BRUNSWICK, Me. --- Jeff Neill netted seven goals and added two assists for a
nine-point game in leading homestanding Bowdoin College to a 15-10 victory in
the title game of the ECAC New England Division III tournament. Neill was named
MVP of the tournament for his performance.
Alex Ellis chipped in with four goals and two assists for the Polar Bears, who
finished the year with a 13-5 record. Wesleyan lost for just the third time in
20 contests, with two of those coming against Bowdoin. Wesleyan defeated
Bowdoin during the regular season, 13-8, but fell in the NESCAC semi-finals
played at Middlebury, 12-9, before dropping the ECAC title match. Wesleyan had
beaten Bowdoin in the 2000 ECAC tournament semi-finals as the teams have
now met five times over the last two seasons with Bowdoin holding a 3-2 edge.
John Landay led Wesleyan with three goals, concluding his season with a
team-record 121 points (73-48-121). Each of his seasonal figures represents a
Wesleyan team record, as does his 186 career goals and 306 career points.
Landay had earlier been named NESCAC and NEILA Division III Player of the Year.
Wesleyan reached the ECAC title game by defeating UMass Boston, 19-4, in an opening-round game,
then knocked off Conn. College, 13-9, in a semi-final game. Bowdoin upended Plymouth St.
and M.I.T. en route to its spot in the finals.
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