On Saturday, the Jeffs travelled to Clinton, NY to take on the Continentals in the first Amherst NESCAC matchup of the season. In addition, Co-captain Gretchen Bowe '01 returned to the ice for the squad for the first time this season.
The return of Bowe meant more than just another player for Amherst. As a captain she plays a variety of roles, now on the ice instead of from the bench.
"We didn't know when she was coming back," said Amherst goalie Heidi Alexander '03. "But it was great to have her on the ice this weekend."
Co-captain Hilary Zwerdling '02 echoed Alexander's sentiment. Zwerdling added, "It is always good to have [Bowe] out there, she is such a force on the ice. Also she settles everyone down, and she adds a real calming influence."
Prior to the Hamilton game, Bowe had been sidelined following an ACL injury sustained during the field hockey season. Unfortunately, her return to the Jeff offense did not prevent the Continentals from taking the game.
The back-and-forth scoring battle started just 25 seconds into the first period, when Hamilton sophomore Paula Dady got the puck past Alexander to give the hosts a 1-0 advantage. The Amherst offense evened the tally, thanks to a goal scored by Danielle Williams '03 off of an assist from Bowe.
The first period scoring rush continued when Continental newcomer Eden Self scored what would be her first of two goals on the day, off of a pass from Margaret Sayer. After the first Self goal, the game became a defensive matchup, with Alexander and Hamilton goalie Jen Kroleski combining to stop 70 shots on the day.
Another scoring rush took place in the third frame, with Williams scoring on an unassisted play in the opening seconds of the period to pull the Jeffs even, 2-2.
Then, the goalies took over and traded saves until Williams was called for a controversial penalty in the closing seconds of the game. The obstruction-interference penalty gave the Continentals the opportunity to set up a six-on-five power play, which culminated in Self's second goal of the day, with one second left in regulation. This last-minute goal left the final score at 3-2 in favor of Hamilton.
"We came out strong on Saturday," said Zwerdling. "We played until the last second. It's just unfortunate what happened."
The Jeffs left Clinton and headed east to Rochester, NY to take on the powerful RIT squad the next day. Alexander commented on the team's long road schedule. "It's tough to play on the road after playing a team like Hamilton," she said. "But that only served to mature us more, and now we're looking forward to getting the home ice advantage."
At RIT, The Tigers roared through the first period, scoring three goals. That cushion was all RIT needed, as the Jeffs ended up on the short side of a scoring onslaught, losing 5-1.
The three goals in the first period all came in the first six minutes of play, with RIT's Charolette Mis, Margaret Dumiak and Jen Gorcynski all adding to the home scoreboard.
In the second and third periods, two more Tigers, Jennie Nicholas and Katie Fennessey, padded the RIT lead. The bright spot of the day for the Jeffs came almost midway through the second period, when Bowe converted a Williams assist for her first goal of the young season.
The Jeffs will finish up their road trip this Friday, Dec. 8 in Middletown, Conn., when they will face NESCAC and Little Three rival Wesleyan University at 7 p.m.
Zwerdling was confident with the prospect of playing the Cardinals on Friday. "We beat them last year, and we split in the Little Three [Championship]," she said. "I'm optimistic about our chances in [this Friday's] game."
"But," she continued, "we're taking this season one game at a time."
After the Wesleyan matchup, the Jeffs will return to the friendly confines of Orr Rink, where they will play their home opener against Union College on Jan. 6.