2010–11 NESCAC men's ice hockey season

2010–11 NESCAC men's ice hockey season
Conference	NESCAC
Season	2010–11
Total teams	10
Champions	Bowdoin
Tournament champions	Bowdoin
Tournament runner-up	Williams
Mvp	John McGinnis
Coach of the year	Terry Meagher
Top scorer	John McGinnis
Top goaltender	Jonathan La Rose
Ncaa tournament	Bowdoin

Contents

Regular season
Conference tournament
NCAA tournament
Statistical leaders
Awards and honors
See also

2010–11 NESCAC men's ice hockey season was the 11th season of play for the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) in NCAA Division III men's ice hockey. The season began in November 2010 and concluded with the NCAA Division III men's ice hockey tournament in March 2011. Bowdoin captured both the regular season and conference tournament titles, earning the league's automatic bid to the national championship.

Regular season

The NESCAC regular season featured a full double round-robin schedule among its ten member institutions: Amherst, Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, Connecticut College, Hamilton, Middlebury, Trinity, Tufts, and Williams. Bowdoin, coached by Terry Meagher, emerged as the regular season champion with a strong defensive performance, posting a 15–2–1 conference record. Key contributors for the Polar Bears included senior forward John McGinnis and goaltender Steve Messina. Williams, led by Bill Kangas, and Middlebury, under coach Bill Beaney, were also top contenders, with the Ephs finishing second in the standings. The season was marked by competitive parity, as evidenced by close contests between traditional rivals like Amherst and Williams in the Battle of the Berkshires.

Conference tournament

The 2011 NESCAC Men's Ice Hockey Tournament was held from February 26 to March 6, with all games played at the campus sites of the higher seeds. The top eight teams from the regular season qualified, with Bowdoin earning the number one seed. Bowdoin advanced through the bracket, defeating Trinity in the quarterfinals and Middlebury in the semifinals. In the other semifinal, Williams upset second-seeded Amherst. The championship game was hosted at Bowdoin's Sidney J. Watson Arena, where the Polar Bears defeated the Ephs 3–1 to claim the NESCAC Men's Ice Hockey Tournament title and the conference's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III men's ice hockey tournament.

NCAA tournament

As the NESCAC tournament champion, Bowdoin received the conference's automatic bid to the 2011 NCAA Division III men's ice hockey tournament. The Polar Bears were placed in the East Regional and traveled to face Norwich, the champion of the ECAC East, in a first-round game at Kreitzberg Arena. In a tightly contested match, Bowdoin was defeated by the eventual national runner-up Cadets, ending their season. No other NESCAC team received an at-large bid to the tournament, which was ultimately won by St. Norbert.

Statistical leaders

Bowdoin forward John McGinnis led the conference in overall scoring with 38 points (17 goals, 21 assists) in 26 games. In conference-only play, Williams forward Matt Masucci was among the goal-scoring leaders. In net, Amherst goaltender Jonathan La Rose posted the best goals-against average in NESCAC games, while Bowdoin's Steve Messina led the league in wins. Defenseman Justin Troiani of Bowdoin was a key power-play contributor for the champion Polar Bears.

Awards and honors

* NESCAC Player of the Year: John McGinnis, Bowdoin * NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year: Justin Troiani, Bowdoin * NESCAC Rookie of the Year: Mike DiMare, Amherst * NESCAC Coach of the Year: Terry Meagher, Bowdoin * All-NESCAC First Team: ** F: John McGinnis, Bowdoin ** F: Matt Masucci, Williams ** F: Ryan Barlock, Trinity ** D: Justin Troiani, Bowdoin ** D: Brian Malchoff, Williams ** G: Jonathan La Rose, Amherst * AHCA All-American Honors: John McGinnis (Bowdoin) was named a Second Team East All-American by the American Hockey Coaches Association.