Playing against third-seeded host Colby College in the first round, the sixth-seeded Amherst squad never got any momentum. The White Mules jumped to a 6-0 lead after the first period and never looked back as they cruised to an 11-0 victory. In their last two meetings, which occurred just a week apart, the Mules outscored the Jeffs by a cumulative 16-0.
"Coming into the game we thought we'd give them a better game, especially for the seniors," said Ted Bickel '07E. "It was kind of a sour note [for the seniors] to go out on."
While the Jeffs ended their season with a pair of lopsided losses, their improved recent play should not go unnoticed. After taking on one of the most difficult schedules in the nation-the Jeffs played 10 games against national top-15 competition-Amherst rounded into form near the end of Interterm.
After Feb. 1, the Jeffs did not lose until they ran into the Mules. The first game in this stretch was an impressive 6-1 victory over St. Anselm College, coming just one night after a tough 5-2 loss to New England College.
The Jeffs continued to play well the following weekend. Taking on Williams and Middlebury Colleges, Amherst played inspired hockey. Late in the game against the Ephs, Beau Kretzman '05 scored the goal of the year, banking a shot off of an Eph defender to seize a 4-3 win for the Jeffs. The following afternoon the Jeffs again played up to the occasion, reaching a 1-1 tie with the second-ranked Panthers.
Amherst continued their unbeaten streak against Connecticut College and Tufts University on Feb. 14 and 15. Knowing that a good weekend of play would cement a spot in the conference tournament, the Jeffs tied the Camels in the opener before taking an overtime win from the Jumbos less than 24 hours later. The three points secured the sixth seed for the Jeffs.
In the final weekend of the regular season, Amherst played another strong game against Bowdoin College, skating to a 4-4 tie and extending their unbeaten streak to six games. The Polar Bears were ranked in the top 10 in the nation before a late-season slide in which the Jeffs played a key role. Although Amherst's streak died the next afternoon against Colby, this was by far their best stretch of the season.
The Jeffs prepared for this run with a brutal schedule over Interterm. After a week that featured three losses against top-20 opponents-Plattsburgh State College, Rochester Institute of Technology and Elmira College-Amherst rebounded with a win over Wesleyan University. This win, combined with their win over Williams, secured the Little III title for the Jeffs.
With their second straight early exit from the NESCAC tournament, the Jeffs suffered another disappointing postseason, but the season did have some positive aspects. Kretzman led the way offensively for the Jeffs, as he did in the 2001-02 season, with 19 goals and 14 assists, a total good for second place in the conference. But as opposed to last year when Kretzman dominated the Jeff offensive production, a young core of scorers added to the Jeff attack.
Scott Aldrich '05 and Steve Nelson '06 each chipped in 19 points on the year, with Aldrich potting 10 goals and adding nine assists, while Nelson had nine goals and 10 assists. Mike Kreger '04 was the Jeffs' only other double-digit goal scorer, with 10 goals and four assists for the season. Bickel added four goals and five assists in only 19 games, as he joined the team after matriculating for the second semester.
Another revelation was the play of goaltender Sean Lynch '06. Lynch emerged midway through the season to claim his role as the starting goaltender with a strong run to the finish line. The only Jeff to garner NESCAC Player of the Week honors, Lynch finished the year with a 4-3-3 record.
The Jeff core is young, but they will miss a number of the departing seniors. Captain Erich Schram '03 finished the year as the fourth-leading point scorer with 17 points from his spot on the blue-line and Erik DiNardo '03 continued to produce offensively while being moved from offense to defense. Justin Pitrack '03 centered the Jeffs' top defensive line for most of the season and chipped in seven points as well.
In the net the Jeffs will lose a pair of goaltenders in seniors Justin Jagher and Jaffrie Perrotti. This duo split time between the pipes over the last two seasons before Perrotti injured his knee for the second consecutive year.
Although the Jeffs' season ended earlier than desired, the young squad has much to look forward to. "We have a lot of guys returning and it looks like a really good recruiting class, so I'm pretty excited," said Bickel.