The Final Four Tournament for the NESCAC championship features semi-final matchups on Saturday, May 4th of Middlebury vs Amherst and Bowdoin vs Colby. Nine Exeter alumni play prominant roles on all four of these teams as ex-teammates and good friends go head to head as they compete for the automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA tournament. The Championship game is Sunday, May 5th.

The winners in the semi-finals were Colby and Middlebury. In the first game, Middlebury blew open a close game in the 4th quarter and finished with an easy 16-5 win. Exeter's Michael Saraceni scored 3 goals and added an assist for the Panthers, while former teammate Joaquin Walker scored a goal for Amherst. In the 2nd game, the Colby Mules upset the Bowdoin Bears by a 10-7 score. Exeter's Micah Moreau had a goal for Bowdoin.

Middlebury won the NESCAC championship 14-8, but this score does not indicate the closeness of the game. It was a one goal game well into the 2nd half before Middlebury pulled away. Middlebury will be the lone NESCAC representative in the NCAA DIII Championships.

Middlebury (#1 seed) - Sophomore Michael Saraceni '00 is one of the regulars in a foursome of rotating attackmen that comprises one of the best attack units in the country. He is the 5th leading scorer on the team with 17 goals and 2 assists.

Bowdoin (#2 seed) - Bowdoin features four former Exeter graduates with first year players Ben Harris '01 and Nick Crawford '01 playing mostly reserve rolls this year. However, juniors Jamie Nichols '99 and Micah Moreau '99 are key starters for the Bears. Jamie is the starting long pole middie, a first team all-NESCAC selection last year, and a key to stopping opposing offenses. Micah is middie running a regular shift, and he has contributed some big goals in Bowdoin wins this year. He is currently the team's 7th leading scorer with 13 goals and 3 assists on the season.

Colby (#3 seed) - Colby has two former Exonians playing key roles on their team. Junior Kevin Kiley '99 is a starting defenseman on a unit that has been extremely stingy giving up goals. Sophomore Ryan Glennon '00 takes almost all of Colby's faceoffs, plays some short stick D-middie, and is also playing some attack. He has 1 goal and 2 assists on the season, but is far more important to the White Mules in his role as primary face-off man.

Amherst (#4 seed) - Amherst has been one of the big surprises in the NESCAC this season, with their outstanding freshman class playing a large role in the big improvement. Among the standout freshman are starting defenseman Greg Donohue '01 and midfielder Joaquin Walker '01. Greg is typically assigned the opponents top attacker, so he will have his hands full with Middlebury's potent unit, and will probably have an occasion or two to match up against former teammate Michael Saraceni. Joaquin has scored 8 goals and 4 assists this season, and uses his speed as a huge asset on both offense and defense for the Lord Jeffs.