Of all the things the women’s ice hockey team accomplished last season, there is only one that the Jeffs are focused on repeating, and that is to have fun. The rest will come.
Last year, Amherst posted a 20-7-3 record—the best in school history. The Jeffs toppled Williams, Bowdoin and Middlebury Colleges, each for the first time ever, and also strung together unbeaten streaks of 11 and nine games over a 21-game span. In addition, the women made a long run in the playoffs, even though the team had never won a postseason game prior to last season. Amherst seemingly came out of nowhere to win the NESCAC Championship and advance to the NCAA Div. III Frozen Four.
The benchmark set for this year’s squad seems formidable. Nevertheless, the 2007-08 Jeffs are primarily concerned with repeating the process that brought them success.
“We have a mission statement in our program and the three central principles are to 1) work hard, 2) think ahead and 3) have fun,” said Head Coach Jim Plumer. “We had a lot of fun last year and as we start this new season, I think we are all recommitting ourselves to those three things because we realized that when we play well, it is a whole lot of fun and that if we do that, then the results are usually good.”
The Jeffs’ memories, banners and plaques will simply serve as motivation to play with the same enthusiasm as before. “We’ve certainly discussed the success that we had last year, not to pat ourselves on the back, but to remind ourselves how hard we worked to get where we did, and how hard we will have to work to do well this year,” said co-captain forward Megan Quinn ’08.
“We had a great deal of success, but we are putting it behind us and focusing on this year,” added goalie Krystyn Elek ’10. “All we can do is play our hardest and try to set new goals for a new team.”
That new team, currently ranked fourth in the nation by a USCHO.com poll, features many of last season’s players. Elek returns after an incredible rookie campaign. The Second Team All-America East, NES-
CAC Rookie of the Year and First Team All-NESCAC honoree posted a stretch of 15 consecutive shutout periods, and turned away a conference record 65 shots in the NESCAC title game. The Jeffs will rely on Elek’s consistency again this year. In front of Elek, First Team All-NESCAC defenseman Kirsten Dier ’10 and co-captain defender Julie Radziewicz ’09 will lead a defensive unit that finished eighth in the country in scoring defense last year with 1.93 goals per game.
Forward Tarasai Karega ’09 will continue to be one of the NESCAC’s biggest offensive threats. Karega led the conference with 20 goals, eight power play goals and a nation-best eight game-winning goals, while placing second in the conference with 37 points. Other major offensive contributors are forwards Anna MacLean ’09, Lindsey Harrington ’09, Kate Dennett ’10 and Michelle McGann ’10. Last year MacLean was second on the team in points with 32; Harrington and Dennett contributed 29 points apiece; McGann and Dier posted 23 points each.
While the crux of the offense and the defense are returning, the Jeffs will have to cope with the loss of six players. As the returning players assume new roles, eight first-years are poised to fill in the gaps. Plumer, the 2006-07 NESCAC Coach of the Year, and new Assistant Coach Marissa O’Neil, a former field and ice hockey standout at Bowdoin, are at the helm of this talented squad.
“We had a great run last year because of team leadership, enthusiasm, dedication and unity. Those same ingredients for success are there this year,” said Dier. “The team has always believed in our ability; the only difference is that now, other teams recognize our skill as well.”
The Jeffs will not waste any time rekindling their conference rivalries. The season opens on Friday at Bowdoin. After last year’s success, opponents will be gunning for Amherst. But if the Jeffs play with the enthusiasm that sparked that success, good things are bound to happen.