Hamilton Hockey Reaches First National Final Since 2010

Hamilton College's hockey team just punched their ticket to Sunday's national championship game, becoming the first Hamilton squad to reach a national final since 2010.

The sixth-ranked Continentals defeated Aurora University 6-3 in Friday's semifinal at the Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, New York. Sophomores Justin Biraben and Noah Leibl each scored twice to power Hamilton to their 22nd win of the season, a new school record.

Hamilton came out firing in the first period. Luke Tchor opened the scoring with a power-play blast just 24 seconds after Aurora took a penalty, and Leibl tipped in a second goal to give the Continentals a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

The teams traded goals in the second period, with Hamilton maintaining their cushion. Biraben scored on a beautiful breakaway after a long pass from defenseman John Wojciechowski, and Ben Zimmerman capitalized on a turnover to make it 4-1.

That's when things got exciting. Aurora stormed back in the third period, scoring twice in less than a minute to pull within one goal at 4-3. The Spartans thought they'd tied the game with under five minutes left, but the goal was waved off after video review.

Hamilton sealed the victory with two empty-net goals in the final two minutes. Goaltender Aksel Reid made a career-high 35 saves, including 16 in the pressure-packed third period to preserve the win.

The Ripple Effect

This victory means more than just advancing to a championship game. Hamilton's 22-5-2 record shatters the previous school wins record, showing how far the program has come. Tchor became just the third player in 20 years to reach 100 career points, joining an elite group in program history.

The Continentals now face undefeated Hobart College on Sunday afternoon for the national title. Hobart enters the championship game with a perfect 30-0 record, setting up a David versus Goliath matchup that has the entire Hamilton community buzzing.

Win or lose on Sunday, this Hamilton team has already made history and given their fans a season they'll never forget.