The winner of the NESCAC Championship Tournament will receive the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship. The top eight teams in the league earned a bid to the NESCAC Championship tourney, and the quarterfinal games took place on Saturday, Mar. 1. The Bantams (17-5-2), who needed a game-tying goal in the final minute and an overtime period to edge seventh-place Williams, 3-2, in their quarterfinal game at home, will face No. 3-seeded Colby on Saturday at 4 p.m. Colby (18-5-1) routed No. 6-seeded Amherst, 11-0, in its quarterfinal contest. Middlebury (20-3-2), the top-seeded team, defeated No. 8-seeded Tufts in the quarterfinals, 7-1, and will play No. 5-seeded Hamilton at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Hamilton (14-9-2) posted a mild upset at No. 4-seeded Bowdoin, 6-3, in its quarterfinal game.

Trinity senior co-captain forward Andrew Halder (River Edge, N.J.) scored the game-winning goal 2:42 into overtime against Williams, pushing in the clincher after a scramble in front of the net with assists by junior forwards Kevin Dmochowsky (Mequon, Wisc.) and Thomas Pierandri (Ridgefield, Conn.). The Bantams forced the extra frame with 37 second left, when freshman defenseman Brendan Timmins (Arlington, Mass.) put in a rebound after Trinity had pulled sophomore goalie Doug Kisielius (Park Ridge, Ill.) for the final minute.

Williams outshot Trinity, 50-36, but Kisielius made 48 saves to keep Trinity in the game. Bantam sophomore forward Ryan Stevens (Concord, N.H.) opened the scoring in the first period, while classmate Jeff Natale (Hamden, Conn.) and junior defenseman Tim Joncas (Branford, Conn.) each finished with two assists.

Trinity, coached by John Dunham (29th season, 381-269-23), won five out of its last six games during the regular season, and dropped all five of its losses to teams ranked among the top 15 in the nation. The Bantams, who have beaten six of the nation’s top 20 teams this season, are currently ranked No. 11 in the United States College Hockey Online (USCHO.com) Division III National Poll, while Middlebury is ranked No. 2, Colby is at No. 10, and Hamilton is No. 17.

Kisielius is the third-leading goalie in the NESCAC and 18th in the nation with a 2.45 GAA. He has accumulated 586 saves and boasts a .913 save percentage (17th in the nation) with five shutouts this season. He was named the NESCAC Player of the Week twice this season, including last week for his performance against Williams, and the USCHO.com National Defensive Player of the Week once.

The Trinity defensive unit, despite the loss of eight defensemen and its starting goaltender from last season, has emerged as one of the stingiest in the league. Converted Bantam forwards Timothy Joncas (Branford, Conn.) and Colin Wilson-Murphy (Southboro, Mass.) have teamed with the outstanding freshman foursome of Brendan Timmins (Arlington, Mass.), Peter Langella (Manchester, N.H.), Rico Murtha (Brooklyn Park, Minn.), and John Newhall (Winchester, Mass.) to rank second in the NESCAC and 14th nationally in scoring defense at 2.26 goals allowed per game. Joncas, Timmins, and Langella are also a factor on the offensive end, totaling 13 goals and 38 assists among them.

Trinity sophomore forward Joseph Ori (Niles, Ill.) leads Trinity in scoring with 15 goals (10th in NESCAC) and 17 assists for 32 points (7th in NESCAC), followed by senior co-captain forward Greg O’Leary (Reading, Mass.) with six goals and a team-high 23 assists (1st in NESCAC) for 29 points, and sophomore forward Jeff Natale (Hamden, Conn.) with 12 goals and 17 assists for 29 points. Sophomore forward Ryan Stevens (Concord, N.H.) has a team-high, 18 goals (4th in NESCAC, 20th in nation) and seven assists for 25 points, and Joncas boasts four goals and 17 assists for 21 points. The powerful Bantam offense is also balanced with 10 players accumulating 10 points or more in 24 games, and is second Division III on the power play at 34.9 percent (37-106).

Trinity lost at Colby, 3-1, in their regular season meeting with the White Mules on Feb. 1. The White Mules, coached by Jim Tortorella (128-60-14) have won five out of their last six games and outscored their last two opponents by a combined score of 16-0 (both against Amherst). Sophomore forward Nick Bayley (Cambridge, Ontario) leads Colby in scoring with 17 goals and 22 assists for 39 points, while junior forward Brian Chisholm (King, Ontario) has 12 goals and 22 assists for 34 points, and sophomore forward Cory Ernst (Bridgewater, Nova Scotia) adds 16 points and 14 assists for 30 points. Senior J. D. Hadiaris (Saco, Maine) has 256 saves and for a .931 save percentage, a 1.47 GAA, and six shutouts in goal.