term, posting a 5-6 record in the month of January to bring its season record to 5-11 with eight games left to play.
"We knew we needed to work really hard and we knew coming in there were a couple of games we could have won [during Interterm]," said Co-Captain Hillary Zwerdling '02.
The Jeffs began their Interterm slate with their home opener against Union College on Jan. 6. At home, the Amherst squad skated away with their first win of the year, a 4-1 pounding, largely thanks to the play of young forward Danielle Williams '03. Williams, who currently leads the team with 17 goals, notched two scores and two assists against the visiting Dutchwomen.
The next day, the Jeffs returned to Orr Rink to skate against the Red Raiders of Colgate University. This time around, the Jeffs lost 8-2, despite a stellar performance by goalie Heidi Alexander '03.
After falling behind by two points early in the game, Co-captains Gretchen Bowe '01 and Zwerdling stepped up to even the score off assists from Williams and Alison White '04, respectively. However, the soon-to-be Division I Red Raiders answered back with an offensive barrage that resulted in six goals for Colgate. In the loss, Alexander posted amazing numbers, making 50 saves in the onslaught.
"Colgate plays with four lines; we play with two, so going into the game we knew it would be hard," said Zwerdling.
The younger Jeffs would have an impact again the next Tuesday, Jan. 9, when Amherst hosted Cortland State College. In what would become a decisive 7-1 victory, White and Williams scored hat tricks for the Jeffs.
However, the next game would bring the opposite results, as the Amherst defense worked hard to hold the University of Southern Maine to zero. In the last two minutes of the third period, however, two Husky shots slipped by Alexander, leaving the final tally at 2-0 in favor of the guest Huskies. Alexander stole the show for the Jeffs, posting another 47 saves in what became a lopsided 36 Southern Maine shot attempts, as compared to Amherst's four scoring attempts over the first two periods of play.
With a record of 2-7 on the season, the Amherst squad anxiously awaited the arrival of the 0-9 MIT squad. "We knew going in they weren't a strong team. They hadn't scored a goal all season. So we worked hard on our passing at the end of the game," said Zwerdling. The game's highlight came just two minutes in, as Tory Serues '04 scored off a Katie Potter '04 assist, clinching the game, which would end with a 9-0 score. Alexander also posted her first career shutout, denying seven Engineer scoring attempts on the day.
On Jan. 16 the Jeffs left Amherst and travelled south to New London, Conn. to face their NESCAC counterparts, Connecticut College. The contest came down to an offensive one-uppance played out by Williams and Camel forward Lindsey Sundberg. Sundberg came out the winner in the matchup, notching four nets to Williams' two, leaving the final score at 6-4 in favor of the host Camels.
Continuing their three-game road swing, the Jeffs laced up against Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn. on Jan. 19 only to fall to the hosts by a 3-0 score, despite 16 scoring attempts by the Jeff offense. Alexander posted 49 saves on the night. The next day, the Jeffs continued their road trip, stopping just north of New York City to play Manhattanville College in Purchase, N.Y. The three-game stretch ended on a sour note for the Jeffs, however, as they fell to the Valiants 7-1 despite a Williams goal early in the second period and 54 Alexander stops.
The Jeffs, weary from their three-game slide on the road, were eager to return home to familiar ice. "After we played two top teams well, we were excited to come home and have a win," added Zwerdling.
The Amherst team got its wish last week when they faced down Trinity College for the 6-2 win. On the night, Williams and Serues led the Jeffs with two goals each, and White and Potter each added one notch to the scoreboard.
On Jan. 27, the Jeffs hosted Holy Cross University to a 1-0 win. The game remained scoreless throughout the first, second and most of the third periods, until Williams ended the drought. With seconds to play, Zwerdling found Williams, who rebounded her own failed shot for the goal and the Amherst win.
On Sunday, the Jeffs finished their January stretch with a home loss to Williams College. The Ephs blanked the Jeffs by a 9-0 score, largely due to the play of Williams forward Molly Wasserman, who had five goals on the day.
This week will feature three NESCAC rematches for the Jeffs. On Friday and Saturday, Amherst will host Wesleyan University and Connecticut College after having lost to both teams on the road earlier in the season. Next Wednesday, the Jeffs will skate into Hartford to take on the Bantams in a Trinity-Amherst matchup before the Jeffs host Middlebury College on Feb. 10.