In their season opening game the Jeffs played tentatively, falling 5-4 to the Camels. The Jeffs were able to put 38 shots on net, showing that their offense is healthy, but they were unable to keep the opponent from scoring.
Darren Reaume '02 led Amherst with a goal and two assists, while Jim Smith '01 added a goal and an assist.
"We came out flat against Conn," said Tri-captain Gregg DiNardo '01. "That game really sparked us."
"Conn was a wake-up call. We came out nervous and didn't play well," said Rob Hill '01.
The Jeffs got a chance to redeem themselves as they beat the Camels 7-3 in the finals of the Ben McCabe Tournament, held at Orr Rink last weekend.
After a wild first period in which the two teams combined for five goals, three of them by the Jeffs, Amherst took the lead for good seven minutes into the second period. Greg Carr '02 scored a power play goal to give the Jeffs a 4-3 lead that they would not relinquish.
The Camels had taken a quick lead in the game, scoring just 23 seconds into the first period. Pete Helfer put a wrist-shot by Jaffrie Perrotti '03 to give the Camels the lead, but the Jeffs answered with the next three goals.
Dave Moore '01 knocked in a rebound five minutes into the period for the Jeffs' first goal, DiNardo scored five minutes later and Tri-captain Chris Orszulak '01 netted the final Jeff goal of the period with five minutes remaining.
After the Jeffs took a 5-3 lead on a goal by Bob Miele '01, Justin Jagher '03 came in to replace Perrotti in net. Perrotti ended the game with 10 saves on 13 shots, while Jagher held the Camels scoreless on 12 shots.
The Jeffs finished off the scoring by adding two insurance goals, one from Mike Kreger '04, who also had an assist on Carr's game-winning goal and the second from Stephen Tornabene '01.
"Beating Conn in the tournament was very important," said Hill. "We wanted to prove to the rest of the league that the first game was a fluke."
"We need to work on our consistency," said DiNardo. "We are a very good skating team, but when we don't move around we get beat. We need to exploit our advantages."
In their first round game at the McCabe Tournament, the Jeffs dominated Trinity College on the way to a 6-2 win. Amherst fell behind early on a breakaway by Bantam player Mathew Greason that put Trinity in the lead 1-0 ten minutes into the game, but the Jeffs answered with six straight goals to put the game away.
Reaume started the scoring three minutes after the Bantam goal by converting on an odd man rush, and the Jeffs took the lead for good on Hill's power play goal.
In the second period the Jeffs added two more goals. Tri-captain Darce Swaggert '01 scored the first goal, and Kreger added the second.
In the third period Kreger tallied his second goal of the game, while Smith added the final Amherst tally. The Bantams added one more goal with five seconds left to play, but by then the Jeffs had sealed the game with a final score of 6-2.
"We are beginning to gel as a team," said Hill. "We are getting comfortable with our roles on the team, and we are playing well together."
Reaume's performance in the tournament earned him both the tournament most valuable player award and the NESCAC Player of the Week honors. With two goals and four assists in the first four games, Reaume is fifth on the Jeffs in scoring.
One day after Amherst opened the season with a loss, they evened their record by beating up on Wesleyan University, winning by a final score of 9-1.
The Jeffs held a 2-1 lead after the first two periods on power-play goals by Kreger and Hill, but they blew the game open with seven goals in the third period.
Hill and Kreger each added two more goals in the third period, giving each of them natural hat tricks. Kreger added two assists, while Hill tallied one. Gregg DiNardo added a goal and an assist, while younger brother Erik DiNardo '03 scored the other Jeff goal. Swaggert and Carr tallied assists on three and two goals, respectively. Nick Rieser '01 had 13 saves while allowing only the one goal. Perrotti relieved Rieser for the final ten minutes and tshut out the Cardinals.
Kreger has been a major part in the early season success of the Jeffs. He leads the team with 10 points, on six goals and four assists, and has been the biggest contributor from the freshman class. Chris Norqual '04 is the only other freshman to play all four games, and he has tallied two assists.
With four games gone the Jeffs are halfway through the first portion of their season. This weekend the Jeffs travel to New England College and St. Anselm's College. Last year the Jeffs beat St. Anselm's twice, 5-0 and 5-2, and also beat NE College, 5-1.
"Those games will be difficult," said Gregg DiNardo. "They have tough places to play at, and both teams play very physical."
After the two weekend games the Jeffs play Wentworth College, a non-league opponent. Last year the Jeffs prevailed 5-0.
The most important game before winter break for Amherst will be against Plattsburg College. Plattsburg started the season ranked number-one in the nation in the United States College Hockey Organization [USCHO] poll but has since fallen in the rankings after a loss to Middlebury College.