“We are very fortunate to have high quality players at all three positions — goalies, defenders and forwards. I do think we have an exceptionally strong defensive corps, but as soon as you point them out, you move on to the goaltending and feel the same way and then the potent offense comes to mind,” said Plumer.
Five returning all-conference players will lead the Lord Jeffs, including tri-captain Kirsten Dier ’10, Courtney Hanlon ’11, Tarasi Karega ’09, Krystyn Elek ’10 and Randi Zukas ’11. The Jeffs also return nine of their top 10 scorers from a year ago. “Depth is unquestionably our biggest strength,” explained Plumer.
As two-time defending NESCAC champions, the women’s hockey team knows that they are playing with a target on their back, but Plumer said that his team does not mind the additional attention. “I would like to think that our team looks at it as a compliment, rather than feeling pressure to be in the kind of position we’re in. I do think we felt pressure at the beginning of last season when we were favorites for the first time and it did take us a few weeks to learn how to play with that target on our backs. I think this is where our senior leadership can really have an impact.” Seniors Lindsey Harrington and Julie Radziewicz will serve as captains alongside Dier.
Winning a third straight title in the highly competitive, and often unpredictable NESCAC will not be easy. The Lord Jeffs, ranked fourth in the U.S. College Hockey Online preseason poll and have games against seven of the top 11 teams in the country on their schedule. Amherst will rely heavily on a defense that finished third in the country in goals against average, but Plumer believes the season’s success may hinge upon the offense. He said, “Frankly, the key to our continuing success is to score more goals. We had one of the top defenses in the country last season, so we will continue to stress team defense as the foundation to what we do. But we know we need to increase our offensive output in order to succeed against the top teams.”
While the Lord Jeffs have aspirations of playing deep into the NCAA Tournament, Plumer said the team is not overlooking any step of the process. “I think we know what it takes to succeed in the NCAA tournament, and our kids have been incredibly motivated since the end of last season. We worked for our success last year and I think people realize how tough it is to win, and I don’t think anyone takes it for granted that we can get back to the NCAA tournament. I think everyone understands that we need to focus on getting better week-to-week and in seizing the opportunities that come along. If we do that, I think we will be in a good position to make a run in March.”