On Saturday, the Lord Jeffs hosted conference rival and perennial hockey powerhouse Middlebury. The Panthers came into the weekend ranked fifth nationally (second in the NESCAC), two spots above Amherst, which is currently ranked first in the NESCAC. Despite beating Middlebury 3-0 in their first matchup early in the season, the Jeffs have gone 0-4 against nationally ranked teams since.
The game was important because it represented a chance for Amherst to clinch the conference title for the first time in program history. The Lord Jeffs rose to the occasion with a convincing 5-0 victory, handing Middlebury its worst loss in nearly a decade.
Amherst’s powerful attack was backed up by brilliant goalkeeping and excellent defense. Junior Krystyn Elek earned her third shutout of the season, while Amherst’s penalty kill returned to early-season form after a rough weekend in Rochester. They were tested early, killing four penalties in the first period to preserve a narrow 1-0 lead after Stephanie Clegg ’12 scored her third goal of the season.
The Amherst scoring continued halfway through the second period as Courtney Hanlon ’11 scored her 11th goal of the season assisted by senior Tarasai Karega (her first of two of the game). The Jeffs then exploded in the 3rd period to put the game away with two goals by Kate Dennett ’10 and one by Karega. Dennett now has an impressive four goals against Midd this season. First-year phenom Emily Vitale had two assists along with Molly Malloy ’10, Julia Koch ’11 and seniors Lindsay Harrington and Anna MacLean. This was the first time Amherst has beaten the Panthers at home (they have tied at Orr Rink the past two seasons).
“We were hoping to start up with a good first period, and I think that scoring that early goal and killing all those penalties gave us the momentum we needed,” said senior tri-captain Julie Radziewicz. With the victory, Amherst earned home-ice advantage throughout the NESCAC playoffs.
To cap off a weekend of rivalries, the Lord Jeffs faced off against the Ephs on Sunday. Despite its losing record, Williams played a very tough, very physical game, forcing the Jeffs to eke out a slim 1-0 win. The Williams goaltender, Sara Plunkett, a transfer from Colgate’s D-I program, was key in keeping Williams in the game with her 40 saves.
Amherst’s defense was, once again, stellar despite the absence of all-conference defenseman junior tri-captain Kirsten Dier due to a knee injury. She is expected to return for the next game. The Jeffs held the Ephs to 16 shots on goal, all of which were saved by sophomore goaltender Caroline Hu, as she earned her second shutout of the season. Hanlon picked up the game-winning goal assisted by Clegg and Michelle McGann ’10.
The game ended with a nail-biting six on four after sophomore Randi Zukas was called for interference with a minute and a half left in the game; the Ephs tried to capitalize by taking out their goalie to give themselves six scoring options. The Lord Jeffs were forced to play a situation in which they were basically two men down but were able to hold on and secure the win.
“Yay, we won!” said a visibly relieved Dennett after the victory.
The Jeffs will have a chance to keep the momentum of this weekend this Wednesday against Elmira College (ranked third nationally). This will be a rematch of last year’s NCAA quarterfinals in which the Jeffs fell 3-2 to the Soaring Eagles. Amherst will finish off its regular season with a pair of games against the Connecticut College Camels this weekend.