NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College men's ice hockey team dropped a pivotal NESCAC matchup against Bowdoin by a 2-1 decision on Friday evening at Dayton Arena.

The teams played an even first period with neither side finding the back of the net. Connecticut College nearly got on the board when junior Paul Capozzi (Lake Forest, Ill.) had the puck along the left boards and centered a pass to classmate Brett Stirling (Aurora, Ontario), but his shot from the high slot hit off the left pipe.

After both teams killed off a power play, which included the Camels being assessed a five-minute major for boarding, the hosts peppered goalie Alex Zafonte with five shots in the last minute. However, the junior stopped three of them, and two more were blocked and sailed wide to keep the game scoreless heading into the first intermission.

Shortly after senior Jeff Thompson (Shelburne, Vt.) had his shot from the left dot blocked by Caleb Perez, the Polar Bears came back the other way and potted the first goal at the 5:30 mark of the second. Finishing a wild play which started in the neutral zone, Pat Geary provided his fifth goal of the season to give the visitors a 1-0 edge.

Even though the Camels outshot the Polar Bears by a 17-8 margin in the frame, Bowdoin (11-11-1, NESCAC 7-9-1) was able to capitalize on a power play to double its lead before the second intermission. Bradley Ingersoll fired in a pass from Ethan Kimball that was saved by senior Avery Gobbo, but Ingersoll was there to tap home his own rebound through traffic. The Polar Bears carried the 2-0 advantage into intermission.

Connecticut College finally broke through in the early stages of the third period while on a power play of its own. Bowdoin cleared the puck down the ice which was stopped by Gobbo, and the goalie chipped a short pass to Stirling. The junior then went coast-to-coast and finished with a backhanded shot which beat Zalftonte at 2:17.

The Camels had additional chances to at least net the equalizer and pulled Gobbo with under a minute left to get an extra skater. However, they would be unable to complete a comeback. Sophomore Chris Adamsons (Portland, Ore.) got a good look that sailed wide left, and an ensuing attempt by Stirling was blocked by Graham Rutledge. One final attempt by sophomore Steven Senese (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) was unsuccessful, allowing the visitors to escape with the win.

Zafonte picked up the victory for Bowdoin by making 35 saves, which included stopping all 17 shots he faced in the second period. Gobbo was charged with the loss after turning away 22 shots.

Connecticut College (10-11-2, NESCAC 6-9-2), which ended the evening in eighth place in the standings, will look to clinch a postseason berth in the NESCAC Tournament when it wraps up the season at home tomorrow afternoon against Colby. The Camels will also recognize eight seniors for their contributions to the program prior to the contest.