CLINTON, N.Y. – Hamilton College's Noah Leibl '27 scored 4:45 into the first sudden-victory overtime period and lifted the Continentals to a 5-4 win against the Connecticut College Camels in a 2026 NESCAC Men's Hockey Championship quarterfinal inside Hamilton's packed Russell Sage Rink on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 28.
 

Season Update

• The fourth-ranked and top-seeded Continentals (19-4-2 overall) defeated Conn. College for the third time this season. Hamilton scored 15 goals against the Camels in those three games.
• Conn. College (10-14-1) had performed well on the road in the last weekend of the regular season with a 5-2 win at Colby College on Feb. 21 and a 3-2 overtime loss at Bowdoin College on Feb. 20.

 

How It Happened

• The Continentals had six shots on goal in the extra period including one by Devon de Vries '27 that hit the post. Leibl controlled the puck behind the Camels' net and skated towards the right post before it was knocked away. A Conn. College defender tried to clear the puck but it went to Connor Thue '29 at the top of the left faceoff circle and he stepped into a slap shot that was blocked by Jimmy Lyver in the low slot. Leibl, who had fell to the ice after losing the puck, got up and backhanded it into the back of the net and touched off a wild celebration.
• Max Bulawka '26 drew Hamilton even on the Continentals' second power-play goal with 4:05 left in the third period. Devon de Vries passed the puck from above the left circle towards Bulawka in the slot, but it was deflected into the air by one of the Camels' penalty killers. Bulawka fanned on the bouncing puck but it was stopped by a Conn. College stick and Bulawka's second attempt went into the goal.
• Reece Cordray gave the Camels a 1-0 lead with 8:17 remaining in the first period. Leibl's wraparound goal from the right post tied the score with 5:36 to go in the first.
• Bulawka put Hamilton in the lead for the first time with a power-play tally 8:35 into the second period. Devon de Vries smoked a one-timer from the faceoff dot in the left circle that was stopped by goaltender Kellen Beauton, but the puck popped into the low slot and Bulawka swatted it past Beauton.
• Lyver knotted the score at 2-2 a little less than two minutes later, and Steven Ardagna put Conn. College in front with 8:10 left in the second.
• Justin Biraben '27 forged a 3-3 tie for the Continentals 2:18 into the third period. John Wojciechowski '28 flipped the puck from deep in Hamilton's defensive zone towards center ice. One of the Camels knelt down at his blue line and tried to stop the puck but it bounced past him and into the Continentals' attacking zone. Biraben controlled the puck and skated in one-on-one with Beauton. He went forehand to backhand and scored from close range.
• Matt Lewis gave Conn. College a 4-3 edge exactly 10 minutes later, but it was all Hamilton the rest of the way.

 

Notes

• Leibl, who also scored the game-winner in overtime against Middlebury College in the 2025 NESCAC semifinals, recorded his second career multi-goal game.
• Bulawka has scored six goals in the last four games. He had three goals and an assist the last time the Continentals played the Camels two weeks ago. Bulawka has 70 career points.
• Biraben finished with a goal and an assist and registered his second multi-point game in the last three contests.
• Wojciechowski picked up three assists for the first time in his Hamilton career.
• Devon de Vries had two helpers and leads the NESCAC with 23.
• Jackson Krock '26 had an assist and won 9-of-14 faceoffs.
• Goaltender Aksel Reid '27 notched his second career assist and made 22 saves.
• The Continentals held a 21-5 advantage in shots on goal after the second period.
• Hamilton has won the last six meetings with Conn. College.

 

Next Game

The Continentals host the conference semifinals on Saturday, March 7 and the final on Sunday, March 8. Hamilton takes on No. 6 seed Williams College at 1 p.m. on Saturday.