During the winter hiatus Amherst worked its way to the top of the USCHO national poll but then dropped three non-conference games against teams ranked in the top ten. The three losses remain the Lord Jeffs’ only losses on the season. Though the Lords Jeffs did not come away with any wins against the top teams on their non-conference schedule, they remain undeterred. “We suffered some tough non-conference losses this January, but exposure to different styles and more great talent should only strengthen our resolve to prepare now and treat every time we step on the ice as a chance to improve,” said junior Kirsten Dier.
The setbacks the Lord Jeffs experienced during Interterm did not carry over as they returned to NESCAC competition with road victories at Bowdoin College and Colby College. Amherst jumped ahead quickly in the game against the Polar Bears as goals by junior Kate Dennett and Dier put the Lord Jeffs up 2-0 midway through the second period. Bowdoin answered with a tally of its own before junior Lindsey Harrington and sophomore Courtney Hanlon put the game out of reach with a goal each. Bowdoin put two more shots past sophomore netminder Caroline Hu, but her 12 saves proved to be enough for the Lord Jeffs to hold on for a 4-3 victory.
In the second of the back-to-back Maine matchups, Amherst dominated more decisively. Harrington and Hanlon started the scoring with first period goals within 41 seconds of each other. Sophomore Randi Zukas got her first goal of the season in the first period before Dier, Harrington, junior Molly Malloy and senior Anna MacLean scored to give the Lord Jeffs a 7-1 victory. Junior goalie Krystyn Elek made 18 saves in goal for Amherst.
Harrington’s impressive play during the weekend earned her NESCAC conference player of the week honors. Her three goals and two assists increase her season total to five in each of the statistical categories.
The two wins pushed the Lord Jeffs’ conference lead to two and half games and their NESCAC unbeaten streak to 42 games. In spite of the impressive steak the team is fighting to maintain, they seem to be keeping it in perspective. “I don’t think our NESCAC undefeated streak has added much pressure on us. We need to continue to recognize that each game, conference or non-conference, and even each practice, is a chance to improve as we look ahead to the post-season,” said Dier.
The two weekend wins keep the Lord Jeffs on track to win the regular season conference crown and the right to host the NESCAC tournament. Yet with the three loses they suffered while ranked at the top of the country, the team knows that playing with a target on your back presents its own set of challenges. “We’ve recognized how difficult it is to be on top and need to work hard to take care of the little things each day,” Dier said.