CLINTON, N.Y. – Williams College's Jackson Krill scored three goals, including the game-winner with 5:08 left in the first sudden-victory overtime period, and lifted the Ephs to a 5-4 victory against the Hamilton College Continentals in a 2026 NESCAC Men's Hockey Championship semifinal inside Hamilton's Russell Sage Rink on Saturday afternoon, March 7.
 

Season Update

• The third-ranked Continentals (19-5-2 overall) were the No. 1 seed for the conference championship.
• Hamilton, which has dropped three of its last four games, was still ranked third in the NCAA Power Index through Saturday's games.
• The NCAA championship selection show is Sunday, March 8 at 9:30 p.m. on NCAA.com
• Williams (11-13-2), which is the sixth seed for the championship, takes on No. 4 seed Middlebury College in the NESCAC final at Hamilton on Sunday at 2 p.m.

 

How It Happened

• The Ephs jumped out to a 2-0 lead midway through the first period. Krill scored at 6:23 in the first and Brady Welsch found the back of the net with 7:27 remaining.
• The Continentals tied the score with two goals late in the period. Fourth-line center Clarence Beltz '29 scored with 1:50 to go and defenseman Lucas Constantine '27 drew Hamilton even with just 10.4 seconds left.
• Liam Varmecky '28 – another defenseman -- gave the Continentals a 3-2 edge 1:29 into the second period when his shot from above the right faceoff circle popped into the air after it deflected off the stick of a Williams defender, and the puck bounced past goaltender Harrison Fogel.
• Hamilton's lead didn't last long as Krill tied the score at 5:19 of the second. Welsch put the Ephs back in front at 4-3 on his second power-play goal of the day 2:27 into the third period.
• Noah Leibl '27, who scored the game-winning goal in overtime for the Continentals in the 2026 NESCAC quarterfinals and the 2025 semifinals, pulled Hamilton into a 4-4 tie with 8:57 remaining in the third on an assist by defenseman John Wojciechowski '28.
• The Continentals owned a 13-5 advantage in shots on goal in overtime, but couldn't get one past Fogel, who finished with 37 saves.

 

Notes

• Varmecky finished with one goal and one assist for his first career multi-point game at Hamilton.
• Leibl scored his third goal this postseason and has nine in 2025-26.
• Beltz notched the fourth goal of his young career with the Continentals.
• Constantine potted his second career goal. His other tally came in the 2025-26 season opener against Amherst College.
• Wojciechowski, the NESCAC leader in blocked shots, added three more against Williams. He has five assists in the last three games.
• Ryan Sordillo '27 had a helper and won 14-of-25 faceoffs.
• Luke Tchor '27 added an assist and is tied for the team lead with 29 points.
• Vincent Gould '27, who was playing for the second time since mid-January, registered the primary assist on Hamilton's first goal.
• Aksel Reid '27 made 25 saves for the Continentals. Reid was voted to the 2026 all-NESCAC team earlier this week.
• Special teams were a big factor as the Ephs scored on two of their three power-play chances and Hamilton was 0-for-5.