Back in the middle of December, most Amherst students were not looking forward to finals period because, well, finals are typically not a lot of fun. However, the members of the women’s ice hockey team were not looking forward to finals period because it meant a break in their practice and game schedule.
Prior to that break Amherst had built some serious momentum en route to a 5-1-2 record in 2007. The Jeffs posted a convincing win over Williams College, beat Bowdoin College at the Polar Bears’ rink and tied national powerhouse Middlebury College, while their only loss was to defending National Champion and then top-ranked SUNY-Plattsburgh.
Picking up where they left off proved to be difficult. The Jeffs suffered two setbacks in the opening weekend of 2008. Amherst—then ranked fourth in the country—fell to Utica College in overtime, before dropping a contest to fifth-ranked Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) the following day. The last time Amherst suffered back-to-back losses was in the 2007 NCAA Frozen Four, and the time before that was in early December 2006.
“I think our practices before the RIT/Utica weekend and our other more successful weekends made the difference between winning and losing,” said sophomore forward Kate Dennett. “We were a bit rusty after Christmas break and right before RIT/Utica, whereas before the other weekends we had very intense, focused practices.”
“I think many of us had forgotten how hard we had to work for a win while we were on break and lost the mental and physical focus needed to win,” explained co-captain defenseman Julie Radziewicz ’09.
Adding to the challenge of rebounding from back-to-back losses, the Jeffs played their next five games on the road and in a span of nine days. The most recent losses seemed to charge the Jeffs, however, and they responded with seven straight wins. They retained their focus and intensity as they blanked Wesleyan University, 6-0. The Jeffs followed that with another lopsided NESCAC win the next day at Hamilton College.
Amherst also had success against non-conference foes. The Jeffs outscored Castleton State College and SUNY-Cortland by a combined 15-0. Perhaps more impressive, those wins sandwiched a 3-2 victory over Elmira College. At the time, Amherst was ranked seventh while Elmira held the number four spot. The upset propelled the Jeffs to sixth, while Elmira plummeted to seventh.
The Jeffs maintained their ranking this week as they kicked off a five-game home stand. Amherst began the second half of its conference schedule with wins over Colby College and Bowdoin.
The Colby game was scoreless through the first period. First-year forward Courtney Hanlon notched two goals in the second frame to put the Jeffs on top. Colby made things interesting with a goal in the third, but Amherst shut down the White Mules the rest of the way to hold on for the 2-1 win.
On Saturday the Jeffs shut out Bowdoin for the second time this season, winning 4-0. Forward Tarasai Karega ’09 found the back of the net late in the first period. The score stayed at 1-0 until forward Michelle McGann ’09 gave the Jeffs a two-goal cushion. Less than three minutes later first-year forward CC Wyshnytzky converted on the power play. Hanlon iced the game with a short-handed goal about halfway through the final period.
During this current win streak, Amherst is averaging five goals a game and allowing less than one. The Jeffs remain undefeated in conference play with an 8-0-2 NESCAC record. While Amherst is leading the conference as a team, some individuals are also at the top. Karega is tied for first in the conference with 10 power play points, eight of which are goals. Her 14 goals are the most of anyone in the NESCAC. Hanlon has 11 assists, good for fourth in the NESCAC, while Karega and Dennett each have ten. Forward Lindsey Harrington ’09 and defensemen Randi Zukas ’11 and Kirsten Dier ’10 have nine, nine and eight assists, respectively. Hanlon’s 19 points are the second most by any first-year in the league. At the other end of the rink, the Amherst goalies have been dominating. Caroline Hu ’11 leads the nation with only four goals against in 365 minutes of action. Krystyn Elek ’10 has played 666:37, and her four shutouts lead the league.
The Jeffs will look to maintain their hold on the NESCAC as six of their last seven regular season games count towards the conference standings. “It is hugely important that we perform well in the next few weeks with only mostly NESCAC games left in our schedule,” said Hanlon. “It is important to go into these next games strong and to not take any opponents lightly.”