SARATOGA SPRINGS ? Skidmore hockey coach Neil Sinclair has always preached a mantra of moving forward and leaving previous games in the past.
That didn?t change following his team?s loss to Castleton State last Saturday, one that dropped the Thoroughbreds to the No. 6 seed in the ECAC East Tournament.
?That?s been our mindset all year,? he said. ?We try not to focus too much on a game that?s passed, and we look ahead to the next one and make sure we get ready for that game.?
Helping the process of moving forward is Skidmore?s opponent in Saturday?s quarterfinal game, No. 13 Babson College. The Beavers went 14-6-5 in the regular season and earned the No. 3 seed in the bracket, but the Thoroughbreds swept both regular-season meetings between the teams.
?I think the guys are excited,? Sinclair said. ?We?ve had two really good games against Babson this year. It?s developed into quite a rivalry over the last eight years or so, so I think there?s a lot of excitement about it.?
Skidmore first topped Babson 4-2 on Nov. 16, and then earned a 3-0 victory at home on Feb. 2. The latter game featured a shutout from freshman goaltender Ben Freiberg, who tallied 21 saves in the win.
?In the game here, our penalty-killing was outstanding,? Sinclair said. ?Ben had a great first period. We kept the pressure on and were able to create some opportunities for ourselves in the second period.?
Babson ended Skidmore?s season in the ECAC East Tournament every year from 2009 to 2011, and despite his team?s success against that foe during the 2012-13 season, Sinclair was quick to praise the Beavers and their well-rounded squad.
?Their forwards are very skilled,? he said. ?The defensemen move the puck well, and they?ve got a senior netminder (Zeke Testa) that has a lot of playoff experience, so they should be really strong in goal if that?s who they go with.?
A win over the Beavers would give the Thoroughbreds their fourth conference tournament semifinal berth in five years. While the squad fell short of hosting a first-round playoff game, which was a primary goal for the 2012-13 club, Skidmore is nevertheless motivated to get back to the ECAC East?s Final Four. Continued...
?When we?ve been successful, we skate really well,? Sinclair said. ?We play with a lot of tempo, we move the puck quickly, and we get shots to the net. When we can do that, and we put the other team back on their heels, we can be pretty successful.
?The guys obviously want to get back to the Final Four. That?s been a goal of theirs all year, and this is the first step towards that.?
Saturday?s opening faceoff is set for 7 p.m. in Babson Park. The winner will move on to face either second-seeded UMass -Boston or seventh-seeded University of New England.
Source: http://saratogian.com/articles/2013/02/21/sports/doc5126bc36c988a712626708.txt
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