Last year, Amherst surprised the women’s ice hockey community with an incredible season. After an offseason fill of speculation about how Amherst would respond this year, the Jeffs kicked off their 2007-08 campaign with a 3-0-1 run, proving that their past success was not a fluke.
The Jeffs did not waste any time testing their ability. For the first game of the season, they traveled to Brunswick, Me., on Nov. 16 to face perennial NESCAC contender Bowdoin College, blanking the Polar Bears, 2-0.
“Playing Bowdoin is always big for us because they have been a successful program for a long time,” said co-captain defenseman Julie Radziewicz ’09. “We really just wanted to walk away from that game with a win because of the momentum that it would provide and because we wanted to reaffirm what happened last year in the playoffs.”
As a team that has grown accustomed to breaking records, it was only fitting that the Jeffs reached another milestone to start this season. The win over Bowdoin was the first time that Amherst has won at Bowdoin’s Dayton Arena, and it will likely be the last, as a new rink—the Watson Arena—is being constructed. The prospect of earning Amherst’s first win at Bowdoin added to the first-game anxiety for the upperclassmen and the first-years. “Going into the game against Bowdoin, the team, particularly the returners, was very aware of the importance of the game,” said co-captain forward Meg Quinn ’08. “A win would demonstrate that last year wasn’t a fluke, but more importantly, set the tone for this season.”
“We knew going into the first game that we had to face the challenge of a strong Bowdoin team on their home ice, and we were a bit jittery in the first half [of the game],” added first-year forward Courtney Hanlon.
It wasn’t until 4:34 into the third period that Amherst got on the board. First-year forward CC Wyshnytzky scored her first goal with an assist from junior forward Tarasai Karega. With less than a minute remaining in the contest, sophomore forward Michelle McGann sealed the deal with an empty net score.
The win over Bowdoin was a green light for the Jeffs, who posted a 4-3 win against Colby College the following day. “After beating Bowdoin, we were much more relaxed and confident playing against Colby,” said Quinn. “On Friday, people were sort of running around and mishandling the puck, but on Saturday our passes connected and the team really started to come together.”
Karega was the sparkplug for the Jeffs, scoring a pair of power play goals, including the game-winner in the third period. Sophomore forward Kate Dennett had three points on a trio of assists. Also contributing multiple points were sophomore forward Lindsey Harrington, with a goal and an assist, and Hanlon, with two assists. Quinn also found the back of the net, while sophomore goalie Krystyn Elek made a combined 37 saves on the weekend.
This past weekend, the Jeffs were back on the ice for a home-and-away series with Trinity College. The Bantams forced a 1-1 tie on Saturday, but the Jeffs responded with a 2-0 win on Sunday. “We were confident going into the Trinity games, but tying on Saturday was a real wake-up call,” said Dennett. “We were generating a lot of scoring chances, but just couldn’t seem to find the back of the net.”
Karega’s power play tally put Amherst on top in the third period, but the Bantams answered with a power play goal of their own nine minutes later. Neither team converted in the extra session. First-year goalie Caroline Hu made 14 saves in her collegiate debut.
Sunday’s contest also appeared as though it was heading to overtime. However, with 1:19 remaining in regulation, Hanlon scored off helpers from Harrington and McGann. Harrington also fed Karega for an empty net goal 41 seconds later. Elek posted her second shutout of the season.
The Jeffs will have a chance to prove just how good they are this weekend when they play host to Middlebury and Williams Colleges.