The Jeff hosting of the Cardinals at Orr Rink on Friday night marked more than a satisfactory rematch of the Amherst loss to Wesleyan earlier in the season. Co-captain Gretchen Bowe '01, who had been sidelined for five games with a broken wrist, returned to the ice for the Jeffs. Although she hadn't been on the ice in a while, she played a strong game. "It was so great to have her back," said teammate Danielle Williams '03. "She's a stellar athlete and definitely a positive influence."
While Bowe's return was uplifting for the Jeffs, Williams and Alison White '04 were the players the squad looked to for goals. A Williams-White goal in the first period was the game winner, and the White-Williams combo added the insurance goal in the second frame.
The first goal came suddenly for the Amherst offense, as Williams stole the puck from Wesleyan player Stacey Orr and sent it up the ice to White. White blasted the puck into the roof of the net, giving the Jeffs a 1-0 lead.
The second goal was icing on the cake, as White and Williams reversed roles, with White feeding Williams just in front of the Cardinal net for the score 8:23 into the second period.
Goalie Heidi Alexander '03 posted her third career shutout, denying the Cardinals on all 37 of their shots.
Against the Camels, Bowe started the scoring off, knocking in her own rebound to draw first blood for the Jeffs, less than three minutes into the first period. Later on in the first frame, White scored against Camel goalie Anna Trafton from close range.
From that point on, however, the game belonged to Connecticut by a 7-3 score, as Duffy Markham notched a hat trick for the Camels, despite a third-period score by Williams.
After this back-and-forth game, the Jeffs decided that they will need to improve on the weaker spots in their strategy and lineup. "We need to be stronger in our defensive zone," said Katie Potter '04.
Tonight, the Jeffs will travel to Hartford to take on the Trinity College Bantams at 7:30. Then, on Saturday, the Amherst squad will return home to host top-ranked Middlebury College in the first match of a two-game weekend homestand. Following the Middlebury matchup, the Jeffs will lace up against the University of Connecticut on Sunday afternoon.