Musgrave Scores Five as Washington University Claws Bowdoin College 9-8 in D3 Club Championship Opening Game

Keith Heyde

BRUNSWICK, Maine -- Mike Musgrave (St. Louis, Mo.) scored five goals, including pairs in the third and fourth periods, to key the Washington University Bears to a 9-8 victory over host Bowdoin College in the opening game of the 2009 Men's National Collegiate Club Division III Championship from Brunswick, Maine.

A battle of ursine opponents, the game was a back-and-forth affair in which Washington did not put the Polar Bears away until Musgrave, who earned Player of the Game honors for his performance, buried an advantage goal with 2:17 left in the fourth period for a 9-7 lead. 

Bowdoin attempted to rally back in the closing 137 seconds as Noah Perwin (So., Miami, Fla.) rattled the cage with a marker from the two-meter mark on a counter drive to pull the Polar Bears to within one at the 1:20 mark.

Washington attempted to run the clock down, but Keith Heyde (Jr., Wilton, Conn.) collected a steal and fed the Bowdoin counter-attack.  However, the Bears of Washington were able to snuff out the scoring try with a steal of their own as Washington was able to manage the ball and zero out the clock to survive and move onto the semifinals.

The game was a see-saw battle throughout as Wash U. jumped out to a 1-0 lead in first period courtesy an advantage score by Adam Gremp (West Hills, Calif.) with 4:25 left in the period.  However, the Polar Bears roared back with a natural score by Perwin from the perimeter to even the game at 1-1 at the 2:30 mark of the first.

Washington went back in front with shot into the upper right corner of the cage by Gremp with 4:46 left in the first half, but Bowdoin answered once again with a perimeter shot from seven-meters out by Perwin twenty seconds later to pull even at 2-2.

The Polar Bears gained their first lead of the game 96 seconds later when Perwin struck again with a lobshot from the perimeter to put Bowdoin ahead 3-2, but Washington countered with a drive and shot by Musgrave with 31 seconds left in the half to go into halftime tied at 3-3.

It took Bowdoin 34 seconds to go back in front as Colin Kennedy (So., Moraga, Calif.) slipped through the defense to uncork a laser-shot from the wing which found the back of the cage to put the black-capped Polar Bears back ahead 4-3.

Washington responded at the 5:35 mark via a shot from the wing by Dan Conner (Singapore) to retie the score before Musgrave scored on an exclusion at 3:01 to put the Bears in front 5-4.

Bowdoin struck back as Heyde tallied a marker at 2:39 before Perwin put the Polar Bears ahead 6-5 with 42 seconds remaining in the third period.  However, Musgrave ripped in his third goal of the game 20 seconds later to knot the score at 6-6 entering the fourth period.

Washington began to pull away to open the fourth as Conner tallied a natural goal at 4:34 and Musgrave chipped in an exclusion score at 3:55 to build an 8-6 lead for the Bears.  Bowdoin attempted to climb back into the game with a score by Boomer Repko (Sr., New Canaan, Conn.) at the 2:43 mark, but Musgrave sealed the victory with his fifth score of the day to help Washington advance to the next round.

In cage, Bowdoin's Andrew Swafford (Jr., Los Gatos, Calif.) stopped five shots, while Washington's Adam Webb (St. Louis, Mo.) blocked away three shots in earning the victory.

Washington will face the victor of a first round game between Middlebury College and Monmouth Univeristy at 5:15 p.m. for a berth to the Division III National Title Game, while Bowdoin slips into the consolation bracket and will take on the fallen from the Middlebury-Monmouth contest for a place in the fifth place game.

Bowdoin Goals: Noah Perwin (5); Keith Heyde; Colin Kennedy; Boomer Repko

Washington Goals: Mike Musgrave (5); Adam Gremp (2); Dan Conner (2)

Saves: Bowdoin - Andrew Swafford (5); Washington - Adam Webb (3)

Exclusions: Bowdoin 8, Washington 6

Advantage Opportunities: Bowdoin 1-of-6 ; Washington 3-of-8