In the opener on Nov. 18, Amherst lost a close game against eight-ranked Bowdoin, 4-2. Bowdoin took the lead early, scoring a goal at the 7:23 mark. First-year forward Tarasai Karega countered by scoring her first collegiate goal off a pass from defender Katherine Kelly '08. Bowdoin responded, taking a 2-1 lead, but Amherst came out strong in the third, controlling the puck at the offensive end for the first part of the period. Junior tri-captain forward Meghan Dickoff scored off a feed from forward Natanya Khazzam '08 to tie the game 1:52 into the final stanza.
However, Bowdoin took control of the puck and the momentum, scoring the go-ahead goal at 6:48 in the period and added another tally to secure the win. Lindsay Grabowski '07 compiled 28 saves in goal for the Jeffs. Bowdoin led Amherst in shots on goal by a margin of 32-24.
The next day, Colby narrowly squeezed by Amherst with a 2-1 victory. The Jeffs played solid defense, but could not convert on offense to beat the Mules. They fell behind 2-0 after Colby scored goals late in the second period and early in the third. First-year forward Lindsey Harrington scored her first collegiate goal on a power-play at 5:36 in the period off assists by forward Rachel Simon '07 and tri-captain defender Amanda Mattei '06. Amherst had two penalties following the score and was not able to net another goal. Stacey Johnston '08 played between the pipes, stopping a total of 24 shots as Amherst was again outshot, 26-18.
"We played really well up at Bowdoin, but we let up at key times and they are a very good team and capitalized on our mistakes," said Mattei. "We were not as happy with how we played at Colby." However, Mattei remains optimistic. "I know the next time we play them, if we play hard for all three periods we [will] bring home a win," she said.
Amherst slaughtered Wesleyan 6-0 in its home opener at Orr Rink, dominating in all categories and out-shooting Wesleyan by an astonishing total of 52-8. The Jeffs controlled the puck at the offensive end for almost the entire contest. Johnston needed to save only eight shots to secure her first shutout of the year but posted an impressive diving save on a two-on-one Cardinal breakaway in the third period.
Amherst went on a scoring frenzy starting early in the first period when Khazzam netted an unassisted goal just 2:27 after the opening faceoff. Dickoff scored four seconds into a power-play off a Harrington assist at 14:34 in the first period and added another goal in the third, assisted by Alena Harrison '07 and Khazzam. First-year forward Anna MacLean scored her first collegiate goal, assisted by Harrington, and Karega put home two goals with assists by tri-captain forward Renee Sisti '06 and Kelly.
On Nov. 27, Amherst faced Wesleyan again at Orr Rink and again dominated all aspects of the game en route to a 5-1 rout over the Cardinals, outshooting their opponents 44-13. "It felt extremely satisfying to blow Wesleyan out of the water like we did, especially when we came back for the second game and proved to them that we are a better team," Mattei said. "We played hard and we earned every minute of those games."
Amherst was led by Harrington who continued to shine in her budding rookie campaign. The Westford, Mass. native played a magnificent game, tallying a hat trick in her fourth collegiate game, scoring once in the first frame and adding two goals in the final period. Karega, who has also been stellar in the early going of the season, scored on a slapshot assisted by defender Meg Quinn '08. Sisti contributed to the onslaught by tallying her first goal of the year at 3:24 in the third period off assists from Dickoff and Mattei. "It feels great to dominate a team like that for six periods," said Simon. "Hopefully we can carry that momentum onto the ice with Middlebury [College]."
The Jeffs have a tough week ahead. They host the defending NESCAC and National Champions from Middlebury on Friday. On Saturday, archrival Williams College comes to town. Amherst hopes to topple these conference opponents and keep their NESCAC win streak alive. The puck drops on Friday at 7 p.m.
NESCAC Notes
Bowdoin and Middlebury are both undefeated at the start of the season with 2-0 conference records. Trinity senior Courtney Bergh earned NESCAC player of the week honors last week. The goaltender compiled 49 saves in two games and gave up just two goals. Amherst is currently fifth in the NESCAC standings.