away from home.
• Hamilton was 3-0 in Maine this season.

 

Next Game

The Continentals play Curry College (24-3-0) in an NCAA championship quarterfinal at Canton Ice House in Canton, Mass., on Saturday, March 22 at 3 p.m.