Goaltender Lindsay Grabowski '07 was certainly up for the task, as she kept the Ephs at bay in a scoreless first period. It was clear from the start that this was not the same Jeff team that was outshot 45-19 in the two teams' first matchup. Despite recording only one win in their previous 10 games, the Jeffs were playing with confidence after scoring three times against Bowdoin College and shutting out Colby College in a scoreless tie the week before.
Although they lost to the Ephs 2-0, the Jeffs definitely earned some respect from their Williamstown counterparts. The defensive effort from the Jeffs truly stood out, as they killed all three penalties against them and did a good job protecting their netminder. Grabowski was spectacular in the losing effort, stopping 24 shots, including numerous point-blank attempts and a few breakaways. Unfortunately, Eph Annie Snodgrass' fourth goal at 3:05 of the second period was all that Williams needed to secure the victory.
Williams' goalie, Kristen Sundet, proved Grabowski's equal, stopping all 15 Amherst shots on goal. Although the Jeffs kept pressure on Sundet for most of the game, they were unable to find the back for the net.
The following day, the Jeffs squared off against number-one ranked Middlebury College, a 4-0 victor over Amherst the last time the teams played. This time, the Jeffs ended up on the short end of a 5-0 game. Three third period goals for the Panthers put the game out of reach, but for two periods the Jeffs definitely held their own.
The Panthers added a quick second goal only 53 seconds into the second period, but were stifled for the next 19 minutes and the Jeffs headed back to the locker room down only 2-0.
"It was a big step for our program to be able to play so competitively with the country's best teams for two periods," said Rachel Simon '07. "Unfortunately, we tend to lack consistency and still need to work on finishing games with the same intensity that we start them."
"I think most of us were pretty satisfied with the way the team played, but we all feel that the outcomes of both games would have been much better if we played three good periods of hockey," said Leah Kaplan '06. "We have a tendency to come out strong and then have a few minutes here and there of confusion, and that's when good teams like Middlebury and Williams will capitalize. If anything, this weekend proves that when we are on, we can compete with anyone."
The confusion against Middlebury began at the start of the third period, as a Jeff penalty led to Lorna Gifis' first of two goals in a three-minute span. Gifis, the leading goalscorer for the top-ranked Panthers, was a thorn in the Jeffs' side last time the two teams met as well, with a goal and two assists. One final shorthanded goal made the final score 5-0 in a game much closer than the score indicated.
"Our main goal is to get better each game," said co-captain Sarah Mason '05. "We did that this past weekend against some of the top teams."
The Jeffs face Connnecticut College on the road important NESCAC game against Connecticut College on Friday. With only a few NESCAC games left, the Jeffs still have a shot at hosting a playoff game if they can surpass the fourth-place Hamilton College Continentals, who hold a two-point lead over Amherst.