NEW LONDON, Conn. — Eighth-seeded Connecticut College will travel to top-seed Hamilton College on Saturday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. at Russell Sage Rink for the quarterfinals of the 2026 NESCAC Championships.
Setting the Scene
The 2026 NESCAC Men's Ice Hockey Championship gets underway on Saturday with four quarterfinal games. The winners will advance to next weekend's semifinals and finals, which will be hosted by the highest remaining seed.
Quarterfinals - Saturday, February 28 at higher seeds
No. 8 Conn College at No. 1 Hamilton – 3:00 p.m.
No. 7 Amherst at No. 2 Bowdoin – 4:00 p.m.
No. 6 Williams at No. 3 Tufts – 4:00 p.m.
No. 5 Wesleyan at No. 4 Middlebury – 1:00 p.m.
Semifinals - Saturday, March 7 at highest remaining seed
Lowest Remaining Seed vs. Highest Remaining Seed - 1:00/4:30 p.m.
Other Quarterfinal Winners - 1:00/4:30 p.m.
Finals - Sunday, March 8 at Semifinal host
Semifinal Winners - 2 p.m.
Scouting the #8 Connecticut College Camels
2024-25 Record: 10-13-1, 6-11-1 NESCAC
NESCAC Finals Appearances: 0
NESCAC Titles Won: 0
Conn College qualified for the NESCAC Championship for the fifth time in six years and is the No. 8 seed for the second straight season… the Camels enter the tournament after a win and an overtime loss in the final weekend of the regular season … a win over Hamilton would mark Conn College's first NESCAC Tournament win since 2015 … sophomore Will Lawrence leads the Camels with 22 points on 10 goals and 12 assists … senior Will McEvoy has started 14 games in goal with a 6-9-1 record, a 3.46 goals against average and .886 save percentage, while fellow senior Kellen Beauton has started the past four games, with a season record of 3-3 with a 3.07 goals against average and a .905 save percentage … The Camels lead the NESCAC with six short-handed goals.
Scouting the #1 Hamilton College Continentals
2024-25 Record: 18-4-2, 14-3-1 NESCAC
NESCAC Finals Appearances: 2 (last: 2025)
NESCAC Titles Won: 1
Hamilton is the No.1 seed for the third time in program history, and is the defending NESCAC Champion … The Continentals are hosting a quarterfinal for the fourth consecutive year … Hamilton leads the conference with 88 goals scored and has allowed a league-low 39 goals … Luke Tchor ranks third in the conference with 28 points, while Devon de Vries ranks fourth with 27 … In goal, Aksel Reid has started 22 games with a 15-4-2 record, a 1.66 goals against average and a .929 save percentage.
All-Time Series
Saturday will be the 53rd meeting between Conn College and Hamilton since the series began in 1991-92. The Continentals hold a 33-15-4 edge in the all-time series with the Continentals winning the last five meetings. The teams have split their two previous playoff meetings, with Conn College winning 4-3 in 2015 and Hamilton winning 5-2 last season.
