It's a beautiful July day, sunny and 85 degrees outside. While most people would be at the beach or outside enjoying the weather, there's a 99 percent chance that star hockey forward Danielle Williams '03 will be inside playing ice hockey, by choice.  "When I started playing hockey I began to put in the extra time I needed to get better," she said. I would shoot pucks in my driveway, go to the extra shooting clinic, play in a summer league, all because I loved the game and was constantly looking to improve."  Early into her third season of Amherst women's hockey, Willliams' success is becoming a testimony to what can happen when talent and dedication are combined.

It's only six games into the season and Williams has already scored a pair of back-to-back game-winning goals. On Nov. 23, Williams fired off a bullet that hit the back of the net and gave the Jeffs a 2-1 victory over Connecticut College, their first win of the year. Less than 24 hours later, Williams came through again off a breakaway and gave Amherst their second consecutive win in as many days over Conn.

Williams seems to have a knack for beating the buzzer. Last season she scored the game-winning goal against the College of Holy Cross with only 2.8 seconds left on the clock. 

Believe it or not, Williams began her career on the ice in the action-packed, contact-filled sport of figure skating. Since she had a background in skating, when a girls hockey program was started in her hometown of Needham, Mass., Williams immediately joined. Since then, she has played on a number of regional teams and often practiced with men's teams before starting up a women's hockey program at Needham High School that eventually won the state championships her senior year. During that time, Williams amassed a pile of awards to complement her fierce talent, including three-time Eastern Massachusetts All-Star First Team, three-time Boston Globe All-Scholastic and School Sports Magazine Player of the Year. 

With the numbers to back up such awards, Williams originally began looking at Division I hockey programs. "When it came down to making a final decision for schools, I loved Amherst with or without hockey as a factor," said Williams. "That showed me it was the right place."

Now the junior co-captain plays a leading role for the Jeffs on and off the ice. Last year she led the team with 38 points and her 23 goals surpassed the next leading scorer by 13. She was fifth in the league in scoring and made the ECAC Weekly Honor Roll several times last season.

Head Coach Kay Cowperthwait praised her 5'9" star forward. "Danielle is definitely a threat in the NESCAC league, and we're very happy that she's on our team," said Cowperthwait. Williams refuses to take all the credit for the Jeffs successes, citing the togetherness of the Amherst women as one of the key factors in most wins. "We have such a close-knit relationship on our team," said Williams. "It's unlike any other team I have ever been on and I can't say enough about how much our unity helps us, on and off the ice."

It is not uncommon to hear about athletes who burn out when they get to college, either due to physical exhaustion or a dwindling love for the sport.  Williams exhibits none of these symptoms. "I love to skate," she said. "The game is so fast and unique with all of the physical aspects, stick-handling and shooting,"

Despite the scar on her chin that remains from a particularly violent collision with another player last year and an ankle injury that required surgery and ongoing physical therapy; despite the long hours spent running, lifting and strengthening; and despite the fact that she is often indoors on an 85 degree day, Williams remains undaunted.

Her love for the game that has treated her both so well and so harshly remains.