The game started off poorly for Amherst. Middlebury senior Angela Kapus, the NESCAC's leading scorer, opened the scoring just 28 seconds into play with her 17th strike of the year. But co-captain goaltender Heidi Alexander '03, playing in her final game, would settle down after the early goal and stymie the Panthers' attack. Alexander stopped shot after shot, making 21 saves in the first period and keeping her team in the one-goal game.
But the Jeffs' offense sputtered, unable to generate scoring chances and registering just one shot on goal in the first period. Their offensive troubles came back to haunt them, as Middlebury broke through for another goal late in the first period, extending the lead to two.
Middlebury broke the game wide open in the second period. Middlebury peppered Alexander with another 15 shots, this time slipping three past the Amherst netminder and gaining a 5-0 advantage. Amherst once again was only able to put one puck to Panther goalie Kati Madouros.
The final period featured more of the same. The Middlebury scoring parade continued as they netted four more goals on nine shots to make the final score 9-0. Amherst mustered four shots in the third, but couldn't solve Madouros nor the oppressive Panther defense.
Middlebury's nine goals came from eight different scorers. Jean Butler was the one player to tally twice, while Kristin Reid enjoyed a four-point night with a goal and three assists.
"It was a tough loss to Middlebury, but we played very hard and did our best," said Head Coach Kay Cowperthwait.
Saturday's was the final game in the collegiate careers of senior co-captains Alexander and Danielle Williams. For the last four years, Alexander and Williams have been fixtures in the Amherst lineup.
As a rookie in 1999, Alexander was immediately inserted into the lineup and has been the everyday goalie for Amherst ever since. Of the 92 games Amherst has played in that time span, Alexander has registered a decision in 90 of them. In her time between the pipes (89 hours, 18 minutes and 53 seconds, to be precise), Alexander amassed 2875 saves and 22 wins.
And just in case you were wondering who got the other two decisions during Alexander's four-year career, it was Emma Trask '02, who went 2-0 during Alexander's rookie campaign.
"Other than actually missing playing competitive college hockey, I will probably miss the camaraderie of the team the most," said Alexander. "It has not really hit me yet that I will never play hockey for Amherst again."
But as familiar a sight as Alexander has become in net, Williams has been just as fixed in the Amherst attack.
As a rookie in 1999-2000 season, she was third on the team in scoring with 18 goals and 10 assists. In her sophomore season, her most prolific, Williams led all Jeffs in scoring, notching 23 goals and 15 assists. Williams continued to be a leader on offense for the Jeffs in her final two seasons, leading the team in scoring this year and finishing second last year.
Overall, she scored 57 goals and dished out 40 assists in four seasons. "Playing hockey here for Amherst has been an incredible experience," said Williams. "I honestly couldn't ask for better teammates."
Alexander and Williams plan to maintain their ties to the sport. "I hope to continue playing ice hockey recreationally in adult leagues," said Alexander. "And possibly coach a high school team with Danielle."
"It's hard to qualify how valuable Danielle and Heidi have been to this team and program," said Cowperthwait. "They have both given so much of their time and heart for four years, they truly embody all of the best things about Amherst women's hockey. They will be sorely missed."
Next year, the spotlight will fall on K.C. Cosentino '05, Alexander's backup goalie for the past two seasons. Although she's only seen action in two games and made just 15 stops in her short career, Cosentino figures to get the start on opening day next season. But Alexander's leadership will have to be replaced as well.
"I think that as captains, Danielle and I set the tone of hard work and dedication for the years to come," said Alexander. "Although we'll be gone next year, the team only loses two players."
Cowperthwait looks to the incoming Class of 2007 to lend a hand as well. "I'm optimistic about next year," she said. "We do have some strong first-years coming in and we return all but two from this year."
"The team looks great for future years," said Williams. "With the talent on the team now and the new players coming in, I expect better results in the playoffs to come."
In other NESCAC quarterfinal action, third-seeded Williams College defeated sixth-seed Wesleyan University 3-0, ending what had been a fine season for the Cardinals. Fifth-seeded Colby College handed Hamilton College, the fourth-seed, a minor upset with a 5-3 decision.
This weekend, Bowdoin College, which had a bye in the opening round, will host the semifinal and final rounds. On Saturday, Bowdoin will take on Colby before Williams battles Middlebury. Then, on Sunday, the two winners will compete against each other for the NESCAC Championship.