Against the Bantams, Danielle Williams '03 lit up the scoreboard for the Jeffs 13:30 into the first period with her 20th goal of the season. Williams drove the puck past Trinity goalie Meredith MacKinnon off an assist from freshman year phenoms Alison White and Bess Kargman.
However, early in the second period the Bantams answered back with an important goal, knotting the score at 1-1.
Both teams traded a goal apiece after that with the Jeff score coming off a White shot with assists from Co-captain Gretchen Bowe '01 and Katie Potter '04.
The two goalies stepped up in the third frame and the overtime period with Jeff goalie Heidi Alexander '03 posting 28 saves overall to leave the score at 2-2. Trinity tender Meredith MacKinnon stopped 33 shots overall.
On Saturday, the Jeffs returned home to Orr Rink to face the Panthers. The Panthers were expected to be a tough challenge for the Jeffs as they have consistently been ranked first in the nation by the United States College Hockey Online [USCHO] poll.
The Middlebury offense kept the puck in Amherst territory for most of the game, and the defense shut down the Amherst attack, holding the usually potent offensive combination of White, Williams and Bowe to only nine shots on goal. The defense helped Panther goalie Kati Madouras score her third career shutout in the game.
For the Panthers, Michelle Labbe scored twice, leading a barrage in which seven different Middlebury dressers upped the score.
After scoring four goals in the first 10 minutes of the first period, the ice cooled until the second period, where three more goals were scored in a two-minute span to bring the score to 7-0.
Labbe made her presence known at the end of the third period, when she notched the final goal of the day to cap the score at 8-0.
To end the weekend, the Jeffs came off their final homestand of the year with a resounding win over UConn.
"We recognized going into the weekend that our games against Middlebury and UConn would be two extremes," said Co-captain Hilary Zwerdling '02 of the two very different teams.
The Senior Day also marked a milestone for Bowe, who played her last game in Orr Rink. She played well to mark the day, posting a hat trick and two assists.
Bowe has been a four-year starter for the Jeffs and is second on the all-time scoring list with 76 goals and 83 assists, behind Genny Furst '00.
In addition, Bowe is third on the team in scoring this season despite missing several games with a knee injury early in the season and a wrist injury more recently.
Both of Bowe's assists, plus one from Potter, also gave Williams a hat trick on the day, her second of the season. Her teammates recognize Bowe's contributions on and off the ice.
"Her presence on the ice as well as in the locker room will be missed enormously. [Bowe] is a talented teammate and leader who will be impossible to replace," said Zwerdling.
Tory Serues '04 added to the score for the Jeffs in the first period, complimented by Elissa Landes '04, Potter and Zwerdling, who all notched goals for Amherst in the six-goal second period scoring frenzy to leave the score at 10-0.
Alexander had a relatively carefree day in the net, stopping all 10 shots that came her way en route to her fourth career shutout.
The Jeffs will finish up their regular season with three games on the road.
Tonight, the Jeffs will take on Williams College in Williamstown. The Jeffs faced the Ephs in Orr Rink on Jan. 28, only to lose 9-0.
This weekend, the squad will travel north to Maine to face Colby College on Saturday and Bowdoin College on Sunday. Amherst has not faced either squad so far this season.